26 Nov TEOTWAWKI – 3

Preparing for Disasters Overview: Page #3.

1….With each S.E. Secondary Events, several life skills will be needed to get you through the event.

1. Critical Thinking, Evaluation, and Planning.
2. Situational Awareness and Evaluation.
3. Spatial Awareness and Evaluation.
4. Stress Management and Evaluation
5. Injury Triage, Evaluation, and Application of 1st Aid.
6. Proper Sanitation and Hygiene Understanding and Application.
7. Grief Counseling understanding and capability.
8. Mechanical capability.
9. Prior Event Planning and acquisition of resources for Meds, 1st aid, food, water, transportation, defense, communication, sanitation, hygiene, clothing, etc.
10. Potential Violence from outside; awareness, solutions, and abatement, and counseling.

2…..With any S.E. you will need to acquire the 10 Essentials as a minimum, to feel a level of safety and security, so that Panic does not show up in the actions of you and yours.

1. Potable water in a volume for all family members.
2. Food in a volume for all family members.
3. Shelter for all family members.
4. Heat / Fire for warmth and cooking with a sustainable supply of fuel.
5. Proper sanitation facilities and procedures understood by all members of all ages.
6. Personal Hygiene for all family members, regarding teeth, hands, bathroom habits.
7. 1st Aid care and wound management.
8. Adequate and appropriate clothing for each season of year for all family members.
9. Navigation skills and procedures, age appropriate.
10. Self Defense skills and procedures with rules of engagement. Age appropriate.

3….Some additional preparations that will go a long way to promote a sense of well being for you and yours in an event like this.

1. Age appropriate Games and books to provide stress relief for kids.
2. Religious materials for those believers, such as hymn books, bibles, devotionals, musical instruments if possible, etc.
3. Novels in neutral genres for adults for stress relief.
4. Games for adults like cards, board games, etc.
5. Photos of family members present and those who are absent, even deceased.
6. Hobbies that are creative that don’t take up much space or resources; whittling, flute making, string games, etc.
7. Toll Gates will be a top priority and a life saver.

Toll gate definition: Anyone can demand a toll to be paid by anyone else in attendance. The person requiring the toll from another must feel that the person they require the toll from is either in a bad mood, angry, or sad.  Once they determine this emotional condition of the other person, then they can put out their arms and legs to block passage of the person who needs to pay the toll.  As they stick out their arms and legs blocking this person, they must say the magic word, “TOLL-GATE”.

At this point it will be plain to the person who must pay the toll, that they have been observed to be in a bad mood, angry, or sad.  The Toll is a Hug they must give to the other person.  The person requiring the Toll needs to hold the hug from the person paying the toll until that person releases the hug.  Usually after paying the toll, that person will be in a position to talk about what is concerning them so much.  Children can require tolls from adults and kids, and adults from kids and adults as well.

This simple system is a way for all to realize that they are not “In This All By Themselves“.  In truth we are all in the event together but sometimes we get tunnel vision and need the reminder and encouragement to step back and see the bigger picture.