by Texas Homesteader ~
September is National Preparedness Month. Whether you want to be prepared for the unexpected or just become less reliant on others, there are many simple things you can do now to be more prepared for an uncertain future.
Strong storms? Hurricanes? Earthquakes? Supply disruptions? Preparedness is key! We’ll break down simple steps even beginners can take to be better prepared for emergencies.
(Note: Some links in this post will take you to other related articles for further information. But links preceded with * are affiliate links. If you click and buy something I could receive a tiny commission.)
If you want to dig deeper into preparedness, a full list of helpful articles are added at the end of this post.
Reasons For Preparedness
There are any number of reasons for preparing for potential disruptions. But sooner or later most of us are affected in some way by:
Earthquakes
Floods
Tornadoes
Supply Chain Disruptions
Power Grid Failures
So it’s best to prepare now for these things. Don’t worry, it’s easy. I’m sharing some simple preparedness steps for beginners.
Key Steps For Beginner Preppers
Starting your preparedness journey need not be expensive or exhaustive. The most basic & important things for a beginner to start with are:
Power During Outages
Warmth In Cold Months
Food – Either Stockpiled or Growing or Raising Your Own
Cooking During Power Outages
Here is a beginner’s guide to those important simple steps to preparedness.
Preparing For Storms: Underground Storm Shelter
Almost any geographic location will deal with a powerful storm at one time or the other. Now’s a great time to get prepared for disruptions storms might cause.
For safety reasons we had an underground storm shelter built to keep us safe from tornadoes. I’m particular about what I’ll keep in it (and what I WON’T keep in it!)
You can read about my Underground Shelter Supplies Here.
Preparedness For Beginners: When The Power Goes Out
When the power goes out you’ll need a backup plan. Here are some articles I wrote about dealing with power outages:
Why We Chose A Dual-Fuel Generator
Tips To Prepare For Electrical Outage
How To Stay Warm When The Power Goes Out
Preparedness for Beginners: Food For Emergencies
If you’re not able to run to the store for groceries you’ll want to make sure you can still provide nourishment for yourself and your family.
Foraging For Food: Here on our NE Texas Homestead I’m able to Forage for Free Food such as wild nuts, berries, wild plums and more. Your foraging opportunities will depend upon your region.
NOTE: Be sure you know what you’re foraging so you don’t inadvertently consume something toxic. It’s best to make sure you have a *Forager’s Guide for your area to be on the safe side.
Stockpile Pantry Foods: It’s a good idea to have a small stockpile of shelf-stable food. Examples are: Grains like rice, flour, oats and lentils, peanut butter, canned fruits & vegetables, dried fruit. Bottled Water should be included as well.
Cooking Food In A Power Outage
Whether you use a solar oven or an outdoor grill, be prepared to cook your food without the use of the power grid.
Cook With Fire – Use an outdoor grill or fire pit
Solar Oven Cooking – I Use My Solar Oven to Cook Without Purchased Energy
Texas Homesteader has several Solar Cooking Resource articles – click the button below for those articles.
Take It A Step Further – Set Up A Food Plan
Now that you’re prepared for the basics, start now planning to provide more food for yourself and your family.
Providing Food: Gardening
Growing a garden can provide fresh produce even during supply disruptions. And fresher food is healthier food!
Conserving Water In The Garden
Extend The Garden Season: Fall Gardening
Protecting Garden Plants From A Deep Freeze
Preserving Food – Preserving The Garden’s Bounty
Home Canning – Having those beautiful shining jars of home-canned goodness in my pantry comforts me. You can see my canning posts by clicking the button below:
Dehydrated Food – I often dehydrate fruits and vegetables from my garden, you can see those posts by clicking the button below:
Beekeeping For Garden Pollination & Honey
Keeping bees is a great way to ensure proper pollination for your garden as well as providing fresh honey for your family!
Catching A Bee Swarm (With Video)
Make FOUR 5-Frame Nuc Boxes From 1 Sheet of Plywood!
Preparing Your Hive For Honey Harvest
Beeswax Wraps – A Natural Solution To Plastic Wrap
Chickens for Eggs & Meat
We love to raise chickens. They provide pest control for our garden and fresh high-protein eggs daily. Chickens can be harvested for meat as well, although ours are only raised for eggs.
And by allowing them to free-range I’ve kept my feed cost down and assured them a more natural and high-protein diet.
Keeping Chickens Safe From Predators
Cheaper Ways To Raise Chickens Using What You Have
Nutritional Difference Of Free-Range Eggs
So start today with a few simple steps to emergency preparedness for beginners. You’ll be better prepared for unexpected events that are bound to head your way sooner or later.
~TxH~
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Other Preparedness Posts
Electrical Power
- How To Stay Warm When The Power Goes Out
- How To Prepare For An Electrical Outage Emergency
- Temporary Power In An Emergency Electric Outage
Collecting Water
Food & Cooking
Underground Storm Shelter
- Safety From The Storm: Underground Storm Shelter
- What To Stock In Our Underground Storm Shelter
- Spring Maintenance Tips For A Storm Shelter
Other
Our Weather-Related Preparedness Posts
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Other Resources:
- Office Of Tenant Advocate: Don’t Use Cooking Appliance For Heating Your Home
- American Red Cross: Winter Storm, Preventing Frozen Pipes
I have been urging all my friends and family to have a “bug out bag” near the exit. There are exhaustive lists on the internet for what one should have in case of an emergency departure. One need not try to do it all at once, but some basics are pretty easy such as copies of insurance information, some cash, medications (be sure to rotate meds), flashlight and batteries (rotate batteries too), contact numbers for family and other important numbers. My granddaughter and partner have cats so I have suggested that they keep an extra supply of food and litter in the trunk and rotate them out as they resupply. Also for the cats, the kitty carriers should be readily accessible as well as leashes for dogs.
That’s a great list Candace, thanks for sharing. ~TxH~