Cheap Disaster Recovery Blog Post

I did my first disaster preparedness blog post on water because it is so important to staying alive and healthy. If you do not know what is going on that can kill you faster than not having any water. An example of this is the need to know about an evacuation order. If the electric power was off and you did not have a radio that did not depend on being plugged into the wall you might not find out about an evacuation order in time to stay alive and keep your family alive.


You need a radio that will work if it is not plugged in. There are places online that sell wind up radios for less than $20.00.  Solar powered radios are good as long as they schedule your next disaster in the day time. :-) Some cheap radios have several different types of power systems, solar, wind up, battery, etc.


If you get a radio that winds up it will be preferable to get one that has a handle that folds up out of the way and  it has a handle that is big enough for you to be able to hold on to it easily as you turn it and doesn't bang your hand against anything as you wind. Sometimes you can tell from the pictures on the internet or the reviews by people who have purchased them. If you find the one you want in a local store you can try winding it to see how  well it works for you. I am enabling some ads on this site so some related to radios will probably show up eventually. You can look for them on search engines too.


I have seen instructions for building a crystal radio for very little money and they did not appear to be very difficult or require much knowledge to make the radio.
link to make your own radio cheap, no batteries required
this radio may be cheaper to make


You need a "go bag" in case you have to evacuate and it will make it easier to find what you need in an emergency even if you don't evacuate. I am not suggesting you stay if they tell you to evacuate. On the contrary, if they tell you to evacuate I want you to grab your go bag and go immediately. They do not tell you to evacuate for nothing. You may die if you don't evacuate. Your go bag is there so you can be ready and be the first one on the bus or at the shelter or where ever it is they tell you to go. If you wait there will be a traffic jam and it could cost you your life.  Your go bag lets you beat that.


I think a back pack is the best go bag because it is easy to carry and leaves your hands free. You can move faster and easier that way too. If you are small you may want to do something to keep the straps from your go bag from slipping down on your shoulders.  Some back packs have an extra strap or two that will do this. You can make your own, if necessary.  I will show you how to do this.


Next post will show you how to make a strap for your go bag.