OVERVIEW - First and foremost, I feel very strongly that each one of us must be responsible for one’s own and their families health, well-being, safety, security  and survival.  How to accomplish self sufficiency and insure your survival is the question; this attempt is merely to broach the topic and hope to provide very basic guidance for those serious about survival, regardless of the nature of the threat - natural or man made.  If YOU will not provide basic means of insuring your own survival, why do you think anyone else should or will?  If insuring yours and your families survival is not of interest to you, then just disregard the following as rantings from someone you believe to be certifiably insane.  I have no problem with that view :-) Just do not expect me or others to provide for your lack of preparation!

Examples of Nature caused emergencies include hurricanes, tornados, fires, floods, earthquakes, blizzards, volcanos and tsunamis. There is little we can do to prevent the effects of tornados, for example.  But we can do a great deal to alleviate effects of the others by not living in hurricane, earthquake, tsunami or flood prone areas. We can somewhat protect against fires by eliminating fuel sources - shrubs, trees and tall grasses near our homes and by using fire resistant building materials.

Man made disasters are a different matter - best exemplified by armed conflicts, protests, riots and terrorist attacks. The U.S. has already been invaded by unknown MILLIONS of ILLEGAL ALIENS, mainly Mexican and Central American citizens who consistently demonstrate NO interest in assimilating into our culture, but also large numbers of Asians and Muslims over the past two decades.   Ignore this reality at your own peril.  And your tax dollars are supporting them, thanks to Congress!

There are currently somewhere between four to six million Muslims  and more than 1200 mosques in the U.S. There are now reportedly at least 7 known Islamic military type training camps in the U.S. , and the Muslim population continues to grow - many converted  to Islam in our prison systems.   IMO, Islam is not now, and never has been a peaceful ‘religion’.  Islam is a political state religion/culture exemplified by constant violence, hatred, torture and murder at every perceived provocation.  There is NO consideration or acceptance of human rights,  NO equality of the sexes or tolerance of any other belief system.   ISLAM IS THE PROBLEM,  NOT ‘radical Muslims’!!!  The idea of a ‘Moderate Muslim’ is a myth and an oxymoron!

It is no longer a matter of IF we will be attacked again by Muslims, ONLY WHEN and in what form the attack will take place. It will disrupt this nations way of life and what may be available to you.

What you would do if there was no electrical power, no food in stores, no gas for your vehicle, no water, no sanitation services and no prospect of anyone coming to your aid?  You think nothing like this will happen?  You better pray you’re right, because I’m praying I’m wrong.   If I’m wrong, WONDERFUL!   Nobody is hurt - but if you’re wrong, you’re likely DEAD, unless you’ve prepared!

Yours, and your families chances of survival will depend solely on the steps you’ve taken to provide for yourself and your family.  You’d better be 10 years too soon than one day too late!

We can live without air for about 4 minutes, without water for 3-4 days and without food for 30 days - all unpleasant scenarios, so you MUST establish priorities.

We can’t do much about a supply of breathable air, except to have and wear face masks when pollution is a problem,  such as wind born debris, chemical or biological contaminants.  Respirators, gas masks or simple cotton masks may be used to filter your breathing air to some extent, depending on the contaminant.

Potable water MUST be provided daily for drinking, cooking, cleaning cooking and eating utensils, personal hygiene and medical purposes, such as flushing contaminants from eyes or breaks in the skin.  Non-potable water MUST be available for washing clothes and general cleaning. Disease and sickness will be one of the major primary threats in a survival situation. Potable water is the single most critical element essential for survival.  Katydin water filters are excellent for purifying water from any source.  If you have a well, then have a generator, fuel and spare parts to pump your water.

The following issues are presented in an extremely abbreviated manner - many books have been written on each topic.  Most worthless, a few beneficial.

Health - I REPEAT!  Lack of personal sanitation and hygiene will kill more people than all other causes.  Store a supply of dish wash liquid, bar soaps and laundry detergent, and a means to wash dishes, cooking utensils, clothing and bedding.
If you are on medications, have as much on hand as appropriate or available.
Have medical supplies including TraumaDex, Telfa pads, Betadine, Tape, sterile Gauze, Ace bandages, Aloe Vera plants, Boric Acid, H2O2 and large band-aids.

YOU CANNOT HAVE TOO MUCH WATER STORED! You must have a means of disinfecting contaminated water, preferably with iodine or unscented bleach or an appropriate Katydin, or similar filter.

