Short Term Prepping – 4 Best Practices That You Can Use Today!

If you are a survivalist and prepper, you probably believe that you're ready for any situation that could arise during an unthinkable event or disaster.

Many dedicated preppers have spent years buying and trading silver and gold as they wait for the unavoidable crash of the financial markets. Many of them have also stocked up on ammunition, rifles and magazines, and cached water, food and fuel in sufficient storage that can last for months.

But in their quest to be the ultimate prepper, they hardly noticed that they skipped many of the most vital basics. While there is nothing wrong in being prepared for major, life threatening events, there are times when even the small things, such as a power outage or water main break, will need more prepping than what you actually thought.

How do you go about prepping for the short term? Here are some tips that you might want to keep in mind:

Make Sure You Have a Vehicle That You Can Drive Off-Road

In times of minor flooding or road damages, it is important for you to ensure that you can still be safe while driving. For this, you have to look for good vehicle that will not leave you stranded when a storm causes flooding in your area.  A four wheel drive vehicle is ideal, but a any truck or SUV that can get through low water and debris is also a good option.

Tip:  Never try to cross a flooded stream, river or street in your vehicle.  Even a foot of fast moving water is enough to sweep your vehicle off the road and put your life in jeopardy.

Keep a “Ready” Generator

Those who are vigilant about being prepared always make it a point to have access to a reliable backup power that they can use for long term. However, if you have one that is not yet ready to go, you will end up consuming most of your time in trying to set up and fuel the unit. To avoid this hassle, see to it that you have a small generator that has “ready status” that you can use during small emergencies. For this purpose, the portable generators are your best choice that you can keep fueled, maintained and kept in an accessible area where it will be ready to go in a matter of minutes.

Invest In A Solar Power System

Solar power is still one of the best ways to keep your home off the grid, or at minimum, make it less dependent on the grid. This energy from the sun can compensate in times of power outages, not to mention that this will require less expenses in fuel and generators. There is no need for you to overpay thousands of dollars to hire professionals to install the panels. You can always find them in several stores, including those that are totally self-installable even with very limited know how.

Never Underestimate the Bugout Bags

As far as prepping is concerned, it is good if you can have several bugout bags. And these are not only for you to grab on your way out of your home, although this is really their main function. Good bugout bags should contain the following:

• Map
• Pistol with extra magazines and ammunition
• Cash
• Water good for three-day supply
• Food good for two-day supply

Make sure that you keep your bag away from your home supply. In case something happens to this particular area of your home, you will need your bugout bag for you to survive even if you might necessarily leave your house. If it is possible, you can pack several of these bags that you can keep in various locations throughout the house. Have your bags ready and you can have the peace of mind knowing that small disasters will be nothing more than a mere inconvenience.

With these short term prepping tips, you can be sure to make it through the most unexpected times of crisis without any problems.

Featured Photo Credit: Lannis Waters/The Palm Beach Post