How to prepare for and profit from any state of emergency
When I was in 8th grade, I was watching a movie when my mom passed through dragging a trash bin behind her. Weird, but not that weird for her. Until later when she passed through again with a giant jug of water, and then AGAIN with what seemed like a flat of flashlights. Upon asking her what she was doing, she replied “Our earthquake kit needs refreshing!”
For years, I thought of this as a funny anecdote, but it has since been reclassified as an “I told you so” moment about emergency preparedness… an annoyingly big win for my mom, and something that the rest of the US should think about, especially Texas.
There are a lot of supply lists out there. Most of them include the obvious items like food and water, and of course the CDC added “masks.” But here are a few more unexpected essentials that could come in handy:
- Atomic Bear Bracelet, which can start fires and point north.
- Gorilla Tape, for when you need to build a fort or fix literally anything.
- A LifeStraw aka portable water filter, so you can pass on my mom’s giant water jug.
- And 19 more items you never knew you needed.
Lots of people are looking to buy this gear (seriously, is everyone getting ready to be on Naked and Afraid?), so Amazon sellers might consider monetizing others’ survival needs through Amazon’s affiliates program. Basically if you have a decent online presence, you can curate and recommend products on Amazon and earn up to 10% commission via customized links. So now you can turn your “Bucket-O-Breakfast” review into going-out-for-pancakes money!
Emergency preparedness sales ebb and flow depending on the season, geography, or in some cases, politics. Militant prepper Joseph Mauricio created an Amazon storefront aimed at his primarily QAnon audience on which he recommends survival items like bowie knives and assault rifles. Right or wrong (but definitely far right), he qualified for the program and created a revenue stream.
So look, do what you need to do to prepare yourself and others. Load up the RV with your “go bags” and your DVD collection that you refuse to let go of, and let’s all hope that the next time the country unexpectedly freezes over, it’s just a trailer for Frozen III.