Garden - You should have open pollinated survival garden seeds sealed in cans - with shelf life of years.  If you are not now gardening,  you should rethink this issue. There are many very edible, healthy and tasty ‘weeds’, so no one should go hungry, at least during the growing season, IF you know how to pick and prepare wild edibles now.

Have a supply of canning jars, lids and ziplock bags. Start canning or dehydrating vegetables, meat, potatoes, carrots, onions, dry beans, herbs and fruits NOW.  Have a good shovel, rake and other essential hand tools for gardening.

Self-Sufficiency  - Provide for your family to be able to live on your stored resources for a minimum of two to three months, without ANY outside assistance.

Stored items must include NON-PERISHABLE canned goods (pasta, soups, chili, vegetables, fruits, meats, beans, peanut butter, etc.) -   One of the best means for providing fresh ‘veggies’ is to have a supply of sproutable seeds (Alfalfa, clover, radish, lentils, etc.  Know HOW to Sprout!  Start doing it now! Include sprouts in your daily diet NOW, besides they are extremely healthy and inexpensive.
Ready-to-eat foods (raisins, nuts, granola/energy/protein bars, snack-paks, etc.)
Supply of potent Multi-Vitamins, Vitamin C, etc. 
Supply of dried milk, pancake/biscuit mix & syrup.
Food grade plastic buckets of rice, beans, flour, potatoes (dehydrated), rolled oats, bulgur or farina and other grains, large supply of honey, molasses, and several gallons of quality cooking oil, preferably olive, grape seed oil or unrefined coconut oil, all healthy.
Large quantities of Sea Salt, Baking powder, Baking soda, Cream of Tarter and spices, especially cinnamon and vanilla.
Bottled water (especially if a potable source is not secured yet)
Paper or plastic plates/bowls/cups/utensils, quality manual can opener
Wood kitchen matches (preferably strike anywhere)
Garbage cans and many liner bags (water storage & waste storage), 5 gallon bucket and smaller garbage bags sized for it, a Toilet seat for the bucket (or use one from inside your house), toilet paper, sanitary napkins, diapers - whatever is appropriate for your family and that you do not want to do without.  Baby wipes (saves water for personal hygiene use)
I strongly recommend that you procure Surefire flashlights for each member of the family, either the Z2 Combat light or the G2 or G3Nitrolon with a supply of 3 V Lithium batteries (Shelf life of ten years) & extra bulbs - or flashlights (LED and/or regular), AM/FM/Shortwave radio, batteries for each of the above (Consider a solar charger and a supply of NiCad or Metal Hydride rechargeable batteries).
Bleach (5.25%, without fragrance or soap additives), Rubbing Alcohol and  Excedrin or Aspirin, Pepto Bismol, Kaopectate, etc.
Supply of inexpensive dust mask filters.
Sturdy footwear, socks, clothing, jackets, gloves, hooded rain gear for every family member.
Camping type supplies, such as Coleman cook stove and fuel, etc.  You should consider getting a Sun Oven for cooking/baking without fuel. Have a means of cutting firewood for heating/cooking and a wood stove.

Consider ANYTHING you do not want to be without! Sit down and make an open-ended list of items you do not want to be without, should there be a disaster of any type - keep adding to your list as additional items come to mind. Make a list of EVERYTHING you use on a daily basis to insure you’ve not overlooked anything.

Food Preservation - You must be able to preserve foods in season without refrigeration, so Drying, Fermenting (Sauer kraut, for example), Salting and Canning will have to be used.  Pressure can those food items which require pressure canning (low acid) and steam can high acid food items not requiring pressure canning.

Self Defense - Once you have gone to the considerable time, expense and effort to provide for your family for any emergency, you must be willing to defend your property and your family from those that have not prepared - there will be multitudes of frantic, hungry, and desperate people that will take from those that have in order to survive AND there is always a vicious criminal and predator population in our society that will prey on the weak and unprepared. Consider the LA riots, or New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina, or the widespread looting and rioting that occur in any major city on ANY slight provocation, such as a power brown out or a perceived police brutality incident.  Police will not likely be available to respond, and YOU WILL BE A VICTIM IF YOU WON’T/CAN’T DEFEND YOURSELF!

Being prepared for any eventually is a very complex issue,  one requiring a great deal of preparation and an understanding of what is at stake.