It’s a simple question on the surface – is to better to spend more effort stockpiling basic needs, or preparing to acquire them on site?

You may also hear it referred to as “Butter vs. Bullets”, though I say Apples vs. Ammo. Unfortunately, the mercurial nature of a disasters very quickly complicates the question. Just for sake of argument, let’s focus on water. Nutritional needs might be met by hunting (a debate all of its own), or even ignored for a time, but water is neither procured nor ignored so easily.

Consider the uses of water you make each day. Not only for drinking, but sanitary needs as well. Filtering water might be an option in wilderness survival, but disasters present a whole new set of challenges.

Consider this challenge posed by Dr. Bradly in Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness For The Family:

Bradley, A. T. (2012). Handbook to practical disaster preparedness for the family. Lexington, KY: Arthur T. Bradley page 50.

Heavy rains have flooded the nearby water treatment facility, introducing two dangerous pathogens (Giardia and Shigella) into the water supply. Local authorities have issues an order to use bottled water or to boil all tap water. The rains are expected to continue for the next five days. How will you provide clean drinking water for your family. Do you understand the risks that these pathogens pose?

In this challenge, the quick answer is just keep boiling water. But a storm capable of flooding the treatment facility is also capable of disrupting power delivery. What then? Could you find another way? Even if the answer is yes, having a small cache of water to bridge the gap would be invaluable.

This is yet another example of having a well rounded preparedness mindset being more practical than a total effort at any one facet. A garage full of water and food is just not tenable for most people to manage. Conversely, learning the kind of skill it would take to provide all needs on site is no more reasonable. Taking a balanced approach – learning basic survival skills and keeping some basic supplies on hand, might prove to be the most beneficial.