Don’t Panic. That’s what the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy says. During my first semester of doctoral classes, I reminded myself often, Don’t panic don’t panic don’t panic. I’m reminding myself again.

The information available on emergency and disaster preparedness is overwhelming, which is exactly why I intend to play out my own reasonable take on what one should do to prepare for 10,000 emergencies that seem to face us.

But, where do I start? I know I need to prepare for

• winter
• power outage
• drought
• earthquake
• peak oil
• post-carbon world
• climate change
• fascism
• war

There is surely more I have missed.

How far do I go? Where am I going? I’m not going to join an Amish community (as if they’d have me), but I’m sure I can learn from them. I suspect the future will look more like the solutions Cubans have found to the passing of peak oil. Community is important in every solution. I also need to make sure I am prepared to help rather than be helped in an emergency. So, I am going to start by focusing on just a few areas.

1. Learn about what has worked for others faced with crisis.
2. Reach out to my neighbors and larger community frequently.
3. Continue to gather and sort my list of necessary disaster and emergency preparations.
4. Prepare my family, house, and car for winter (though global warming has made that less an issue in the past few years).