If We Have A War: Tidbits From Me
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Here are some tidbits from me to you. This post covers practical war preparedness steps for everyday families: building a pantry, securing finances, making a communication plan, protecting your health, and keeping your household emotionally steady, all written from the perspective of someone who has lived through the Cold War, Vietnam War, the Gulf War, 9/11, and beyond. As newlyweds, Mark was sent to Basic Training in Fort Ord, California, in 1969, during the Vietnam War.
I’ve been alive since Harry Truman was president. I grew up practicing duck-and-cover drills in an elementary school classroom, not entirely sure what ducking under a wooden desk was supposed to accomplish against a nuclear weapon, but doing it anyway because the teacher said to. I watched the Vietnam War unfold on our first color television set. I’ve lived through more national emergencies, more moments where the whole country held its breath, than I can count on two hands.
So when people around me start asking what they should do to prepare for a potential war, whether it touches our shores or not, I feel like I have something useful to say. Not because I’m an expert with credentials on the wall, but because I have been paying attention for a very long time.
Here is what I’ve learned. Take what fits your situation. Leave what doesn’t.
If We Have a War: Tidbits From Me
1. Start with your pantry, not your panic
The single most practical thing any household can do is build a steady, rotating supply of food and water. This isn’t about survivalist fantasy; it’s about being the kind of family that doesn’t need to sprint to the grocery store the moment something scary happens on the news.
Aim for four to six weeks of shelf-stable food that your family actually eats. Canned goods, dried beans, rice, pasta, cooking oil, salt, and whatever else is on your regular table. Rotate it: use the oldest cans first, replace what you use. Water storage matters too; one gallon per person per day is the standard guidance. I sure wish the world would realize one gallon per person isn’t going to cut it. I get thirsty just thinking about it. Please store four gallons per person per day. Let’s get real, you want clean underwear, water to provide hydration, water to do your cooking, and we need to maintain proper personal hygiene?
A manual can opener is not optional. Neither is a battery-powered or hand-crank radio. Manual Can Opener and Battery-Powered Radio or Hand Cranked Radio.
Buy a little extra food each week rather than doing one large panicked purchase. This is calmer and cheaper, and it means your pantry grows organically without drama.
“A prepared family doesn’t look like chaos. It looks like a full pantry, a written plan, and people who know what to do.”
2. Get your paperwork in order
This is the step most people skip, and it’s one of the most important. Know where your vital documents are. Birth certificates, Social Security cards, passports, insurance policies, medication lists, health records, account numbers, all of it should be in one place you can grab quickly, ideally in a waterproof bag or a fireproof box. Waterproof Bag
Make digital copies and store them somewhere accessible, a secure cloud folder or a thumb drive kept with a trusted family member in another location. If you have ever tried to replace a birth certificate in the middle of a crisis, you know why this matters.
While you’re at it, review your finances. Carry a small amount of cash. ATMs go dark in emergencies. Credit card systems go offline. A few hundred dollars in small bills tucked somewhere safe isn’t paranoia; it’s the same logic as keeping a spare tire in the trunk.
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3. Make a communication plan that your whole family knows
When I was raising my children during the Cold War years, we had a plan. Everyone knew it. If something happened and we got separated, we had a meeting place, a backup meeting place, and a phone number for a relative in another state who could act as the family relay point.
That structure still works. Designate an out-of-area contact; someone in a different city or state, whom everyone in your household knows to call if local lines are jammed. Agree on two meeting places: one near home, one farther away if the neighborhood is inaccessible. Write it down. Put it in every person’s wallet or phone case. Children old enough to read should know it by heart.
Don’t assume your cell phone will work. Texts often go through when voice calls can’t. Know the difference, and have a backup.
4. Tend to your medications and health needs
If you take prescription medications, talk to your doctor about keeping a small emergency supply. Many physicians will work with you on this, particularly for maintenance medications. A 30-day buffer can make an enormous difference if supply chains are disrupted or pharmacies are overwhelmed. 90 days is even better.
Keep a written list of every medication, dosage, and prescribing physician in your emergency documents. If you wear glasses, have a backup pair. If anyone in your household uses medical equipment, understand its power requirements and have a plan for outages.
