Last Updated on October 11, 2026
Last year’s raging wildfires in California, recent flooding, and hurricanes highlight one cold, hard fact:
Disasters happen. Whether you are ready for them or not.
No one can predict when disaster will strike. One could happen in your city or town, maybe in your neighborhood, or even on your very street.
Some disasters happen without warning. And they have no regard for your life or the lives of those you love. The flood doesn’t care if it washes away your home, leaving you with no shelter, no water, and no food.
The raging fire doesn’t care whether you can find a safe route to get your family out of harm’s way. That invading foreign army doesn’t lose any sleep worrying about whether you have what you need to survive a disaster when you have to flee into the wilderness.
And that greedy Wall Street banker and his buddy, the Corrupt Politician, do not care whether or not you can feed your family after they help contribute to the collapse of the economy and social order.
The truth is, you cannot control when and how disaster strikes. Disaster can happen anytime, anywhere, and take many forms, both natural and man-made.
That’s the bad news. But there’s good news, too. You are not helpless. Also not as a woman. At least you don’t have to be, if you learn how to survive a disaster BEFORE it happens.
How to Survive a Disaster – Preparing to Survive
In a disaster or emergency situation, most people are as helpless as babes lost in the woods (sometimes literally). In fact, estimates suggest fewer than 9% of people are even remotely prepared to survive a disaster, even for just a week or two.
Very few people take the time (or the expense) to prepare for emergencies; most have no knowledge, no tools, and no plan for surviving a disaster.
And so, when disaster strikes, they are caught with their pants down, so to speak. But the fact that you are reading this disaster survival guide tells me you want to be among the 9% of people prepared to survive, and that you want to educate yourself.
Or perhaps even among the much smaller group who will not only survive but thrive, who will emerge as leaders, guiding others to safety and helping to restore (or recreate) social order.
But in order to survive a disaster, there are a few things that you need to do BEFORE the disaster strikes:
1. You MUST thoroughly educate yourself on ALL survival-related topics. Not just one or a few – ALL topics.
2. You MUST have access to clean drinking water (or know how to create your own) and adequate shelter.
3. You MUST be prepared with the necessary survival gear, tools, and equipment. When disaster strikes, it’s not the “fittest” that survive; it is the “prepared,” so be prepared and keep your spirits up!
Your employer may also offer good advice and materials to help you prepare, though in general, it’s considered a man’s job; make no mistake: you, as a woman, can easily take the lead and prepare your family for unexpected circumstances!
Create your own Emergency Preparedness Plan
It could be wise to create your own emergency preparedness plan. It is not hard. Everyone drives around with a spare tire because flat tires do happen. It’s much easier to deal with a flat tire when you have a spare in the car.
Your preparedness plan is your spare tire – Emergencies do happen. Earthquakes, floods, fires, hurricanes, power outages, swine flu pandemics, war, terrorism, economic hard times. With foresight, a major disaster doesn’t have to be the end of the world.
Gather what you will need for an emergency ahead of time, while supplies are readily available. Think now, before the emergency, “what will I need to take care of myself in the event an emergency occurs. Gather up these items, and you will be assured of surviving any emergency in greater comfort than if you are caught unprepared
Thinking about these things ahead of time is the key. Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to think in the midst of a crisis? In the midst of a crisis is the time for action.
Books – Nothing beats a road map or guidebook when you’re navigating new areas. Books can be your greatest resource and save you considerable time and money because you can learn from the author’s experience.
How-to books in emergency preparedness are perhaps more important than in any other field because if you don’t make the right decisions when putting together your preparedness plan, you may not get a second chance. This is one area where you do not want to make big mistakes and learn from your experience.
These are just a few books that can help you put your own preparedness plans in place. From checklists for what to put in a 72-hour backpack to everything you need to know to be self-sufficient on your own country property, to how to help deliver a baby if there is no doctor, these books are worth their weight in gold. You know, a lot of things can be learned in 20 hours or less.
Air Filtration – Air filtration and safe rooms could very well be a necessary part of your preparedness plans in the near future. A terrorist attack using nuclear, biological, or chemical agents is one scenario. A swine flu epidemic is another. Also make your children aware of possible threats.
One effective step you can take for yourself and your family is to install a certified, positive-pressure nuclear, biological, and chemical air filtration system in your home with a HEPA-quality filter. Ideally, any air filtration system should have backup power in case of a power disruption.
Here is a brief description of how our air filtration systems from American Safe Room operate. An effective biological air filtration system draws air from outside the house through dedicated ducting. It purifies the air, then pumps it under positive pressure into the house or a relatively airtight isolation room. Positive pressure is greater than the normal air pressure outside the house. Higher pressure inside the house makes the house, safe room, or shelter more forgiving of air leaks and infiltration from outside.
A good air filter, like the one from American Safe Room, can also help create isolation rooms if someone with a contagious illness needs to be isolated from others, and don’t forget fuel stabilizers; more on that in a later post.