Natural disasters are a fact of life; they happen virtually everywhere and how you cope with them can spell the difference between life and death.

Here are some amazing lessons from those who have endured natural disasters.

Never Underestimate Nature

Like I said, nature is a force to be reckoned with, and you should never overestimate your abilities against it or underestimate how dangerous and destructive it can be. Even if you manage to escape a flood by going to high ground, for example, you’ll still be stuck there, possibly without any food and basically have to wait for rescue. Trying to swim it out is a big mistake, a mistake that ends up taking multiple lives every time.

Knowing what you’re up against is the first step in surviving a natural disaster, so make sure that you’re on top of your game with this one.

Priorities

The first thing that many people go for when there’s a natural disaster coming is their personal belongings. This is also a very crucial mistake that can end up taking your life if you aren’t careful. Only take what you absolutely need, because if you try to bring your entire living room, you aren’t going to get very far. Make sure you have enough food, water, first aid supplies and some means of communication (the GPS unit in your phone will come in handy as well), and get out of there as soon as you can. We know that those family photos of yours and your kids’ stuffed animals aren’t really something that you want to leave behind, but get used to the fact that you might have to.

Don’t Panic

Fear is the bane of capability and resourcefulness. The moment you freeze up in a panic, you aren’t going to be of much use to anyone – on the contrary, you’re going to slow them down. If you tend to get panic and anxiety attacks, teach yourself how to control them – don’t think about what might happen, just think about what you have to do, and then do it. Don’t allow any other thought to enter your mind, and you’ll be fine. Rely on your instincts and your intuition, but don’t let them control you completely.

Virtually every part of the country is exposed to the possibility of at least one form of natural disaster – they literally can happen anywhere!

How you respond to them spells the difference between making it or becoming a statistic – that is in part why being prepared is so important.

To learn more about natural disasters, check out Prep for SHTF!