First aid supplies are basic and often overlooked: bandages, antiseptics, over-the-counter pain relievers, a thermometer, and any allergy medications your family needs. Know how to use what you have.
5. Think through your shelter situation
In most scenarios, including economic disruption, localized conflict, civil unrest, and even certain natural disasters, staying in your own home is the safest option. Know which room in your house would serve best as a shelter space if needed: interior rooms away from windows are generally recommended. Know where your utility shutoffs are. Understand your home’s vulnerabilities. 4 in one Tool and Carbon Monoxide-Natural Gas-Propane Detector
If evacuation ever becomes necessary, know your routes. Have two planned. Understand where you would go and how long it would take to get there. Fuel your car when it reaches the halfway mark rather than waiting for the low-fuel light; gas stations have lines during emergencies.
6. Protect the children’s sense of safety
I raised children during some genuinely frightening times in this country. What I learned is that children aren’t protected by ignorance; they’re protected by calm, honest adults who give them age-appropriate information and something useful to do.
Tell them the truth in words they can manage. Reassure them that adults are paying attention and taking care of things. Give them a small job: filling the water jugs, knowing the meeting place, and helping organize the pantry. Children feel safer when they feel capable.
Limit the news that plays in front of young children. You’re allowed to turn it off. In fact, you should.
7. Tend your community ties
Every serious crisis I have lived through has confirmed one thing: neighbors matter. The people on your street are your first line of mutual aid. Know who among them is older, who lives alone, who has young children, and who has medical needs. Check on them. Let them check on you.
Community isn’t a soft word; it’s a survival strategy. In every disaster I’ve read about, and some I’ve witnessed, the neighborhoods that fared best were the ones where people already knew each other before anything went wrong.
8. Guard your own steadiness
This is the one nobody wants to talk about, so I will. Watching frightening news around the clock is not preparedness; it’s punishment. It doesn’t make you more ready. It makes you more anxious, more reactive, and less capable of clear thinking.
Set news limits for yourself. One or two check-ins a day from reliable sources is enough to stay informed. The rest of your day should still include meals with people you love, work that matters, sleep, some form of movement, and whatever makes ordinary life feel like life worth living. Don’t sacrifice those things on the altar of constant vigilance. They’re the whole point.
I’ve lived through genuinely terrifying moments in history. We are still here. The thing that got families through hard times wasn’t perfect information or perfect preparation; it was steadiness, practicality, and the decision to take care of each other. That’s still the whole game. Start Small. Start today. A full pantry and a written plan are worth more than any amount of worry.
Final Word
I’ve lived through a great deal in my 76 years, and if there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s this: the people who come out the other side of hard times are not always the strongest or the wealthiest or the best equipped; they’re the ones who had adequate preparations, stayed calm, stayed connected, and took care of each other. That’s what I’m asking you to do. Don’t wait for the worst to happen before you start paying attention. Get your house in order, check on your neighbors, hold your family close, and don’t let fear dictate your decisions. You have more in you than you think. We all do. Thank you for reading, and thank you for caring enough to prepare, not just for yourself, but for the people around you who are counting on you to show up. Now go do something about it and help others do the same. May God bless this world, Linda
Thanks for all these practical tips for making sure we’re ready if trouble comes to our shores.
I did want to share that duck and cover actually is useful if you aren’t in the kill zone. If you are far enough out there is a delay between the flash of an explosion and the pressure wave hitting you. That delay gives you time to duck into cover so that when the pressure wave hits you aren’t injured by flying debris (glass from blown out windows or debris carried on the pressure wave.) After the pressure wave passes you can then go to your shelter to prepare for the fallout which will start arriving as the dust settles from the mushroom cloud. Nothing to be done about the initial radiation dose from the flash, but reducing ongoing exposure to radiation increases the chances that you’ll survive and minimize any radiation sickness.
Hopefully we never have to do it IRL, but it’s good to remember just in case. I mean, that’s what most of what we are doing with preparations – they are for just in case…. 😉
Be safe out there!
