Dragoon Disaster Scale

    When we talk to clients about different situations they may be preparing for, having a simple scale makes things a lot easier. We are able to quickly explain the different levels, give them a relatively solid definition, and refer back to the scale throughout our consults. Obviously, different situations would need different levels of supplies and equipment, skills and training. Different levels also have different expectations of outside support, government response or viability, and how you would respond to threatening situations.

    Again, this is an extremely simplified scale, but it does help when talking to someone, instead of having to break down every single disaster situation by itself. We also don't claim to be the first people to use color coded scales for disasters... this is what we came up with for our use. Feel free to use it in your own preparedness planning.

YELLOW LEVEL EVENT

    A yellow situation is the very basic level that everybody should prepare to. FEMA states that everyone should have a 72 hour bag with basic supplies that you would need to survive for 72 hours. The types of emergencies that you would be looking at in a yellow situation would be things like; a power outage, small tornado or flood. You are looking at either staying at home, or perhaps grabbing your bag and going to a hotel or family member's home. Emergency response will most likely be immediate, starting with local EMS and CERT teams. Law is still intact. Utilities may or may not be running, but utility companies will react almost immediately to solve the problems.

     

    Many times preparation for a yellow situation can be done with things you already have at home. Common sense will get you through most yellow situations if you were not directly injured in the event.

RED LEVEL EVENT

    With a red situation we are looking at a partial breakdown in society's systems due to an event. A good example of a red situation would be hurricane Katrina. Help and aid are coming but could be more then a week out. Law may still be intact, however it is likely extremely busy and unable to respond quickly. At a minimum your preps for this situation should be a few weeks, possibly more. You should count on being without utilities for an extended period. You may have to displace from your home, depending on the type of disaster.

BLACK LEVEL EVENT

    A Black Situation is that S hitting the F that everyone on the internet talks about. Think long term economic collapse or wide spread natural disasters that overwhelm the system to the breaking point. Help is not going to come within the foreseeable future. Your preps should help to make you completely self reliant for at least a year and preferably more.With little to no law enforcement presence, the rule of law will most likely break down, and you will have to protect yourself, your family and your supplies. Depending on the location of your home, you may be forced to displace, as urban areas could be a hotbed of disorder if the grid goes down. Disorder WILL spread out from population centers, so your place out in the country is not exactly disaster proof either.

    Remember this- Most people (especially in urban areas) keep very little food, water, and necessary supplies on hand. The grocery stores work on a drop ship system, with fresh supplies coming in just about every day. If logistic systems fail, people will run out of things they need quickly. Desperate people are hard to predict.

Prepare Today, Prevail Tomorrow.

Dragoon Solutions

20SEP2012