How to prepare for a huge disaster when you live in a tiny apartment |
The context you need, when you need it
When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.
We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?
How to prepare for a huge disaster when you live in a tiny apartment
No bunker required: Your guide to prepping for natural disasters, pandemics, and more when you live in a city.
It often feels like we’re on the brink of disaster: Diseases lurk behind every corner and global instability threatens the economy. But beyond the doomsday scenarios, it’s important to be prepared for more practical reasons: Extreme weather events, for example, have become a fact of life. It can all be a lot to worry about — but how do you actually prepare for something to happen?
Chris Ellis asks himself this question a lot. He’s a disaster resilience expert and author of the book Resilient Citizens: The People, Perils, and Politics of Modern Preparedness.
According to Ellis, it’s a good idea to have your bases covered.
If “the power gets knocked out because of a winter storm or tornado, how can I be resilient within my house without publicly provided water, power, or transportation? That’s usually your largest prep,” he told Explain It to Me, Vox’s weekly call-in podcast.
America is a country of doomsday preppers
Ellis also suggests thinking about how to be prepared when you’re away from home, whether that’s in your car or at work. And he recommends preparing a “bug-out bag”: “You should keep it in your mudroom or right by your garage so if there is a disaster, you can grab it,” he said. “The things that would be in that would be at least three days of water and food for everyone in your family, pets included. I would have $500 to $1,000 in cash just in case you go to a........