If your kids watch Dora, you understand the value of having a good map.
As tools, they are invaluable for survival and can help you navigate to a destination of your choosing. Having a tangible, printed map is critical in the event of an emergency for a couple of reasons.
1. Disasters may require you to go somewhere new – We all tend to get used to our surroundings and do not need a map from day to day. Driving from one’s home to the store typically doesn’t require a map after you’ve lived in a location for more than a few weeks. But the needs you will have in the event of an emergency are unknown. Maybe food will be delivered by rescuers to a specific location. Do you know how to get everywhere around you? What if your car is unable to run? Can you do it on foot? For these reasons, it is critical to have a map at the ready.
2. Digital maps might not work – If you’re like me, your map is your smartphone. To be honest, the GPS map is easily my favorite feature on my phone as it helps me to get wherever I would like to go. However, in an emergency, cell towers and other equipment might not be available for use. In addition, a phone can easily run out of batteries. As a result, a digital map, while infinitely useful in the regular course of life, isn’t something you can rely on for emergency preparedness. Be sure to get a map that is printed out, just in case you need it.
3. Help for others – Even if you have a photographic memory and know every inch of space for a 100 mile radius around your home, most people don’t. Most people can include your neighbors, children, or extended family, all of whom you might want to help in the event of an emergency. Having a map lying around can be a good resource to give to someone else in case they need it for some reason.
4. Injury necessitates – This is similar to reason number three. One reason that you may not be able to use your perfect memory could include an injury that prevents your motion or harms your head. While that’s certainly not an incident anyone wants to consider, it could be necessary for you to have help. A map will be useful in this case.
Getting a map is one of the first things you should do in your emergency preparedness. Fortunately, maps are incredibly cheap and very available. That might not be the case after a disaster hits, so it would be wise to get one now.
In my experience, gas stations just off major highways are the best place to obtain maps, but I’m sure you can find one at many other stores or e-retailers like amazon.com. In any case, it is important to get one so you can be prepared for an emergency. It is always better to be prepared.
Submitted by Tyler P., a Food Insurance® guest author.
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This is a great suggestion article about maps.
Another thing to think about when talking maps is that the way you would drive to a location usually is not the way you would go if you were walking….you may be inclined to use alleys or across a field if you had to walk. Also, a map would be quite handy if your landmarks were blown away by a big wind. Things look very different during a disaster.
Lots of times you can get maps from your county government. Keep 1in your car and 1 in your bug out bag. If you routinely travel through many counties you may want country maps of those too in case you end up having to walk cross county. In my area I could cut off miles by walking across our local dam but it is not open for traffic, just a thought that I hope helps someone.
What a great thing.Thanks.