Either by accident or by the whim of Mother Nature, human history is filled with natural disasters. However, within the history of disasters, there are some that stand out as the world’s deadliest disasters.

Haiti Earthquake

On January 10, 2010, a severe 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti. Its epicenter was 25 miles west of the capital Port-Au-Prince. Following the initial earthquake, 59 aftershocks were eventually recorded. The quakes led to more than 150,000 deaths and destroyed over 250,000 homes and 30,000 businesses.

Tenerife North Airport Airplane Collision

The deadliest aviation accident that ever happened occurred at Tenerife North Airport, in the Canary Islands. On March 27, 1977, a bomb detonated at Gran Canaria Airport. There was suspicion that a second device had yet to explode. Because of the possibility of a second bomb, authorities rerouted a number of Gran Canaria bound aircraft to Tenerife North Airport.
Unfortunately, Tenerife North Airport was not designed to handle so many planes. Because of limited space and a large number of planes, many aircraft parked on and blocked taxi ways. This forced planes to both taxi and takeoff on the airport’s only runway, a problem compounded by dense fog. This problem resulted in tragedy when two Boeing 747s, travelling towards one another collided, killing 583 passengers.

Cyclone Nargis

The first Indian Ocean cyclone of 2008 was Cyclone Nargis. After forming, it made landfall in Myanmar on May 2, 2008. As Nargis came ashore, its storm surge pushed 25 miles up the Irrawaddy delta, flooding the region. This flooding ravaged the areas towns and population, killing over 135,000 and causing $10 billion in damages.


The Black Death

You have probably already read about it in your history books; however, you may not know the specifics. This Black Death was a pandemic that swept across Europe in the mid-1300s, lasting seven years. It is estimated to have killed up to 200 million people, reducing Europe’s population by upwards of 60%. Another way to think about the Black Death is to do so in a modern context. In modern terms, 194 million people would lose their lives if the Black Death were to happen today. Yeah, almost 200 million people would die.

Mount Pelée Volcano Eruption

The Mount Pelée eruption is the greatest volcano disaster of the 20th century. The volcano, located in the Caribbean on the island of Martinique, erupted on May 8, 1902. The eruption killed 30,000 people and completely destroyed the city of Saint-Pierre.

Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami

On December 26, 2004, an earthquake occurred off the coast of Indonesia. The earthquake measured over 9 on the Richter scale and triggered massive tsunamis. The tsunamis traveled through the Indian ocean and eventually devastated 14 countries. Of the nearly 230,000 dead, over 130,000 occurred in Indonesia alone. The death toll caused this earthquake to be one of the 10 deadliest, and the tsunami to be the deadliest in world history.

Lessons Learned

​Human history is full of examples of natural and human-initiated disasters. In spite of our best efforts, predicting disasters with any certainty is a thing of science fiction. Disasters usually strike with little to no warning, unleashing devastating consequences. So, while people try to predict them, the safest bet for overcoming their tragic effects is to prepare now. By preparing in advance, you are giving you and your family the best opportunity to survive where they may have otherwise perished. Ultimately, it’s up to you. Do you want to be the victim or the survivor?


Lastly, never forget, you’re  just one prep away.


If you have any other information, suggestions, or thoughts about the world’s deadliest disasters, please leave a comment below.


Stay safe, secure and prepared.

Many people believe that prepping on a budget is impossible. They have the misconception that preparedness requires a lot of money. Because of this misconception, some choose not to prepare at all. After all, why spend money on something that may or may not happen? Fortunately, there are many ways to improve your preparedness that are either free or do not require a lot of money

One Step at a Time

​The preparedness mindset can often be overwhelming to the novice prepper. All it takes is just one Google search to be inundated with predictions of the end of the world as we know it (aka TEOTWAWKI). Fortunately, throughout history, these predictions have largely proven to be false. Just as fortunate is the fact that most current and future doom and gloom predictions will likely be proven false.
This means that the odds of a cataclysmic event significantly impacting you is not very likely. However, as with purchasing insurance, you do so for those times when the odds catch up with you. Ultimately, you have time to become prepared even if you are prepping on a budget. Take it one thoughtful step at a time. When you do, every prep completed will be one step closer to being truly prepared.