Hi DMWalsh, I’m glad you explained the duck and cover. You did a better job than me about that. When I lived in California growing up before my parents divorced, we did the duck an cover routinely. I remember bomb shelters in California. When we moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, I don’t remember doing the duck and cover. It’s sad today that the schools have to teach kids to watch for shooters. Lock the doors, etc. Who would have guessed life would get so out of hand. I do worry about the radiation, in May 19, 1953 this happened: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77gJtV13ouo. Linda
I’m a Gen X’er myself, so didn’t live thru that period, but was influenced by Three Mile Island and avidly studied everything around nuclear power and nuclear bombs to know what to do to be ready.
And I work at a school these days so yeah, ALICE drills and the new ALERT drills are part and parcel of keeping kids safe. It’s sad that we need to be ready for active shooters, but that can happen anywhere – not just in schools. So knowing how to protect yourself and your loved ones before and during an event can make all the difference.
Hi DMWalsh, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYZWZGNpqr8. Thank you for reminding me about the Three Mile Island accident. It’s sad about what you have to do in the schools these days, they need more protection in churches, movie theaters, and grocery stores. Well, just about everywhere until we can get mental health under control. Wherever I go somewhere, I am looking for the exits in every building. That’s how I roll. Stay safe, Linda
I remember a lot of this too..I was born during WW11 and I still have my ration card..my kids thought it strange that the government could control what you could eat…I have always been a stocker upper and had a veggie garden…..unfortunately I am at the age that gardening is getting difficult but i am encouraging my daughter in that direction..I think her generation got a taste of shortages during the covid thing.. I was amused by your memories of diving under the desks at school..we did that too but we also knew that our town would probably be a major target because we had an army base and large civil defense building just blocks from our school…so much for the desk protection….keep up the good work…I just turned 82 so I don’t participate in many of the “prepper” activities but I hope the next generation sees the need…. Diane
Hi Diane, I am 76 so I understand about the “prepper” activities. I love that you have your ration card, what a treasure to show your family. We may have that happen again, who knows at this point in our lives. I love the statement “Stocker Upper” that’s wonderful! This is a great statement! We live in South Jordan, Utah and Hill Air Force Base (Hill AFB, UT: Supports the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center) is 45 miles from our home. I check the list for bases that are most likely to be targeted every so often. I hope more people start a garden. I bought some pots to grow a few things, I can’t garden like I used. to. But I can’t wait for that first red tomato! Linda
Oh that brings back memories. We were just talking about this at Easter, Son2 still remembers where to meet in case the house was on fire AND the password from when he and Son 1 were little.One thing I would remind people is to have a password that you set up with the children to be used ONLY by certain trusted people if you can’t get to them, in case someone(stranger) approaches them and says,ie,your mom/dad,(or whoever) sent me to pick you up. No password, kids run.The password should be changed IF it ever is used AND it should be stressed the kids do NOT tell anyone what it is. In addition to hiding under the desk in grade school (built in the forties), They built the high school in the fifties behind the church across a small alley and connected it by putting a tunnel under the road. Ostensibly it was so the nuns could go between the schools in bad weather but we all “knew” it was supposed to be their bomb shelter. We would have drills where all three floors of the grade school would truck to the basement and shelter in the tunnel with the high school. That part was fun, the sisters would make sure kids with older siblings sat with their sibs during the drill.
