Preparing for an emergency might seem frightening or overwhelming from a distance, but it is the best way to ensure your survival when a disaster strikes, and can be easier than it looks. Follow these steps to preparing for emergencies, and secure your well-being when trouble hits home.

1. Store Long-Term Food and Water: Whatever emergency situations you may face, food and water are vital to your survival. Mountain House foods are the gold standard in food storage, and as America’s #1 choice in freeze-dried food you can trust what you’re getting is the best. Our cans have a 25 year shelf life and are easy to store and prepare in a crisis, just add water.

2. Make an Emergency Plan: The element of surprise can be your worst enemy in a crisis. Make sure to discuss all the hazards and disaster possibilities with your family to better prepare. Make a plan for surviving any emergency situation- from evacuations to holding up at home when the power goes out. Also complete a checklist. Planning ahead will ease your mind about the future and help you react efficiently in an emergency.

3. Utilize Modern Tools: FEMA features a new preparedness tool geared toward awareness and survival that utilizes the technology we use daily, encouraging preparedness via smartphone.

4. Do Your Research: It is important to know and understand all threats and hazards specific and non-specific to your area. Learn how to prepare for emergencies likely to occur nearby as a priority, but don’t forget about crises happening around the world that could catch you by surprise. Natural or man-made, there are constant hazards hiding beneath the surface that can quickly uproot lives.

5. Build Survival and First Aid Kits: Being independent in your prepping is a great way to feel more secure and informed about survival. Get together with family and friends to put together your own survival and first aid kits, and take the edge off of preparing for an emergency. Activities like growing a medicinal herb garden, gathering board games or collecting supplies for grab-and-go scenarios can be enjoyable and informative.

6. Get Involved: Join your community in preparing your town and local organizations for possible emergencies. Encourage your neighbors to prepare and protect your town, and direct citizens to look at ready.gov to view more information on preparing for disasters.

Follow these steps to prepare for emergencies at home, and increase your odds of surviving trouble ahead. We can never predict exactly when or where a disaster will strike, but by understanding threats and preparing accordingly, we can safeguard our survival for years to come.