Although most westerners live in material affluence, these levels of comfort are not guaranteed. We are in denial when thinking that we are somehow "protected" from the inevitable, natural and man-made disasters. We have acted as if the catrastophies won't affect us, that we are insulated from harm by police, firemen, government, relief services and modern science. Do we actually believe that FEMA, OSHA, the Red Cross and Mr. Wizard will rescue all of us in the event of large scale or global natural disasters? The experiences of 9/11 has shown us that this is not so.

Super disasters like hurricane Andrew in Florida showed us how quickly emergency services can be overwhelmed. During Andrew's aftermath, the Red Cross was taken over by branches of the military and the National Guard. This caused chaos in the ranks. Many Red Cross personel resigned during and after the disaster. Stories of military bungling and cruelty to survivors were plentiful.

The WTC disaster was a terrible terrorist attack in terms of loss of life, economic losses and damage to our personal sense of security. The cleanup alone will cost over 40 billion dollars. Keep in mind that this was only two buildings. Imagine the horrors if the entire city had been nuked. NYC's surviving emergency services would have been completely overwhelmed.

Sometime during our lives most of us will experience a large, natural or man made disaster. In the event that the magnitude of this overwhelms existing emergency services people and families will be on their own for weeks or months after a major event. During this time we will have to cope with injuries, sickness, sanitation, crime, and lack of fresh water and food. In the event of this worse-case scenario, a modest cache of emergency preparedness systems and supplies can be the difference between comfortable security and real suffering.

All of Earths' residents are intimately connected to the planet and it's natural resources. If the earth is injured or if species are lost, then we are jepordizing our own continued existence here on Gaia. If the earth dies, we all die. Our planet's biodiversity, inhabitants and resources are in grave peril because of man's misuse and abuse of the Earth's resources. Anyone who disputes these facts is either in denial, misinformed, lying or stupid.

With all this in mind, it is imperative that we prepare by providing for and protecting our families, our homes and our communities. We must do what we can to increase the levels of self-reliance and enhance our emergency preparedness capabilities. In this way we can do much to reduce suffering, damages and loss of life in the event of a major emergency.

Good Places to Start:
Survival thinking - anonymous - Thoughts and Qualities of survivors
Albert E. Sindlinger - Emergency Preparedness I & II
72 Hour Kit / by Holly Deyo - 72 Hour Emergency Kit (General Supplies)
72 Hour First Aid Supplies / by Holly Deyo - Make Your Own Kit
Survival Bible - by Richard Perron - http://www.netside.com/~lcoble/bible/bible.html