The 7 Basic Human Needs: A Practical Survival List (And What Maslow Actually Said)
The 7 basic human needs for survival are air, water, food, shelter, safety, sleep and clothing. That is our practical survival list, a simplified take on…
Survival Report: Emergency Preparedness and the Practical Psychology of Handling Pressure
Survival Report is a blog about emergency preparedness and the practical psychology of handling pressure: pick the topic that fits what you face now, then start reading.
The topic cards below are the map. If you are not sure where to begin, start with the household guide.
What Survival Report Is About and Who It Is For
Survival Report is for readers whose questions are about emergency preparedness or the practical psychology of handling pressure.
What it covers is laid out in the topics below: Mindset and Resilience, Personal Security and Boundaries, Emergency Kits and Go Bags, Evacuation and Backup Plans, Household Preparedness and Outdoor Preparedness.
Choose a Preparedness Topic
Pick the guide topic closest to what is on your mind today from Mindset and Resilience, Personal Security and Boundaries, Emergency Kits and Go Bags, Evacuation and Backup Plans, Household Preparedness and Outdoor Preparedness.
Each card below says when that topic fits, then points you to its guide. Read the situations and go with the one that sounds most like yours.
Mindset and Resilience
Start here if handling pressure is on your mind more than gear right now. Go to the Mindset and Resilience guide on survival psychology.
Personal Security and Boundaries
Read this topic when your concern is other people rather than the weather, and the boundaries you set with them. Go to the Personal Security and Boundaries guide on personal safety.
Emergency Kits and Go Bags
Go here when you want to put together a home emergency kit or a go bag.
Evacuation and Backup Plans
Turn here when you need to work out how your household would leave, reconnect or fall back on another plan. Go to the Evacuation and Backup Plans guide on writing an emergency preparedness plan.
Household Preparedness
Begin here when the disruption on your mind would hit your home, such as a power outage. Go to the Household Preparedness guide on household emergency preparedness.
Outdoor Preparedness
Choose this topic if your plans include trails, camping or time far from help. Go to the Outdoor Preparedness guide for outdoor safety tips.
Mindset and Resilience
Defeatist Attitude
Have you ever wished someone luck for an event, and they’ve retorted with something vaguely resembling ‘oh no need I’ll fail anyway’?…
Resilience – How It Works & How To Get It
Resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected. Sustainability is about survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive. Jamais…
Personal Security and Boundaries
Emergency Kits and Go Bags
Evacuation and Backup Plans
Bug Out Vehicle
Sometimes, when we're going on vacation, it looks like we're moving out. Ok, make that most of the time. Between the baby's…
Survival Contingency Planning – The Not So Obvious
By now your bug out bag is packed, your food, water, and supplies are waiting for you at your chosen shelter. All…
Household Preparedness
Outdoor Preparedness
How To Find And Purify Water In The Wild
As I am writing this article, I am sipping on an ice-cold, clean glass of water. Since I installed my own water…
Amazing Bushcraft Skills That Will Turn You Into A Daring Survivor
Bushcraft skills allow you to not only survive in the wild, but in some cases, even thrive. Getting comfortable in the wilderness…
Where to Start with Survival Preparedness
Start with the decisions your household would face in a disruption, then gather supplies that serve those decisions.
Before you buy anything, settle these questions:
- Who depends on you? Think of the people, and any pets, you would need to look after or check on.
- Which disruptions are likely where you live? Start with the ones that fit your area rather than every possible scenario.
- How would you reconnect? If your household were split up, how would you find each other?
- What would you need to stay put or to leave? Picture both, because the answer shapes what you gather.
Settle How Your Household Reconnects
Ready.gov advises knowing how your family will contact one another and reconnect if separated, and establishing a family meeting place that is familiar and easy to find.
The American Red Cross suggests choosing two places to meet (right outside your home, and outside your neighborhood) and an out-of-area emergency contact person.
For current detail, go to the planning pages on Ready.gov and the American Red Cross website.
Keep Basic Supplies Together
The American Red Cross suggests keeping supplies in an easy-to-carry emergency preparedness kit you can use at home or take with you if you must evacuate.
Ready.gov suggests storing kit items in airtight plastic bags and keeping the whole kit in one or two easy-to-carry containers such as plastic bins or a duffel bag.
For current detail, go to the kit pages on the American Red Cross website and Ready.gov. The full checklist belongs to the emergency kit topic.
Practice the Plan
The American Red Cross advises creating and practicing an emergency plan, practicing as many elements as possible, and practicing evacuating your home twice a year.
Ready.gov's fourth planning step is to practice your plan with your household.
For current detail, go to the planning pages on the American Red Cross website and Ready.gov.
Start Here
How to Weigh Preparedness Advice
Treat any preparedness article, these guides included, as a starting point rather than the final word on medical, safety, legal or emergency questions.
That is the honest way to read anything on this subject, here or elsewhere. Use the two checks below.
Where These Guides Point You
For medical, safety, legal or emergency questions, Survival Report points readers to official sources such as Ready.gov, the American Red Cross, local emergency services and SAMHSA's National Helpline for mental health support.
No phone, hotline or crisis-line number is printed here. Go to each source's own website for its current details.
Look for a Named Source
Give more weight to a step that names a source you can open and read in its current form than to one that only sounds confident.
When you read a preparedness step, ask: does it name where it comes from? If it does, and you can open that source and read it as it stands today, you can check the step for yourself. If it only sounds sure of itself, treat it with more caution.
About Survival Report
Daniel Hart is the pen name of Survival Report's founder. He writes about psychology and self-help.