Information

Knowledge is just as important as material items. After all, what good is any piece of equipment if you don’t know how to use it? Fortunately for everyone, there are volumes of free information on the Internet. Therefore, when prepping on a budget, take advantage of the free resources available to you, such as this blog. By doing so, you’ll be able to more efficiently and effectively build and use your preparedness supplies. Free information will also provide you with alternatives to many of the costlier preparedness hurdles. The information is there for the taking, so use it to your advantage.

Planning Your Preparedness Strategy Saves Money

When people first begin preparing, many try to do everything at once. This becomes frustrating because they don’t have the time or money to accomplish everything. Therefore, you need to think about and plan a preparedness strategy. By doing so, you will be able to prepare more effectively. In turn, the increased effectiveness will allow you to prepare more quickly and at less cost than would have otherwise been possible.

Inventory Your Supplies

You may already have a great deal of supplies and not realize it. Therefore, it’s important that you take stock of what you have. By inventorying your supplies, you can avoid buying items that you already have. This keeps costs down and shortens the time it takes to become prepared. Inventorying your supplies requires physically going through your supplies, which increases your familiarity with them. This will allow you to optimize the amount of your supplies and become more familiar with their use.

Know Your Budget

When prepping on a budget, you should first know how much you can spend. Knowing how much you can spend requires analyzing your income and expenses and setting a budget. Once you have a budget figured out, you’ll be able to determine how much you can spend on your preparedness.

Save Money When You Are Able

There are many ways that you can save money. If not already doing so, use coupons, or shop in discount and second-hand stores. Truly consider your needs over your wants. Remember, going into debt when preparing is not the answer. Going into debt reduces your freedom and forces you to take a step back.

Food

Commercial survival foods are nice to have but costly and unnecessary. When starting out, or on a limited budget, commercial survival foods may not be the best option. When buying food items that you normally eat, purchase extra. A few extra cans of food each week quickly multiplies into a large food stockpile. When using this method, it is important to eat and rotate what you buy. Ideally, you should eat the items that are expiring the soonest.

Water

Water is one of life’s necessities. Therefore, you should try to save up as much as possible. By saving your used drink bottles, you can store up a decent amount of emergency water. Just make sure before filling the bottle that you thoroughly wash them. Once refilled, store the bottles in a dark place, such as a cupboard, closet, or basement. Water stored this way should be used, rotated and replaced every six months. You should also consider buying water filters, which will be needed should you exhaust your water supply. The water filter will aid with the removal of impurities and bacteria if you must refill your water from a questionable source.

Shelter

When it comes to shelter, there are many options. The first option is where you live. Whenever the situation permits, remain in your home. You’re already paying for it, and this is where you are most comfortable and established, so take advantage of it. Next, you should have some sort of shelter ready, should you have to leave your home. This shelter can be your car, a tent, a tarp, etc. Ultimately, you’ll need something to keep you out of the elements and provide as much comfort as possible. Doing so can be done inexpensively, such as buying a $10 tarp rather than a $100 tent.

Light​

A dependable light source is needed in the event you lose power. The good news is that LED flashlights are now affordable and last longer than before. Remember, flashlights need a power source. So, don’t forget spare batteries, or buying flashlights that are powered by solar or other alternative means.
Aside from flashlights, candles are also affordable sources of light. When buying candles, avoid buying scented ones. You’ll find unscented tend to be less expensive.  Also, when buying candles, don’t forget to pick up lighters, matches, or something else to get your candles, stove and fire lit.

Summary

These are some of the high points when prepping on a budget. The key to all this is to avoid being overwhelmed at the beginning. Odds are, TEOTWAWKI won’t happen tomorrow, next month, or next year. Stay the course, gather reliable information and make solid plans. Once you do, you will be on your way to improving your preparedness one step at a time. Each step you take will put you one step closer to being prepared.


Lastly, never forget, you’re just one prep away.


Stay safe, secure and prepared.