Continuing on...
11. Stay on top of chronic health conditions. This means reversing or fixing health conditions if possible (having eye surgery to correct vision problems instead of wearing glasses, using diet and exercise to reverse type 2 diabetes, etc), as well as being proactive (keep up with regular dental care instead of waiting for a dental emergency which may be difficult to fix during a disaster). If your chronic health condition can not be fixed, plan now for how to handle related issues during and after a disaster (can you stockpile medication? How would you get oxygen delivered in a disaster? Can you research various ways to deal with type 1 diabetes during and after a disaster?).
12. Do a complete home inventory. This can be in written form, taking pictures of everything you own, or making videos of everything you own. This is valuable information when filing an insurance claim after a disaster. Don't forget to back up these files and save the back-up off-site.
13. Speaking of insurance, be sure you carry adequate insurance to cover any disaster you might face. This includes health, life, auto, home, and long-term care insurance as well as any special insurance you may need (flood insurance, executive protection insurance, umbrella insurance, art or jewelry riders, etc).
14. Speaking of a home inventory, be sure to make a shopping list of sorts--which covers all consumables like food, toiletries, home maintenance items, etc--and take inventory of these items to align with your weekly or monthly shopping trips. Ensure that you always have at least six month's worth of these items (everything from rice to toothpaste to furnace filters) on hand so that in the event of a total shutdown due to the weather/a pandemic/etc. you don't need to go to the store because you are out of any necessary items.
15. Learn to cook and bake everything from scratch. While you probably won't need to routinely make your own ketchup or mayonnaise, knowing how to make all of the food you eat from its basic ingredients is good info and good practice. "Pandemic baking" became a thing and many thousands of people who had never baked their own bread or made their own cookies suddenly got a crash course in subsistence cooking and baking during this past year. These are very useful skills to have.
16. Grow your own food. While most people don't have the skill or land necessary to grow much of their food, even throwing some tomato plants in a pot and setting them on your balcony is a tiny step towards self sufficiency. Note that sprouting and regrowing kitchen scraps are easy and frugal ways create vegetables for your consumption. A more advanced version of this would include beekeeping, growing mushrooms, raising your own chickens/pigs/cows/etc.
17. Learn how to fish, hunt, and forage. These are popular hobbies in many places--for the entertainment aspect, the educational aspect, and the skills development aspect--as well as great ways to supplement your food stores. Even in a city, foraging can be done almost anywhere, fishing may be available in or near cities, and hunting, well those rules vary by jurisdiction (apparently duck-napping and some bunny hunting right in the middle of cities has become a thing lately, YMMV).
18. Be prepared for any eventuality by having everything you need on hand. This is done by having a comprehensive EDC bag, a comprehensive bug out bag, a comprehensive car BOB/vehicle emergency kit, backpacking gear, and evacuation kits that can quickly be loaded in your vehicle before leaving your home. Be sure your kits are reviewed and updated regularly.
19. Have all of your documents copied, backed up, and stored in a secure place. Having basic documentation is necessary in today's world so be sure to have your passport, driver's license/state ID card, alternate ID (work ID, student ID, military ID, etc), social security card, birth certificate, other legal documents (marriage certificate, divorce certificate, immigration documents, DD214, occupational licenses, will, living will, etc.) available in multiple formats (carried with you if necessary, scanned and saved in multiple digital formats, and kept in a fire-proof safe).
20. Keep a low profile on social media (or better yet delete it all together). Social media used to be a fun way to keep in touch with friends and family but these days it is used more ominously. Facial recognition is now used routinely on social media sites and shared with law enforcement and other agencies, psychological manipulation via social media is a constant, and everyone from your own personal stalker to investigators can use social media to track your every move. Thwart these invasions of your privacy be becoming knowledgeable in ways to take control of your social media instead of letting it control you.
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