Hi Kathy, great idea on the password. Thanks for sharing the tunnel story, I love stuff like that! What a blessing to have it close to your school!! Linda
I don’t think the tunnel was an actual bomb shelter but that’s what the high schoolers called it. I think they were trying to scare us little ones. They didn’t need to do that the nuns were scary enough LOL
Hi Kathy, now I have the giggles, good one! Oh my gosh!! Love this! Linda
Linda: As always you have more important information to think over. We/I truly appreciate all of your sage advice! Yes, I remember a lot of those incidences as well, though 9/11 was the most shocking for me…I was working at school and came to the main office, where they had the t.v. on with news on repeat. THAT was the day I felt my life was most at risk, and from that day on I have been quite the prepper! Just please remind people that they should stock up on quality vitamins and minerals, and I don’t mean “1-A-Day”! If food shortages really do overtake us, we will need all of those organic food-based vitamins and minerals for SURE! Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can really wreak havoc on a life without adequate protein, B12, and so many others. Personally, I was just tested for some deficiencies and found out that though I eat very cleanly, and eat high protein and organic plus gluten free, I still have a deficiency in Manganese (makes your teeth crowd a bit and your bones “click”). Bummer! That is why I am recently back on my old faithful mineral supplement: MinRex, which you can buy from Amazon or one of those natural doctor’s personal supplement stores called “Full Script”. I’m sure you’ve heard me say this before, but it bears repeating for the newbies. Our famous herbalist, author and professor at the local Chiropractic College, and Naturopathic Dr. (Dr. Les Moore) once told us that organic prunes are the one food he would store or take into the wild if he could only take 1 food with him. I guess they are THAT nutrient-filled!! (And not just to move your intestines.) This summer, I am also going to look deeper into local “weeds” that can be foraged safely in case of food restrictions, like Lambs quarters, which make a spinach alternative when the leaves are young. Have heard Lamb’s Quarters saved lives when lack of food occurred in past years!Won’t work for nuclear bomb issues, but fine for expanding what can be eaten otherwise. What I worry about the most is that our large garden that contains all of those beautiful berries is quite visible from the road…bummer…not too close, but definitely can tell there’s food in there!! So far, no looters, but I do wish I could garden in a different spot. Am thinking of putting up one raised bed (for starters) along a side of the house you really cannot see well from the road!
Hi Jess, great reminder on the vitamins. I think we all remember where we were when 911 hit. None of us that were old enough will ever forget. Hopefully people will stay away from your berries, they are a treasure!!! I would love some in my yard. You will love a raised garden, it’s easier than bending over to work on it. Linda
I forgot to mention that my big brother was in NYCity as the towers went down, as were some very dear friends of our children. Thankfully, our brother was just leaving NYC at that exact time, but the young friends that were almost like our own children were stuck there doing inner city missions work. They were safe enough, but did get to help some people who were affected by the towers falling. No WONDER I felt unsafe, huh? NYC is 6 hrs. away from us, but still not THAT far away!!
Hi Jess, that whole 911 ordeal will haunt all of us the rest of of our lives. I still remember I had kids in different cities, and all the airlines were shutdown. Luckily we had communication, but it took days for them to get home. All the cars were rented out. Everyone was glued to the TV hoping for the best for the first responders and all the people in the twin towers and the Pentagon. So many lives taken. Linda
Thank you for putting legal documents in your binder. However most people don’t know that a “WILL” must go through probate and can be challenged by anybody with a remote claim. But an Estate plan cannot be challenged and DOES NOT go through probate. In your estate plan make sure you have a section for certification of trust, living trust doc, actual will, power of attorney, health care/medical, personal property distribution doc. Wills and estate plans will vary according to each states laws. But what I mentioned is the minimum.
Oh, you are so right! We have a Trust and everything is in it that can be! We also have an adult handicapped daughter we needed to make arrangements for, etc. People think I’m maudlin but I think we’re being practical. I don’t want the “State” to get everything and then take (or try to) care for our daughter. I want to know she’s in good hands and will be well taken care of. All of our medical needs, and hers, are protected/taken care of. We update it annually to and as state laws change. Everyone should be doing this!
Hi Robbie, great reminder. Thank you! Linda
I am a professional Trustee. Here is what I know for sure. It is more important WHO is in charge than the format. I know of many trusts where the trustee took enormous fees. Sometimes it was the grandparents of the orphaned kids. Now driving a fancy car because the “kids deserve it.”
It is very easy to clean out finances. I could have easily wiped out the Trust I run. The co-trustee, now deceased, would have had I not been there to threaten him with criminal prosecution ( I was a LEO and financial crimes detective, so I know how to put handcuffs on people). The Trust is now worth 10x what I was when I took over. The beneficiary gets more each year than the last.
Lawyers LOVE to get hold of trusts. They really score on their creation and being executor. Big fees.
I would never have just one trustee (though I am the sole now). And the 2 trustees should not have any personal or business connection with each other.
Trusts for the average person became popular when attorneys realized that once they drew up a will and other papers, there wasn’t any money in it for them until Probate. So, fees from creating trusts.
Trusts DO NOT avoid probate. ALL professional trustees have the trust probated. That gives it the blessing of a judge. What a trust DOES do is create a level of privacy for the person who owns the trust. The judge looks the trust over without making any of it public.
Probate isn’t a big deal nor is it particularly expensive. The Trustee costs without it might overshadow.
