Take stock of the things you use regularly and when you see a sale, buy an extra unit. This avoids a “run on the bank” during a crisis, while building your reserves and resilience over time. Make it a habit: if it’s a good sale, buy two.
The idea is simple: trade favors, collectively. Maybe you’re great with taxes, and Julie needs help. But what you really need is someone to clean the gutters, and Julie can’t climb ladders. Besides, Julie only needs an hour of help, and gutters will take three. With a time bank you help Julie…and Jim and Joe, then David helps you. He’s happy to do it. He got a lot of help after his wife’s surgery!
One of the most useful first-aid skills to learn, according to every medical professional we talked to, is how to stop bleeding. Stop the Bleed exists to teach you how to save a live. You can take an in-person or online class to learn basic skills that are useful in a crisis.
Remember how we all learned our home phone number as kids? Today, I couldn’t call my own mother from memory. Choose one person you could call in an emergency and memorize their number. Choose someone who isn’t likely to be with you. The perfect person lives far enough away not to be caught up in the same events, but close enough to help.
Memorize one Phone Number Find Out How »
Yesterday Canvas, a widely used course management software, suffered a ransomware attack. Grades, assignments, communication channels…all gone! Last year it was a medical software system. Today, make a plan to back up important contact information, from your Mom’s address to the insurance policy number.
Analog Addresses Find Out How »
Learn to use ICEout.org today. Check for local activity in your area. Learn how to filter by date to get a sense of changes over time. Find out what you’ll need to collect to submit a report, and how to do it. This is a quick, simple step you can take right now from wherever you are.
