why you need a storm shelter.

There is a saying that goes "every man's home is his castle". This saying is absolutely true and we all take steps to protect our home and families; we get home security alarms, buy a big dog and ensure our homes are well lit at night. Some of us sleep with a weapon by our side in case we find ourselves in the need of making a last stand. This is all well and good, and every man should take these precautions,  but what about the forces that you can't shoot at or intimidate? What about the storms that don't care about your home security system? What about the tornado that can pick up your 90 pound Fido with no effort? Is your castle ready for them?

When it comes to preparedness I have found that many people either think its a joke or they are completely intimidated by it. My goal with this entry is to help you take this seriously and show you that being ready is not as hard as you think. So if you think its a joke I hope I find you after a disaster because more than likely you will need some of my food and water, which I will gladly give to you with out saying "I told you so", and if you are intimidated by it, listen up and get ready to become a  pro at surviving storms.

The first thing you need to do is identify the safest place In your house, the following is a list of qualities to look for :

• No windows. Hurricanes and tornadoes are capable of making missiles out of just about anything, lower your chance of being impaled by a stop sign by choosing a room away from windows.

• Inner room. A closet, basement or staircase nook located in the center of your home will provide good protection from falling trees or damage from flying debris. 

• Comfortably sized. Whatever space you choose needs to have enough space for your family and supplies, you might be spending a lot of time in it so be sure people have room to lay down and sleep.

After finding a room that fits this qualities you need to stock it with your supplies, remember that these are things that need to be done ahead of time not when the storm hits, here is a list of supplies that you can use to stock your storm shelter.

• water, a gallon per day and at least a 3 day supply is recommended by the American Red Cross. You can easily acquire water jugs at walmart.

• food,  these should be all non perishables that can be eaten with out cooking, the most accessible edibles of this kind are canned food so make sure there is a can opener in your kit.

• first aid kit, hopefully you make it to your shelter before suffering injury, but if worse comes to worst be ready with the equipment and know how on using it.

• flashlights, one of the most common side effects of storms are power outages,  be ready with flashlights and spare batteries. 

• emergency radio, once in your shelter you are basically isolated and the most reliable way to get information is through the NOAA weather radio station, its designed to keep going even with out power in your city, so keep a hand cranked radio handy.

• multi tool, a knife is an incredible tool in itself but sometimes it is great to have a whole tool kit in your palm.

• fully charged cellphones, turn off the wifi, sync and GPS, these qualities will zap your battery. Avoid checking your Facebook and use it only if you need to call emergency services or to contact family members, be warned that these might not work because communications could be down if the storm was severe enough.

• sanitation and personal hygiene,  hand sanitizer and paper towels are basic but you can go as far as packing Bio-wipes and disposable toothbrushes. 

• personal papers, I recommend that you keep all important papers together in a easy to grab small bin, when things get bad grab it on your way to your shelter. 

• medications, add your pills that you are prescribed along with headache and allergy medicine to your kit.

• pet supplies, make sure your pets have water and food in your shelter, bring plenty of news paper and plastic bags in case they need to relieve themselves, their leash or tie cord and don't forget toys to keep them from getting bored and destructive.

• baby supplies, don't overlook your baby bag, you probably have it ready to go anyway, just remember to bring it if you have a little one.

• board games, you could be spending a long time in a dimly lit room, keep yourself from loosing your sanity and put some cards and compact board games in your shelter.

• beer, yes beer, this is not for you to ride the storm out while drunk but to barter afterwards, believe it or not, in Louisiana after Katrina people were more willing to help each other out for beer than money.

Organize these items in your shelter and keep them ready, when the storm hits all you should have to do is bring in your family and paper work and then close the door. Spring is approaching and with it is nasty weather in the south eastern part of America,  so prepare yourself and protect your real castle, which is not you property but your family. And as always thank you for reading.