I do not and will not have a Trust. There’s no reason. Again, WHO is in charge is more important than the document.
Hi Larry, thank you for clarifying that. We have one, and it spells everything out. They are expensive but there will be no probate or fights after we’re gone. Linda
Not true about the probate and YES, there are still fights. I’ve never had an estate where I didn’t have beneficiaries doing battle or having gripes.
People change after the death of their loved one and it’s pretty ugly.
If you have something that you absolutely want to go to a certain person, give it now. The Jewish saying is “It is better to give with a warm hand than a cold one.” You then get the joy of giving the gift.
I have been executor for 2 estates. Lawyers would call a drawer full of wills their retirement plan. Trusts, wills, no matter what I agree it’s the who.
Hi CAddison, I have only had to deal with one probate while refinancing a home for a woman who was a widow or divorced and she had 9 kids. We had to get all 9 kids to agree to let her refinance her house. The problem was the title on the property. It was not with “rights of survivorship”. Common tnenats is the worst. At least in the state of Utah. Linda
Hello Linda,
I appreciate your content, thank you for your effort.
I recall some of the same experiences you shared. Seems quaint these days, but your advice today is not only relevant but needed.
I have a request that is off topic. I know you have made available food inventory documents on your website, but have been unable to find them in your index.
If these are still available, would you point me in the right direction?
Thanks again,
Gary
Hi Gary, please look at this post at the bottom. I have one more I think you may want. Its simple for 7 days. https://www.foodstoragemoms.com/what-do-i-have-stored-for-emergencies/
https://foodstoragemoms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Where-do-I-start.pdf
Let me know if these are the ones and if I can help you in any way. Linda
Hey Linda,
Your forms were exactly what I needed.
In the event of an emergency, I will be providing for my extended family, so I’m getting serious about knowing my inventory on hand and future needs.
Thank you so much for helping me.
Gary
Hi Gary, oh good, I’m so glad I could help! Don’t hesitate to ask me for anything you need help with such as printables. Linda
Larry: Please explain what an Estate Plan actually is! We have updated wills but do not have an Estate Plan. Not sure how to get a “certification of trust” or even what that means nor how to know how to accomplish that. Please explain further. Yes, we do need an Estate Plan, because our lawyer did not want us to put into our actual will that we want to leave a piece of property to our nephew who lives right next to it, rather than to our children who have zero interest in owning anything up in the North Country where I grew up and where our ancestors first settled that area of Northern NY. I also want to leave him my father’s Colt something or other…my husband knows what that pistol actually is, but I am not that familiar with fancy pistols for hunting!! No one in our immediate family wants a gun, anyway. They are both computer and internet geeks, with one running a team that deals with worldwide “security” operations! The other is a tech inventor and not interested in hunting, though he will gladly eat venison and onions (with lots of garlic, spices/herbs) the way they cook it up North where I grew up. Makes venison meat go from “yuck” to “Wow”!!
Just don’t understand what you have posted, not fully anyway and need to do this!!
As a professional trustee, I’ll say you need a different lawyer.
Unless you put your wishes in writing, whomever is handling your estate will have no way to stand hard and fast. NOBODY should see your wishes until after you are gone. It’s none of their business.
“Dad told me I can have this” won’t hold up in court.
I suggest you do some independent reading online. You do have an estate plan. You made up wills.
And just because people have no interest in something now, they can get greedy (not just about money) after you are gone. If you want something to go to someone, be specific in your will. You can add codiciles to your will as time goes on. “Hoping” people do the right thing is not a plan.
Hi CAddison, thanks for reminding how greedy people get. You will see it when it happens to YOU. I know, it happened to me. Linda
Oh my dear- Here is the best story ever. I have seen greed in every estate I’ve handled. BUT- my dear friend, who 22 years later I’m still the Trustee of her Trust that benefits a children’s hospital…
She had left in her Trust $100,000 to her cousin, a greedy woman. My friend went into the hospital a few times “to die,” but made it home. I live in another state.
One time, while she was in the hospital, her cousin came to her home and took a bunch of things.
