If you are just beginning to prepare yourself and your family to face emergencies and an uncertain future you should look at the four major areas of preparedness. Even if you already consider yourself prepared, it is important to review where you currently stand at least once a year. As your family grows, your needs will change. If you regularly review those needs you will easily be able to make adjustments.
1) Short-term emergency preparedness is the first area that you should be prepared for. This should include an emergency kit for each family member. Five-day kits are replacing the traditional 72-hour kits. You should also include action plans. These plans should include where your family should meet, if they cannot return home. The place you will evacuate to, if you need to and contact information for the family.
2) Another area of preparedness is long term emergency preparedness. This are focuses on supplies and needs for your family for a year. This would include a year’s supply of food for every member in your family. If you have not begun this you may want to start with a month’s supply and slowly build up. Some families can only store three months at time do to their living conditions. Food storage is often used when people are unemployed.
3) Financial preparedness is another important area of preparedness. You should have an emergency fund saved that will cover three to six month of expenses. Your financial preparedness goals should also help you to eliminate debt, and build savings for the future.
4) Family planning is another area of preparedness. This should include your will, life insurance, and a guardian for your children. You will want to make sure that your children would be cared for if both you and your spouse were to pass away. This is essential, but is often put aside, since it is so negative.
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