Recent history has taught us that we must be prepared and self sufficient in the event of severe weather that knocks out basic services.
Hurricanes and tornados afflict wide areas of the U.S. And as the government's Ready.gov wesite points out, flooding can occur anywhere. Each
household and individual should have a basic emergency preparedness kit to survive on their own for several days. If you are well organized and
disciplined you can prepare and maintain your own survival kit. But if you stock it with regular household items like bottled water and canned
foods you must regularly change out those items because of their short shelf life. An easier solution is to purchase a complete kit with water
and food designed and package for extended shelf life. You should also have a radio and flashlight that is always ready to use - forgotten dead
batteries will do you no good in a crisis. Self contained units with hand-crank power are perfect for those times when power is
out for extended periods.