When my friend got home, she asked the housekeeper to bring her a little silver jewelry box (not a costly thing but a gift from a dear friend). The housekeeper said, reluctantly, that the cousin had been there and took that and some other things home while my friend was hospitalized. My friend, became seriously angry, got on the phone and told the cousin, who lived 3 hours away, that she had 3 hours and 10 minutes to bring everything back or she was calling the police.
The items were returned. That little silver (they are called cigar boxes and it was under $100 when purchased) was a gift from my friend’s dearest loved one. Unknown to me, my friend had it bequethed it to me…as that loved one was also a loved one of mine- who had died.
I knew about the “theft” and the return. I was guardian, health care person, and Trustee for my friend. I knew about the $100,000. I would be writing that check.
I did not know that my friend contacted her attorney. About 3 weeks later I received new orders in the Trust. That cousin was now to get $10,000 instead of $100,000.
When my friend died and I opened the safety deposit box, out slid that little silver jewelry box with a note that it was to be mine. I carried it home on the airplane with me and have it prominently displayed and use it.
I ask people if they want to see my $90,000 jewelry box? They always do and I tell that story.
You see, that jewelry box cost the cousin $90,000.
I wrote her the check for $10,000 as my now deceased dear friend required.
I can feel my friend smiling down at me. Her cousin was originally the Trustee. My friend decided I was trustworthy and made the change. All the money would have been long gone. I have increased the assets by 100x and the charity gets very nice checks each year.
I never heard from the cousin, but she cashed the check. Sometimes “they” DO get what theirs!
Hi CAddison, thank you for sharing this awesome story! How fun that you ended up with that treasure, it reminds you of her every day. Your friend was blessed to know she had you the one person she could trust. What a blessing for the charities. Best story ever. Linda
Linda: Yup! I have one raised bed already working in my garden, and the no. of red sweet peppers we got from it last year was nearly RIDICULOUS! So, easy, too. My deal is that I want to install at least one raised (or hopefully 2 or 3 eventually) over to the South side, where there are lilacs growing on the side that faces the road, plus nearby a Solarium that would block a lot of the visibility. I have wanted to plant that area for YEARS now, even to set up something for greens in the winter, but it cannot be too close to the ground cause my hubby sprinkle a lot of pesticide for ants there about 5 years ago. That meant I never planted it… but a raised bed with a bottom barrier to the actual soil would probably work! Fingers crossed and hands folded in prayer!
Hi Jess, ants are pesky critters, I get it. I put out traps (tiny white ones). Linda
Sorry for typos! Moving too fast! Sorry! JESS
Hi Jess, I have typos all the time. LOL! No worries, Linda
Linda, amazing article, as usual! I worry alot about our prescriptions especially now that I have cancer. My monthly medicine is between $4,000 and $16,000 per month depending on the dosage. Being stable now (there’s no cure for my type of leukemia), I was able to go to the lowest dosage; $4k per month. There have been a couple of routine procedures that necessitated stopping my meds for a 2 week period. I saved those pills! Then, the biggest boon was when I switched Rx companies. I got my last refill the very end of December and then got my January refill at the very beginning with the new company and got a whole 30 days of pills for my stash! Yippee! I’ve managed to save other Rx’s too. Also, a close friend who is a pharmacist said that most all medications can be safe to use for several years after the expiration date. The key is to smell them when you open the bottle; if they smell “off” or “odd” then don’t use them. They may lose some potency but still be viable. Just my 2c worth!
Hi Robbie, prescriptions prices are ridiculous! I hope you. are getting grants from your doctor, always contact the company that makes them. They will give you a discount based on your income. I pray every day for you, my sweet friend! Linda
Thank you for such a well thought out post. #8 is the hardest for me. I have to focus on my home and those things under our control. We were in Canada at Niagara on The Lake when the second plane hit on 911. We weren’t sure we could get over the bridge to go home. The errie quietness on the bridge, even with all the trucks is a sound I will never forget. We live close to the Niagara Falls Power Vista and the Canadian Power plant. Both could be targeted. We prepare as best we can and pray God is watching over us.
Hi Chris, wow, that would have been a very stressful situation. The eerie quietness on the bridge. Wow. The power grid by you would not be the main target as far as I can tell. I’m no expert but there’s more to it than that particular power plant. Have you read the book by Ted Koppel? “Lights Out”? God is watching over us, Linda