Mostly, we live peaceful lives. Our biggest complaints on a day-to-day basis are annoying co-workers, demanding bosses, and nosy neighbors. Naturally, we’ve become complacent and take our health, comfort, and safety for granted.

But what if life wasn’t peaceful? If an emergency struck, would you be prepared? What types of emergencies are you prepared for?

Though none of us want to live with a “gloom and doom” mentality, it’s important to be prepared for any potentiality that could bring harm to your and your family. You don’t need to go out and become a Navy SEAL, but there are steps you should take to improve your circumstances and your preparedness.

Keep reading for seven possible emergencies and how to prepare for them.

1. House Fire

House fires are incredibly common. They can be caused by faulty wiring, neglected cigarettes, candles, cooking, faulty electronics, and more. The key to saving your house from destructive fires is knowing how to prevent them.

We recommend getting a fire safety inspection in your home to identify potential fire hazards. You should also establish a fire evacuation plan with your family to make sure everyone’s on the same page.

Finally, look into various fire extinguishers. There are automatic fire extinguishers that look like decorative orbs that explode when exposed to flames. They release fire retardent powder that douses the flame and the explosion is loud enough to alert everyone in the house that there’s a problem.

2. Natural Disasters

The most powerful force on this earth is mother nature. She is unpredictable and answers to no one. If there’s going to be a hurricane, there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

The best thing you can do is prepare for the possibility of natural disasters common to your location. This may mean preparing travel bags packed with important belongings that you and your family can grab in a hurry to evacuate.

It’s also a good idea to establish emergency plans for various situations that everyone in the household is familiar with. Run drills once a month to streamline your response to the types of natural disasters that could affect your family. Finally, look into the different types of insurances, like flood insurance, that likely isn’t covered in your general homeowner’s policy to protect yourself financially.

3. Car Troubles

Some of the less terrifying types of emergencies center around automobile issues. Whether you’re breaking down on the road, getting a flat tire, or can’t get your car started, these issues are hardly life-threatening. However, these are emergencies, nonetheless, that you should be prepared for.

First, make sure you always have a phone charger in your car. If you need to call for help, it would be terrible if your phone was out of battery.

Second, we recommend carrying a jump-starter kit on board at all times. Jumper cables are handy, but useless if no other motorists are around.

Finally, make sure your spare tire is full of air and ready to go, should you get a flat. You should also keep safety cones and road flares in your car, should you break down in low-visibility conditions.

4. Break-Ins/Intruders

Perhaps the most frightening types of emergency are those that involved other people. If someone breaks into your house while you’re home what will you do?

We suggest preparing for this unsettling situation by investing in an alarms system for your home. It will sound should anyone break-in and notify the security company. As soon as they determine the alarm to be of concern, they will notify the local authorities.

We also recommend investing in self-defense tools, such as pepper spray or tasers. However, if you’re planning on using these tools while your adrenaline is pumping, you better practice with them first.

Finally, look into other home defense tactics to fortify your home.

5. Medical Emergencies

The more medical knowledge you have, the better. One of the most common types of emergencies is health-related. People get injured all the time:

• Cuts
• Broken bones
• Heat illnesses
• Strokes
• Car accidents
• Slips and falls
• Head injuries
• Snake bites
• Allergic reactions
• And so on

Invest in a comprehensive first-aid kit and learn how to use everything in it. Watch videos online, order books, and take classes. You don’t have to become a certified EMT, but understand that medical knowledge can save lives.

6. Breakdowns in the Supply Chain

One of the most eye-opening experiences in recent history occurred during the initial outbreak of the Coronavirus. We went to the grocery store to find shelves completely empty.

As food shortage became a fear, panic made it a reality. People started buying up everything they could, making it impossible for others to purchase what they needed.

While this situation quickly remediated itself, it showed us the possibility of something darker. If things got worse and supply chains broke down, most of us wouldn’t be able to feed ourselves.

We suggest taking the next few months to a year to stock your home with dried and canned goods and other necessary supplies. They say you should have about 300 pounds of dried goods per person to last a year. If something cataclysmic happened, you wouldn’t have to worry about your family starving.

7. Power/Communication Outages

Finally, prepare for types of emergencies that can interrupt your quality of life and your ability to communicate with others. For example, power outages, though typically resolved within a couple of hours, can have profound effects. Imagine a power outage that lasted several days.

To prepare for power outages, consider investing in a secondary source of power, such as a solar system or a backup generator. Should the main power fail, you won’t have to worry about losing things like heat, air conditioning, TV, internet, the food in you fridge and freezer, etc.

However, should something more serious happen, such as an EMP wave, it could result in the destruction of electronic devices in the area. You need to have an emergency strategy in place in the event that you have no other way to communicate with the members of you family or household.

Devise a rendevous point where everyone knows to meet. Decide what to do in advance if your children are at school and you and your spouse are at work.

Are You Prepared for Various Types of Emergencies?

Hopefully, you’ll never have to worry about any of these types of emergencies playing out in real life. However, if they do, your life is going to be much better if you’re prepared for them. As they say – hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

And if you’re looking for any more valuable information and insight, be sure to check out some of our other articles before you go. Our blog has everything from business advice to how to prepare for emergencies (as you just read). Stay safe out there!