3 Essential Prepping Tips: The Devil is in the Details

As many of us begin to prepare for what may lie ahead, it is essential not to forget about the little things. Most of us concentrate on travel/escape routes, practice vital conservation techniques, hone hunting and security skills, stockpile food and water, etc.

Remember, the Devil is in the details…

We were hit with an F1 tornado a while back. Then, in 2025, an F3 rocked our world. We are lucky to be alive.

We lost parts of our roof, almost all of our trees, the flagpole, and all 900 feet of our cedar fencing. We were lucky, though — 4 neighbors’ homes were wiped off the face of the earth — just gone.

Other neighbors lost their roofs, and entire outbuildings disappeared. We didn’t have power back for over a week—thank God for generators. (If you don’t have one, get one. You never want to be in the position of having to get a generator after the fact. The stores will be sold out.)

Here are some quick prepping tips we talked about that I wanted to share to help you deal with what we today may consider daily annoyances, but during a disaster, may be your ultimate downfall.

Infestation

Just the sound of that word gives me the creeps! In day-to-day life, we all have to deal with the occasional house mouse or buggy annoyance. In a disaster scenario where you lose walls, roofs, or doors, rodent or other pest infestations can spell trouble. Rodents can carry diseases.

After spending all that time preparing your food stockpile, it would be truly disheartening to learn that these pesky creatures had eaten their way through a bag of your grain, leaving a trail of germs and disease-carrying excrement to contaminate your supplies. It is essential to protect your stockpile by placing traps in strategic locations and sealing certain goods in containers critters cannot access.

Supplies Destroyed Due to Poor Containment

Substantial containers can not only stop mice but also withstand a barrage of environmental abuse. The problem with a natural disaster is that it attacks from many different fronts: wind, floods, fire, or all of the above.

You must use containers that can withstand whatever the environment can throw at you. Using fire and waterproof containers is essential to your and your family’s survival. These types of containers will be your first line of defense during a natural disaster.

What do you have to share or trade?

Barter may be the only currency in a post-disaster environment. There were a lot of neighbors without water, gas, and the basics. Of course, we didn’t hesitate to help out, but that is what got us thinking.

Honing your barter skills and organizing a plan to develop valuable trade items may help you and your family acquire essentials you lack in your supply or have used up.

Think comfort items, such as tobacco, alcohol, batteries, toilet paper, soap, alcohol, tobacco (yeah, I know I mentioned the last two twice, but you’ll probably want some for yourself too, disasters suck), etc. Most of these products you can easily stockpile.

After our disaster, we learned the hard way. When making your list of necessary items, remember to account for every possibility for failure and the tiniest details. These types of preparations can make a huge difference after the disaster hits, in terms of your comfort level and how you deal with the aftermath.

Oh, yeah, don’t forget a deck of cards. When the F1 hit, we drank some of that alcohol and played gin-rummy the night the storm hit, knowing it was not safe to go out until daybreak. Helped alleviate some of the stress; well, not all of it, but after a couple of rounds, you really won’t be as worried!