You want to make sure your family is safe in the event of a disaster. Far too many times in recent years have natural disasters devasted entire cites, states, and even countries. Many of these events came without warning. Even more tragic are those that did have warning, like hurricane Katrina, but whose citizens did not have the means to escape , or the tools to survive the aftermath.
More than twice as many people die in the 72 hours after a natural disaster, than die from the event itself. In order to keep your family safe you need to prepare for both kinds of catastrophes. The kind that give you a warning and those that don't.
For those events that do provide some measure of advanced warning, the best option by far is to evacuate. What stops many families from doing so is that they have no money set aside for this contingency. They have no car, and no means to rent one. They do not have money to pay for a motel or hotel room. Let's not forget that in many cases prices at hotels and motels double during these mass evacuations. First and foremost, begin saving money and setting it aside for emergencies - real emergencies. A 3 day sale is not an emergency, a golf tournament is not an emergency. Events that will result in aserious negative impact to your family is an emergency.
For those disasters that provide no warning, having the proper equipment is crucial to surviving. The single best item you can have is a survival backpack, sometimes referred to as a emergency backpack. These are prepackaged rugged backpacks that contain all the items you will need to survive with some level of comfort for at least 72 hours. Some emergency survival kits come in 5 gallon drums, but I prefer backpacks. You can have a 72 hour survival kit 5 gallon drum as a backup. With a backpack you can carry your survival equipment and still have your hands free. Have a backpack on hand for every member or your family, and store them in an easily accessible area near an exit in your home. You can have survival backpacks at work, school and your car as well.
Emergency preparedness begins long before a disaster strikes. Establish your emergency fund and get yourself and your family an emergency backpack today.