Welcome to Wellbeck
The world has changed, and not in a good way. The last several years have shown us that disasters of all kinds can strike at any moment, and in order to survive and thrive, it is essential that you are prepared for just about any possibility, even those that you can’t begin to imagine.
Where our parents and grandparents secured their future by saving money for a rainy day, current events necessitate an entirely different level of preparedness that anticipates natural disasters as well as political ones, economic collapse as well as terrorist attacks, pandemics as well as cyber attacks.
Being prepared for a sudden shift in the status quo means more than just making lists and stocking up on water and provisions. It takes a level of mental toughness and a willingness to face an uncertain future. It takes the discipline to take a good look at yourself and determine what survival skills you may need but are lacking, and a commitment to acquiring the knowledge and abilities you need. It takes a talent for remaining calm under pressure and accepting the responsibility for making difficult and even painful decisions when necessary.
At Wellbeck, we are here to support you. We’ll provide you with all of the information that you need regarding what supplies you need to stockpile and how best to protect your family. We will help you put together a Disaster Preparedness Plan that will serve you well in an emergency, and teach you the skills you need to survive when society’s safeguards are gone. We’ll provide you with reviews of disaster preparedness products written by likeminded people so you can be confident in the products that you purchase. Most of all, we’ll give you the tools that you need to have complete peace of mind that whatever may come, you’ll be ready.
Types of Disasters
Though it is impossible to anticipate every possibility, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the emergencies that are most likely to face the public include the following:
- Natural Disasters and Severe Weather. Depending upon your location, these may include earthquakes, landslides and mudslides, volcanic eruption, extreme heat, lightning, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, winter weather, hurricanes and tsunamis.
- Bioterrorism. Bioterrorism is the purposeful release of agents such as viruses, germs or bacteria with the intention of causing illness or death. These may be natural agents or they may have been modified in order to make them more difficult to detect and/or resistant to effective treatment, and they may be spread through air, water, or in food.
- Chemical Emergencies. These involve hazardous chemicals that have been released, whether accidentally or purposefully, into the environment and which may cause harm. Chemical weapons have been used in warfare and in terrorist attacks, or they may e released into the environment as a result of a plant explosion, a transportation accident or a similar incident.
- Radiation Emergencies. Exposure to radiation can have an immediate and deadly impact on the human body or may cause injury over a sustained period of time, depending upon the level and dosage of radiation received.
No matter what type of disaster you may face, the two most important things that you can do for yourself and your loved ones are to have a plan in place, and to be well supplied.
Creating a Disaster Plan
Nobody likes to think about bad things happening, but it is only by preparing for a worst case scenario that you can be sure that should a disaster strike, everybody will know what they need to do and where they should go. In many emergencies, the first thing to go is the infrastructure that we rely on and take for granted, including electricity and communications capabilities. Part of our mission at Wellbeck is to give you the tools that you need to do overcome this obstacle effectively and to address every essential issue. Our website will facilitate your preparedness and response by identifying what responsibilities need to be assigned and what needs to be done in each type of situation. We’ll help you choose where to meet whether you are near your home or away from it, as well as identifying appropriate emergency contact people and other resources. We’ll show you how to select an appropriate and safe escape route as well as how to identify the safest place to go in a variety of situations, create alternative plans, and even how to plan for the needs of your pets. We’ll help you create a checklist that leaves nothing to chance so that you can feel confident in the plan that you have put in place.
Stocking Up for Survival
Remember the root cellars where Grandma and Grandpa used to keep their stores for the winter, and the bomb shelters of the 1950s? Those preparations, though well-intentioned, could hardly have addressed the kinds of protections and requirements that are both needed and available today, and neither does the mad rush to the grocery store that precedes every storm warning or snow emergency. Experts are now recommending that in order to be sufficiently prepared, families should have a year’s supply of food, as well as necessities for warmth, medical needs, cleanliness, and even entertainment.
Self-reliance means understanding that there is a good chance that stores will be cleaned out at the first hint of trouble and wholesalers will not be restocking the shelves. Depending upon the circumstances, the government may be completely unable to provide aid or unable to do so in a timely manner, and even the agencies that we all rely on may be either overwhelmed or incapable of providing for everybody’s needs. Disaster preparedness means understanding that you may need to be completely self reliant for an extended period of time and that previously established resources may have been impacted by the circumstances, whether natural disaster, nuclear disaster, warfare or sabotage.
It is our mission at Wellbeck to teach you how to do what needs to be done to keep your family safe, as well as to give you the resources to do it. This may include:
- Caching enough drinking water and knowing how to prioritize its use. Supplies may include five-gallon jerrycans or storage tanks.
- Having a sufficient quantity of medications for both emergency first aid and existing medical needs, and knowing the proper way to rotate them in order to ensure that your medication is as fresh and potent as possible.
- Understanding the difference between a short-term food supply (one designed to last for two to three weeks) and a long term food supply (one that’s designed to last for a year), as well as the best way to store it and prepare it. We will also provide helpful information regarding serving equipment, storage, cooking equipment, and even keeping records to ensure that you are maintaining the highest level of nutrition and allocating resources properly.
- Though you may not want to think about self defense or the need to arm yourself, being realistic about survival in an emergency requires accepting that people may behave aggressively in a desperate situation, particularly if you are well prepared and they are not. We will provide you with information on appropriate weapons and how to use them, as well as how to establish a mutual assistance support program with other community members.
- Knowing where to shelter is one of the most essential pieces of disaster preparedness, and is often the most difficult. Depending upon the circumstances it may be most beneficial to leave your home entirely and have a well-equipped retreat available. This may be a cabin in the woods, a well-equipped camper, or something else. We will provide you with information on how to equip it properly so that you have as many comforts and safety items as possible, and provide you with tips on making sure that you know what you’re doing with the provisions and plans that you’ve put in place.
- Having the necessary bushcraft skills in case circumstances require the ability to stay alive in the natural environment with the convenience of tools. We’ll provide you with information about essentials such as making a fire, building a shelter, foraging for food and water and using the tools available in nature to help you track, hunt and fish for sustenance.
Being prepared in the case of an emergency is not something that you can do all at once – the costs would be prohibitive, and the task can be emotionally exhausting. But by taking steps to educate yourself and to accumulate the appropriate provisions and supplies, you are showing foresight and strength that your family will thank you for should circumstances warrant. We hope that you find the information and resources that we have assembled here of great value, and look forward to constantly bringing you new information and updates on the most useful supplies to keep you and your family safe in a disaster.