List Of The Most Important Gear When Disaster Strikes

List Of The Most Important Gear When Disaster Strikes

15:16 20 July 2021

You hear blaring sirens in your street, the news channels start showing alerts of a calamity, and your neighbors start stampeding out of their homes. What are you rushing to grab? 

 

Planning out a disaster might not be on the top of your task list. But when tragedy strikes, it doesn’t send a message ahead of time. Engineering life-saving solutions on the go might look cool and all in movies, but in real life, the stakes are high. The best way to survive a dismantling earthquake or a tornado that will literally sweep you off your feet is to be prepared for it. Whether or not you live in an area with the imminent threat of destruction, it’s always best to have a game plan in place. 

 

But in order to be the safest, you need to keep your options limited. You’re probably going to end up leaving your favorite family picture behind, but that’s a cost you have to pay. 

 

So what are the essential gears to keep with you when times get rough? 

 

Grab and Go Gear

Like we mentioned before, this isn’t the time to collect your favorite decoration pieces or pack a delicious meal for the road. This is a code red situation, and you only have limited space for a selected few items. You also need to know where you’ll find these things because time is of utmost importance. Keep this gear within arms reach so you can just grab and go. Having an emergency kit with all these things in one place is a brilliant idea and might just make the difference between life and death someday. 

 

Here is a list of the most important gear you should have ready to go. 

 

LED Flashlights 

The only thing you can be certain of in a disaster situation is uncertainty. You never really know if you’ll find shelter for the night or if you’ll have to camp in an abandoned lot. Whatever the case, you know you’ll need the vision to survive. Having an LED flashlight means you are no longer reliant on your surroundings. Besides that, LED lights are pretty inexpensive and easy to get. 

 

First Aid kit

A first aid kit is almost a given for times of disasters. The tough reality of disasters and calamity is that you are bound to get more than a scrap or two. But there’s no saying how dire the situation can get. Some of the important things to have in a first aid kit are gauze, sterile gloves, burn ointment, several sizes of bandages, pain relievers, tweezers, and a pair of scissors. You can get pre-assorted first aid kits and add to that with things you feel you might need.

 

Water Treatment Equipment  

Another thing you can’t compromise on is water. It’s an essential liquid for the human body, and you need an ample supply of it to tackle problems head-on. But you can only pack so many gallons of water. So you need a solution in which you can get water on the go. This is especially true for families because there are more people to cater to. But you can’t just fill up your bottles from a nearby river stream. Any open water source is a health hazard, and you need to navigate your way carefully. You might quench your thirst from these, but there are other more serious diseases that linger around in the water.

 

The best solution to your water needs is to get water treatment gear. You can look into filter bottles and filter pumps. 

 

Signaling Whistle 

A whistle blast is globally accepted as a sign of help. Keeping a signaling whistle on you in times of disaster can be the best decision you make. This will especially come in handy when the dust settles, and the rescue teams come into your area. In the absolute worst case, if you find yourself stranded or trapped in a building or under debris, this whistle can inform “help and rescue teams” of your location. 

 

Non-Perishable Foods 

The other uncompromisable item, after water, that will fuel your body through these tough times is food. Your body will be running on alert mode, and so you probably won’t crave three big meals a day, but you will need something to keep your body going. But you can’t just pack any food either. You want to get some that are a combination of three things: Non-perishable, high energy content, and compact. This is food that will not go bad without refrigeration and one that doesn’t need any complex equipment to prepare. You can easily get some ready-to-eat type foods, which can quickly be prepared using hot water. They might not be up to par with your homemade lasagnas, but they’ll taste just as good in the given circumstances. 

 

Battery or Solar-Powered Charger 

When you’re talking about life-threatening disasters, it’s unlikely that you find a charging socket or someone with a power bank. Now we highly advise against using your limited ounces of battery life on refreshing Instagram, but your smartphone can give you a lot of outreach. Whether it is informing your family members that you are safe, checking up on their safety, or simply calling helplines, a charged phone can open up your options. As your battery power drops to the last bar after the first few days, you will be incredibly grateful for keeping a solar-powered or battery-run charger with yourself.  

 

Be Prepared for the Worst

Life and unpredictability go hand in hand. And while we can’t always account for and calculate everything that will happen, we can still do our best to be ready. Being prepared for the worst is a grim but necessary thing to do.