The Spirit of Preparedness - Self Defense

The spirit of preparedness is that little voice that tells you to make plans for unexpected events. 

A statement from trusted leaders my faith tells us to 

Prepare Every Needful Thing. 

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In accepting this advice thoughts and ideas have been put into action in our home through learning activities and gathering. 

In planning the needs of our family we seek a comfortable, livable arrangement no matter the surroundings by understanding what we need to go through a normal day even under abnormal conditions. 
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We certainly need supplies to help us eat, intake fluids, wash, and rest.

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Prepare every needful thing applies to our knowledge base as well as our supply list.

That knowledge should include self-defense. 

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Though the threats of the unknown are not visible in the planning stages we  need to analyse where our preparing has us covered. Develop survival skills and certain engineering skills in order to make ourselves ready for events which require us to adapt to our surroundings or circumstances. 
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Are we sheltering in place and what may happen if we stay in our home. Drills in preparedness have got to include many what ifs for them to be successful when it is time to use our skills. 


In your planning for scenarios, ask these questions:
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• What area of our home can we consider and set up as a safe room?
• What if... we are the target of looters?
• What if... the home we are in needs to be our safe zone in area riots?
• What do we do if... people attempt to break into our home?
• What do we do with our children and how do we teach them to follow us without frightening them?*

Seek ways to cover our needs in all areas.  Protecting our homes and surroundings may come into reality. What can we use to help our family defend itself? This can be a practical conditioning in our minds if we think the extreme something is going to happen. This is along the lines of preparing what to do for a car accident or applying first aid. Without being a supreme paranoid think through some of the scenes in today's headlines. What will you do in a situation occurring in your life?

Preparing for anything can be done if we put aside normal times vs. survival mode necessities.

Video on self defense methods presented by Ruger:

What I found interesting about this video is the advice given of using anything that is available as a weapon, not just a firearm. Prepare ourselves for facing attackers completely. Not having to rely on any specific weapon is very important. This involves looking around our home and thinking about things that you can use in this manner. We may not have a firearm or ammunition within reach.

Self-defense courses should be on our agenda for times we may face a hand to hand life threatening challenge. Marksmanship skills need to be developed so we may properly and safely discharge a firearm in the event we need to use a gun for hunting or self-defense. Archery skills should be learned and practiced to accompany this skill set. Videos: How to Make a Bow and Arrow 
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Additional methods of defense is wise information. 
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We should know how to use slings, bows, knives, and misc. weapons in circumstances where we may have to defend our lives and in a severe social meltdown that might involve rioting or looters, and violent people. Video: Hornet Spray in Self Defense


Ideally taking a self defense course for regular exercise is the best way to learn defense techniques. 
Videos: 4 Easy Self defense Techniques and Self Defense Technique Against Multiple Attackers 
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The knowledge we learn is more important than the supplies in a bug out bag or in our homes.
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In the spirit of preparedness I seek what I need to save a life. My own or those that I love and care for.

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Related info: Survival Skills Hollywood Style on Squidoo

Movies that can hep us in planning the what if's in emergency preparedness...

Plan Ahead - Prepping For Natural Disasters

When you plan ahead for the event of a natural disaster you can work through the devastation that accompanies these emergencies.

Tornado - Iowa ~ Image Allposters - Affiliate Permissions

Emergencies like a tornado can take everything away in a blink of an eye. Planning for disasters is more than putting a stockpile of goods away in your home pantry.

Creating a back up plan and put your mind into focus on What If scenarios makes you a healthy survivor... not a crisis victim.

Pre-plan not only what and where your meals are going to come from but how are you going to find help and what are you going to do in the event of a major event happening in your life.

Do you have the skills and mindset you need to gather and set up a workable after disaster living situation? 

In the video this area of Joplin Missouri was totaled. The homes were left as piles of timber, rubble,  and trash. Could you ride the aftermath of this phenomenon out until help is found or arrives?

Put your skills down on paper and list what you might have to know in order to remain sane after an event of this kind. Now list the skills you want to know about. We face these kinds of weather patterns all over the United States anymore. Floods, fires, and earthquakes can cause similar extreme damage to our living situations. Civil unrest can do this, too.  

The aftermath of an event like this can leave your family without power, fresh water, food, and certain comfort items such as clean clothing and a comfortable bed! Put an emergency kit together for your vehicle that may assist you in the event one of these nasty situations occur. Your vehicle may take a battering better than your home and you may not have to dig those items out of rubble as long as you still are able to locate the key to your trunk!

If I were to plan a recovery for this kind of a scene, my first priority is our family's safety. Is it a safe  enough area to stay here? Are there any hazards that need to be dealt with such as downed power lines or gas pipes? Are we going to need to defend ourselves where we are or are we going to have to move to a safer location? 

The second skill I know I would need is an ability to set up a shelter. Whether it is setting up a tent for myself and a few family members or create a shelter our of the scavenged items. Setting up a lean to or a "fort" as we called em as kids. I know I am going to need a shelter for resting. I know I need water and food. We need a safely considered fire pit and fuel for cooking and warmth. I will need a way to dispose of waste, so we need to establish an area for a latrine. In a separate area I will need away to prepare foods and wash my face and hands. There may be a need for first aid. Do I have this knowledge ahead of the disaster? 

If you went through a scouting program, you may be one of the lucky ones who had this kind of information given to them early. I highly recommend getting a scouting manual for your survival library. Inside the cover of these books is the life saving techniques and hand reference materials that you will need to ride out any kind of a situation. The basics taught in these handy books are
priceless!


Video: CNN: Tornadoes, Survivors and the Urgent Need for Disaster Preparedness

This video puts enough fear in me to know that what I am constantly working on improving may be a wise decision. I am confident our supplies are sufficient even on the small scale that we can plan. I would rather face the possibilities I will never use these items than endure a devastation without them.

In the video I noticed a person holding a shovel and facing the destroyed home they once knew. Although I doubt there is much that they can do with this small tool against this wreck of a home, they can put it to use in several ways. Dig a fire pit, a latrine, and trench a shelter to steer water away from the temporary living area. It can also be used to remove hazards to a pile away from foot traffic.

For a few ideas, gather items from the list below:

72 hour kit for the car trunk:

Shovel

Axe

Work Gloves

Small Tent
Portable Radio
Whistle

Water - Store a couple of 3 gallon water containers. At LEAST one per person

MRE's - store at least 2 meals per family member for about 3 days worth

Dry foods - Items that may not evaporate or be contaminated from the heat of your car trunk may be handy foods for times of this nature. Dry soups and quick pastas need hot water to prepare and are minimal sustenance but they are better than going hungry. Something in the belly is a simple comfort on the mind.

First Aid Kit

Toilet paper

Change of Clothing

Bedrolls / Sleeping bags

Bleach - at last a gallon 

Towels

Extra pair of shoes

There are many other things I could list but these are some of the basics of human necessity. Are you ready to get started?

Helpful resources and links:

Survival Recovery.com

Survival Recovery on wordpress
Survival and Emergency Management at Home
Preparedness Keys