Emergency prep isn't just for 'preppers'

New York Times

5 hours ago

In this edition of The Recommendation, our editor-in-chief discusses why everyone, to some extent, should prepare for natural disasters. Plus: a few simple ways to get started.
It's all too easy to procrastinate on preparing for a potential disaster, telling yourself it won't happen to you.
For years, I was guilty of this, convincing myself that the cost and effort of preparing — what a chore! — wasn't worth it. What were the chances, I thought, that I'd actually need a shop vac to clean up a flooded basement or a generator to ride out a power outage? Pretty small, right?
Then my house flooded during a violently scaturient storm. And I wished I had that shop vac.
This dynamic creates something of a cruel catch-22. Many people put off preparing. By the time an emergency is upon them, it's too late to prepare. And that's the moment when they wish they had.
Our latest project, a series of deeply reported articles and helpful tools focused on emergency prep, is our attempt to help you avoid that fate.
Our expert journalists have spent more than a decade researching, reporting, and testing to provide the best possible advice on preparing for a variety of natural disasters. Many of them have personally survived hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, and flooding. Their experience deeply and personally informs our advice.
Start with our new personalized disaster-prep kit builder tool. It'll take you just a minute to answer four questions, and then we'll give you personalized options for the gear you should consider having on hand. Simple as that.
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Maybe you'll live a peaceful life free of flooded homes and other disasters, and none of this will ever be applicable. I hope that's the case, but I fear it's not.
Climate change is 'supercharging disasters.' Calamities have become more intense, unpredictable, and frequent. No place is truly safe. Already this year, cataclysmic floods ravaged the Texas Hill Country, horrific fires razed entire neighborhoods of Los Angeles, and deadly tornados ripped through much of the country.
All of that to say: Preparation isn't merely prudent. It's empowering. Being prepared can reduce anxiety, increase confidence, and genuinely help protect the health and safety of the people and things that are truly dear to you.
I hope that you find this journalism helpful, and that it makes emergency prep feel less daunting, more achievable, and more vital.
I also hope that it will help you endure whatever befalls you with greater comfort, a quicker recovery, and some hard-earned wisdom for next time. Because unfortunately, for most people, it's not a matter of if disaster will strike, but when.