Creature Comforts During a Disaster
When you’re thinking about emergency preparedness, it can be helpful to break down the elements of preparedness into categories based on priority. Like so:
- Water
- Food
- Heat
- Shelter
- Light
- Communication
- First Aid
- Sanitation
However, just because sanitation is listed last doesn’t mean that it’s not important! On the contrary, creature comforts can increase your mental fortitude during a crisis, and that’s priceless. During an emergency situation—whether you’ve been through an earthquake, a tornado, a flood or a major storm—your mind will be working on overdrive to simply process everything that has happened and deal with the major issue of survival.
All of a sudden, you’ve been thrown into a situation full of unknowns. During an extreme circumstance like this, it’s important to keep your mind as fresh as possible to deal with ongoing dangers and life-and-death situations. The emotional toll can be devastating, but you want to be able to focus on making smart decisions until you’re safely through the crisis.
And that’s exactly why it’s so important to be able to maintain some sense of dignity, and maintain as much normality as possible—so you can focus on survival. After all, you could be in survival-mode for a couple weeks!
Below are a few tips for keeping it normal:
- Set a structure for your day. This means eating meals at regular intervals, and getting a good amount of sleep.
- If you find yourself simply sitting around and waiting, you might start going stir crazy. Start a creative project, or create a group game if you’re stuck with friends.
- Have some reading materials and games in your emergency kit, so you can take your mind off the situation and find some mental rest.
- Bring along some creature comforts, like dental floss (also a handy survival tool) and extra cozy socks.
- You may even want to invest in a Fold-to-Go Folding Toilet paired with some Double Doodie Waste Bags.
The very things you take for granted now could quickly become the luxury items you wish you’d packed!
The better prepared you are, the more a disaster has the potential to feel like an adventure! So think a little outside the box when you’re going over what’s in your emergency kit, and prepare for an emergency with the best possible outcome!
-Content created by Sophie Wooding – Writer, gardener, cyclist and emergency preparedness enthusiast!
