It’s 5:30 in the afternoon. The power has been out since 6:30 that morning. You are contemplating what to have for supper on the grill since you can still get to the grill. Thank goodness you moved it to the garage yesterday when the weather started getting bad!

Otherwise, everything else is going well. The kids have been playing card games and coloring. The first floor of the house is warm enough from the portable gas heater you bought a year ago. You have good light coming from the windows yet, but the LED lanterns are ready to go. You could fire up the generator if you need to, but all is well yet.

You hear a knock on the door. It is your next door neighbor whom you have been pretty friendly with. He’s a good guy who is always willing to lend a hand. However, you know he has almost nothing for emergencies. In fact, he has laughed at you numerous times for your prepping purchases. You wonder what he wants.

You are not very keen on answering the door, but if you don’t, one of the kids will. You go out of the garage door to talk to him outside. You know if you let him know that you have a portable gas heater going right now and have started using lanterns, he will be over with his whole family. You could probably handle that if you knew how long the power was going to be out. But you don’t.

You know this conversation isn’t going to go well, but you will talk to him anyway. You both exchange pleasantries and talk about the power outage. He asks how you all are managing. They are getting cold, but his wife had the good idea to close off a room and get the kids bundled up a bit against the cold. She moved the kids into that room and is keeping it as warm as they can. He saw you move your grill into the garage and had done the same.

However, the kids are afraid of the dark. They only have one flashlight that has dead batteries. They have no practical candles or lanterns. They have no way to heat the room because he didn’t listen to you about putting in a gas fireplace and put in an electric one instead. They have some food to get by for a day or two longer. You know the grocery store and gas station is closed due to no power.

What do you do?

This scenario can be all too real and does happen in almost every emergency or disaster. Many people would have a definite answer until faced with that decision. It is hard to watch anyone in need and not want to help. I know I would want to help especially if it is someone I am on good terms with. I do not like to see people suffer.

This is why you need to start talking to your friends and neighbors about prepping for emergencies and disasters. By encouraging others to be prepared, you can hopefully avoid the above scenario. Here are four reasons why you should take the time to talk to your friends and neighbors about prepping:

1. You may be able to help them this time, but next time you might not be available for help. You need to make them realize they need to have their own emergency supplies. The weather could be so bad they can’t make it over to your house. You might not have enough to help them and provide for your own family. You should offer to go to the store with them to start an emergency kit. You should also show them how to use it and store it.

2. They need to become more self-reliant. They might move to a new neighborhood where no one cares about them. They might experience something where they can not reach out to friends or neighbors. The weather might be bad enough they can’t leave home. They might be caught on the road somewhere. The scenarios are endless, but they need to learn to rely on themselves instead of expecting everyone to save them.

3. The government says so. FEMA celebrates National Preparedness Month and has things for people to do all year round. Red Cross recommends having 3-14 days worth of supplies on hand for emergencies and disasters. While some of you may scoff at this, you may have to use these agencies to help convince people to prepare. Some people like to be told what to do by the government or big powerful agencies. This may work in your favor to convince others to prepare.

4. They can safely protect and care for their families. Being unprepared is the equivalent of neglecting their family’s potential needs. They get everything they need to take care of daily life and they need to get everything they need to take care of any emergencies. This is just like having Advil on hand for a headache or a fever. You keep flashlights, batteries, and candles on hand for a power outage.

We as preppers have a duty to encourage others to prepare. Now is the time to start. Some of your friends and neighbors may want to already and don’t know where to start! By having them prepared, you can become a true community of preppers who can help yourselves and others too.

Thanks for reading,
Erica

Sharing is caring!