Disaster prep on a dime.

(Happy Throwback Tuesday! Yes, I know it’s supposed to be Throwback Thursday, but given the various weather storms and power outages around the country right now, this article  needed republication before Thursday. The post originally ran on Feb. 18, 2021, when the Texas deep-freeze catastrophe was threatening lives and property.)

Disaster prep isn’t much fun. Who wants to think about all the ways that nature is trying to kill us? But it’s essential.

Texans couldn’t really be prepared for the double whammy of extreme cold and multiple utility failures. Burst pipes, multi-car accidents, disruptions to the food supply, boil-water notices, “seeking heating” shelters that don’t provide meals or a place to sleep – it’s pretty dire.

In some case it’s become a triple whammy: No way to stay warm + no power to cook/preserve existing food = needing to go out on slippery roads to seek a place to sleep. Assuming, that is, that local shelters aren’t full or that hotel rooms (if you can afford them) are still available.

I’m not looking to turn this into a diatribe as to whether Texas was foolish for wanting its own power grid and why officials didn’t winterize said grid. There’s already plenty of finger-pointing to go around. Instead, I’d like to ask readers whether they are even a little bit prepared if extreme weather or some other natural disaster should befall them.

If things got dire in your neck of the woods, how would you eat, drink and keep from freezing/developing heatstroke? Also: Got any idea where you’d poop?

 

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Books and bracelets: A second-chance offer.

The random number generator liked Jennifer best this week: She’s the winner of “The Prepper’s Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster” plus the paracord bracelet woven by the author, Bernie Carr.

You can get one of these, too -- even if you didn't win.

A number of readers seemed to think the bracelet was too très stylin’. Here’s how you can get your own, and/or a personalized copy of last week’s giveaway book.

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Giveaway: “The Prepper’s Pocket Guide.”

If I’d been thinking clearly last week, this would have been the Aug. 26 giveaway. But Irene (or the threat of Irene, anyway) had me making enormous changes at the last minute.

The good news: This book will help you prepare for the next looming disaster, whether natural or man-made.

Also included, courtesy of the author, is a very unusual lagniappe.

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