Help with a catastrophe

There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about the safety of your family these days. Natural catastrophes such as tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, flash floods and severe winter storms seem to have increased in recent years. Add to that the growing concerns about the potential for manmade disasters and it is no surprise that many people are taking preparing quite seriously. For those actively making preparations, often referred to as “preppers,” becoming ready to survive anything is a way of life. Time is put aside every week and even most days to become prepared for anything. Because of this growing interest in being a survivalist, there are new websites popping up all the time to help you become more prepared. The following ten websites include helpful advice from such organizations as FEMA and the American Red Cross to newer organizations. They are listed in order of their Alexa traffic count rating.

1. American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/prepare

Global Alexa Rating: 14,728

You might not have realized that the American Red Cross is not just involved in jumping in after disaster strikes, but is also very active in teaching the public about preparedness. This link is to their Plan & Prepare section which covers preparing your home and family, preparing your school and preparing your workplace for various types of emergencies. The site includes a number of emergency preparedness topics including hurricane, tornado, flood, earthquake and fire. There are also plenty of other topics. Their Disaster and Safety Library has helpful checklists and guides for getting prepared for natural and manmade disasters.

2. SHTF Plan: http://www.shtfplan.com/

Global Alexa Rating: 19,911

Just the fact that this site gets more traffic than FEMA and just slightly less than the American Red Cross should emphasize just how much this site is relied upon by those that are concerned about it Hitting The Fan. The articles on this site are informative, albeit a bit scary at times. You won’t find a better source for your wake-up call to see what is going on in the world today. Each article gets hundreds of comments that can often be as informative as the article itself. You can also subscribe to their newsletter.

3. FEMA: http://www.fema.gov/what-mitigation/plan-prepare

Global Alexa Rating: 20,520

FEMA, like the American Red Cross, is also involved in educating the public about ways to plan and prepare. Although a popular website, the information on preparedness is not as comprehensive as many of the other sites given in this list. It does give a link to Ready.gov which is also on this list that is more informative. There are a few topics worth taking a look at such as information about safe rooms, protecting your property and mitigation planning.

4. Ready.Gov: http://www.ready.gov/

Global Alexa Rating: 48,690

This site was launched in February 2003 as a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies. The idea is to increase the level of basic preparedness across the nation. There is also a Spanish edition at Listo.Gov. The main sections of this site include Be Informed, Make a Plan, Build a Kit, Get Involved, Business and Kids. A helpful feature is the Know Your Risks section in which you can learn about the chances of various disasters in your area. They offer a number of free emergency preparedness publications.

5. SHTF Preparedness: http://www.shtfpreparedness.com/  

Global Alexa Rating: 53,806

This site has articles on more than just preparedness. It also includes information on homesteading and other ways to lessen your dependency on big business and even the government. You can learn about things such as canning, gardening, making soap and much more. The site is well organized into categories such as alternative energy, camping, food, gardening, hunting and canning. You can get using these techniques now or at least have the knowledge so that you can proceed if you really needed to. A section is “New to Prepping? Start Here” is a great place to begin.

6. Backdoor Survival: http://www.backdoorsurvival.com/

Global Alexa Rating: 56,939

This site offers survival and preparedness tools for creating a self-reliant lifestyle through thoughtful prepping and optimism. The site was began and is run by Gaye Levy, who is also a Red Cross volunteer. The main headings on her page are Getting Prepared, Free Downloads, Essential Oils, 12 Months of Prepping and Best of Backdoor Survival. The articles are very well written and informative. All past articles are in the archives, which could benefit by better organization instead of just being sorted by date. Since all the articles are useful, however, take the time to read them regardless of the topic.

7. Survivopedia: http://www.survivopedia.com/

Global Alexa Rating: 86,299

This is the site to go to for survival skills, survival guns and survival guides. If you enjoy blogs, check out the survival blogroll of top survival blog sites. Each article on the site shows the number of times it was viewed today and the total number of views. Readers can also post comments on the articles. The articles are unique, thought provoking and informative. The site is not organized but you can use the search feature to locate specific articles. You can also subscribe to their newsletter.

8. Preparing for SHTF: http://prepforshtf.com/

Global Alexa Rating: 114,188

It never hurts to have multiple places to go for articles about preparedness, so although this is another site of articles, you will likely find things here that are different. One feature that makes this one a bit different is that they discuss emerging threats so you can stay on top of things that you need to know about quickly. Another feature is their Free Books section where they offer links to eBooks that have limited time offers on subjects such as survival, homesteading and prepping. They also review a number of products on the market that should be part of your survival and prepping supplies.

9. Graywolf Survival: http://graywolfsurvival.com/

Global Alexa Rating: 144,165

This site is common-sense emergency preparedness offered by combat veteran, Scott Kelley that was given the name Graywolf by fellow soldiers. He began the site in early 2013 and to have become this popular in such a short period of time is rather amazing. His common sense approach works well for readers. The site includes survival skills, how to be a prepper, gear, DIY prepper projects and much more. There is a ton of very practical advice on this site. You can also subscribe to receive newsletters.

10. American Preppers Network: http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/

Global Alexa Rating: 160,853

You might be surprised that there is actually a network for preppers – but here it is! A fairly new organization, began in 2008, the APN is a national community of preppers to help them come together and share ideas, techniques and experiences through multiple online resources. It is their belief that every American family should strive to become self-reliant so they are better able to weather the day-to-day disasters, catastrophes and hardships of life. There are meetups and events across the country with regional and local chapters of the APN. They offer a free membership as well as a premium one.

You may never need any survival skills, but as those that remember past catastrophes can tell you, being unprepared can lead to tragic results. Even making a few preparations can mean the difference between surviving and perishing. Protecting your family is not being paranoid – it is being smart. You buy insurance never expecting to use it, so become prepared with the help of these websites for the same reason.