Task: A man you know well, (co-worker, friend, extended family member) and has no preparation background has confided that he is going to inherit $5,000. He is willing to spend about $1,000 immediately on preparing the house and his family (wife, 2 kids, 1 dog)for urban emergency's either natural or societal. He would then like a shopping list of how best he could spend the remaining $4,000 if the wife lets him.

Conditions: Advise this person how to spend the $1,000 today? Then suggest how best to spend the remaining $4,000.

Standards: Spend $1,000 on immediate needs. Spend $4,000 on a 'wish' list.

(Note- this scenario is for urban/rural preparation. If the commentary is strong enough here we can run a similar scenario in The Survival Forum for wilderness purposes.)

Honestly, I think the $1000 would best be spent on a generator, and long term storage foods. Of course, that is assuming he will remain in place. The other $4000, I would REALLY consider investing somehow-maybe short term investing or something. Thats planning WAY ahead. But, in the long run, likely a better investment than gear, as even the most unlikely of realistic scenarios wouldnt be a complete breakdown of our currency system.

In order of importance:

* Training and education. No amount of preparation is worthwhile if you don't know what to do and how to do it. Books are a good way to start.

* First Aid. Have a good kit and know how to use it.

* Information. What are the threats? When will you bug in and when will you bug out? If you bug in, how long should you be able to stick it out (I suggest a week as a starting point)? If you bug out, where will you go? Where are your important papers? Who will serve as your out-of-town contact for communications?

* Shelter/thermoregulation. Yeah, you've got shelter at home, but what if you need to bug out? Rain gear, contractor bags, cordage and some Heatsheets may be enough to supplement appropriate clothes and footwear. I make sure to keep a couple of tarps on hand in case my roof is damaged.

* Water. Purification is good, but having the water on hand is better.

* Food. It's gotta be stuff you and your family will actually eat, hopefully improving rather than degrading morale. Don't forget the means to prepare it.

* Security. Make sure to get trained, and practice regularly.

* Tools. A minimum list would include a crowbar, multitool, whatever tools you need to shut off utilities safely, eye protection, gloves, shovels, ladder.

Perhaps the initial $1000 could be put to use with putting together the equivalent of a Shelter Box, but with some higher spec kit tailored to the expected emergency situation within the local environment. i.e tailored for earthquake, hurricane etc.

http://www.shelterbox.org/

Stored Food and water capability could be managed by just spending the same amount on food that is normally wasted/thrown out on non perishable goods every week/month and rotating the stock once the cache has reached a suitable size.

If sheltering in place, then Shelter is usually taken care off and then it becomes a task of mitigating loss of household services such as electricity, water and gas supplies.

LP/Propane gas storage bottle can provide heating, cooking and lighting for a reasonable length of time. i.e. using a 2 burner ring with flame out protection and a 15Kg LPG bottle will allow cooking and water boiling facilities for a family of 4 for many weeks.
Loss of the electricity supply will mostly effect electrical lighting and refrigeration so either a gen set or Solar PV array might be appropriate. Reducing the load with high efficiency lightning i.e. LED and CF and having the highest efficiency refigeration appliances might be required.

Fun to spend someone else's money (no wonder I'm in Washington, D.C.).

Excellent suggestions already by others (generator, food). Not knowing what they already have (BBQ, candles, flashlight, camping gear, gun) and assuming they also live in Arizona....

$1k

Water storage containers and bleach
Generator (sufficient to run fridge and fan or a/c in one room)
Portable radio
Extra batteries
Candle Lanterns
Extra emergency candles
Matches
Fire extinguisher


$4k

Food (6 mo)
more water storage
Family First Aid kit
Cast iron camp dutch ovens and briquettes
Solar cooker
Kelly Kettle
Felling axe, splitting maul and hatchet
Prybar
Camping gear (tent, campstove, coolers, sleeping bags/pads, backpacks, headlamps, tarps, paracord, duct tape)
How-to and preparedness books
Car kit (Firesteel, water purification tabs, headlamp, knife, blanket)
bike + bike trailer

Solid advice. A good starting point -- and it's free -- would be a disciplined study of FEMA's on-line Plan & Prepare, followed by similar review of Arizona's Emergency Preparedness site here (if lives lives in AZ like you). And there's the Dept. of Homeland Security's Preparedness, Reponse, Recovery.

And of course, get involved in this forum

I'd definitely start with enough food and water for 72 hours, flashlight, batteries, first aid, basically what most people have in a 72 hour kit. Then grow it into a 1 week kit, then 2 weeks, then a month.

I'm at about the week - 2 weeks phase right now. Getting there.

Whatever they spend their 5000 on, first use 3 dollars to buy a pencil and noteblock so they can make a plan: What are the risks, what are priorities, etc.

Need to know more.

-What kind of climate? Are there special health/mobility issues?
-What kind of residence is it?
-What is their water situation like (pumped town water, gravity fed town water, well, spring)?
-Any special threats (on the 100 year flood plane, near train tracks, near a industrial faciliry that uses a LOT of chlorine gas, et al)?
-What is the plan? Why would you bug in vs out? If out, to where? How?


First step is the cheap one. Research, planning and table top exercises. After that, talk about the money.

In my experience when people with resources start off in preparations they want to know the "bottom line" as if there were a single off-the-shelf answer that will 'solve the problem'. They want a solution that will assuage their doubts and fears so they can move on.

I see much the same thing with first-aid kits in businesses. They figure out what the legal minimum is and buy it as cheaply as possible. Then, problem solved, they move on and the kit gets picked clean and deteriorates so that in a few months it is useless. Significantly less than useless IMO because people assume that because there was a kit, that it will still be there waiting to be used. A false sense of security is dangerous.

The 'set me up in preps for ___ dollars' question usually ends up with a big purchase that ends up moldering in a garage or closet. Start him off the 'dirt-cheap' route gathering the majority of goods from their own home. Preparation is a mindset that centers around cultivating ability to adapt and use whatever is around you to get by. Focus on that and a person can maintain a lifelong interest.

Instead of playing along with the idea that you can buy your way to preparedness I would tell them to put their money away and work it from the other end. Instead of buying anything I would initially work with what the person already has. Most people have suitable shoes/boots, suitable rain-wear, perfectly acceptable knives by the dozens, and water storage can be as easy as puling one and two liter soda bottles, and bleach jugs, out of the trash.

I would work hard at training and put a heavy emphasis on making do with what they have before buying anything. If they, like most people, get distracted by other things and forget about preparations the skills learned and the habit of making do with what they have will serve them well. Buy a $1000 worth of equipment and supplies and in a few years it will be useless. Skills and mental agility don't go bad.

If they stick with it and they run out of in-house supplies and equipment then they can make a few small, but strategic, purchases.