Oftentimes preppers get carried away with their plans when they prepare for the really scary scenarios, like nuclear war, meteor strikes, pandemics, and solar flares. But for the most part, these are rare events that many of us will never encounter firsthand.
It’s still a good idea to prepare for them, in part because they are so rare. Most people, and the emergency services that will have to help them, aren’t ready for these disasters. So when they do occur, there can be significantly more property damage and loss of life. But we can’t lose sight of the basics. It’s very tempting to focus on the scariest disasters, while ignoring the events that are most likely to effect you, and are statistically more lethal.
With that said, sometimes we overlook the ordinary disasters that kill thousands of people every year, like earthquakes, tornadoes, and fires. Chief among these is flooding, which kills an average of 6,753 people annually. And as the world’s population expands, and more people find themselves living in flood prone areas, the number of people affected by floods continues to grow.
If you’re looking to get started on a flood preparedness plan, I would highly suggest you take a look at the one, and only episode of Surviving Urban Disasters with Les Stroud. You may recognize that name as belonging to the host of the show Survivorman. The pilot was an attempt to create an urban survival show, but never really took off. Nearly 10 years later, it’s still a great primer for anyone interested in flood preparedness.
It was made about a year after Hurricane Katrina, and portrays Stroud attempting to survive three likely flood scenarios, like being stuck in a car, an office, or a one story home. The episode also includes an interview with an actual Katrina survivor, who describes in detail how she survived, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Unlike Survivorman, he’s not by himself in the wilderness, but is role-playing these scenarios in front of a camera crew.
Despite this, he still brings his A-game to the episode. Personally, I’ve always been a big fan of Les Stroud. His program has always stood out among the swamp of survival reality shows that try to force drama and outrageous stunts on their viewers. He always keeps it simple and real, and creates each episode with the novice in mind, which is exactly what he does for this Katrina inspired piece.
He deliberately makes rookie mistakes in every scenario, like losing items or injuring himself, so he can show the viewers how to solve these problems. He takes the role of somebody is woefully unprepared and in denial, and knocks it out of the ballpark.
So if you’re unfamiliar with the dangers of flooding, and you’re looking to get started on a flood preparedness plan, take some time to watch the video above. It’s one of the best starter guides for any would-be flood survivors, and thoroughly entertaining from start to finish.