Think back across the last 10 years and about disasters that caused disruption of the fragile food supply chain that brings everything to the supermarkets. What if you were in the Gulf Coast area when Hurricane Katrina hit? How about within a few hundred miles of Mount Saint Helens and the ash fall area? Now ask yourself if you are a place that could be affected by a natural disaster like an earthquake, hurricane, flooding or anything else that can disrupt the food supply chain.

Do you have loved ones in your family that depend on you to provide for them? How would you feel if you can not take care of your family and children? Visualize what it would be like day after day looking at your hungry and thirsty children and not being able to do anything about it. The time to stop something like that from taking place is now.

Here are three tips to help you get started on putting together a plan.

Make sure you have a safe location that everyone knows to go to. For most people this will be their home, but it also could be a house up in the woods, or a relative’s house. It is a good idea to have a location that is easy to get to and won’t have lots of people that will try to take your stores.

Have a source of water, a way to keep it, and a way to get fresh water. A good way to do this is to have a well dug on your property. Another is to find a river or pond close by and ensure you have water filtration equipment on hand.

Have a reserve of food available. You can begin by getting some cases of canned soup and meat locally, but to do this well you should calculate the amount of calories that you would need based on the quantity of people that are dependent on you and how long you think food will be needed. Moreover, make sure that food does not spoil by rotating it regularly or buying food prepared for long-term storage.

The time to get ready for an emergency so you can plan for the survival of your family is before the disaster hits. Make a plan and take action now.

Find out more about disaster preparedness supplies so you can properly prepare your family for an emergency at http://disasterpreparednesssupplies.org This article, Are There Any Good Reason To Have Disaster Preparedness Supplies? Ask Your Children has free reprint rights.

72 hour survival kits could make the difference between life and death of you and your family in an emergency. There are many types of disasters and emergencies: fires, hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes, and tornadoes. The government action plan for a major disaster is three to seven days to begin providing workers to the area. 72 hours is three days – it would be a good idea to consider a survival kit that you could live on for five to seven days.

Instead of dismissing this kind of planning immediately; remember the type of emergencies that occurred in the last 15 years. Think about what one of these would be like if you had nothing with you but what you were wearing. Even worse, think about the elderly or children that are in your care and how they would cope. To ease your mind, start preparing your survival bags immediately.

Before you start packing or buying anything, consider what the most probable situation is based upon where you are. This will lead to what you plan to do in the case of an emergency. For example, if your house is near the coast and the most likely problem is a hurricane, then your plan should include packing your vehicle with what you need and driving to safety. If you live in a city then you probably will be walking to safety either because you have no vehicle or the streets will be so jammed that walking is the only option. If you live in a relatively safe area inland, then you will probably be safe in your house.

Even though you should get ready for the most likely event, you should also have a backup plan. There may come a time in your life when you have to get out of town as fast as possible, and you will be unsure as to what help and support you will get while on the way. That is when you need to have one of these kits ready to go.

Make 72 hour survival kits for every person in your family. Start by getting a rucksack that is a size and capacity that the person can carry all day. You do not have to buy the backpack to start putting together the items of the kit, however. Choose two complete sets of rugged clothes that you no longer wear, but would do well in a disaster. Then plan on what you are going to need for food, water, and shelter, and get it. Pack light so you can carry it all.

Start planning right away, and be ready for when disaster strikes.

Create your emergency preparedness checklist for you and your family. See how to do it at 72 hour survival kits.