The essential items a ‘prepper’ says Australians should stockpile to be ready for a sudden emergency

The threat of war, natural disasters and cyber attacks in metropolitan and urban areas has pushed global leaders to urge their constituents to be prepared for a sudden emergency.

Despite numerous countries like the UK pushing residents to stockpile and a so-called “super El Nino” on the horizon, the Australian government is yet to make the same call.

This isn’t because Australians are more prepared though, as a recent poll by the Red Cross found one third aren’t confident knowing what to do when disaster strikes.

However, there is a growing group of Australians who are heeding the global call to prepare. They call themselves “preppers”.

The term often lumps in “doomsday preppers” who ready themselves for end-of-the-world scenarios such as nuclear warfare; a trend which grew in popularity during the Cold War.

But the increased frequency and intensity of natural disasters over the past decade has birthed a more moderate community who share tips on what they should have on hand in the event of an emergency.

Among them is former ADF soldier and survivalist Travis Goldie who told 7NEWS.com.au it is a lot easier for Australians to be both physically and mentally prepared.

What you should pack and why

He said having three days’ worth of essential goods such as food, water and medicine was a “great starting place”.

“You need to stock that really basic stuff that everyone probably already thinks about,” Goldie said.

“So you put some medications in there, a bit of water, food for everyone in the house, some vital documents (passports and identification).

“These are just things that you go: ‘I’ll need this if there’s a flood or famine or drought or whatever else and I need to leave the house in a real hurry for whatever reason’.”

But each household should “think carefully about what goods it needs”, Goldie said, adding people should particularly consider loved ones with conditions like diabetes who need frequent medication and specific foods.

Those items should be placed in a spare bag that’s easily accessible, also called a “go bag”, so an evacuation can be made as soon as possible.

He also said there is a tendency to overpack, urging people to only get necessary items that can be carried if transport by vehicles was no longer viable.

While Goldie deems those simple items as crucial for an emergency, he noted there are more items which Australians wouldn’t usually think of which are just as useful in an emergency.

“One that I think trips a lot of people up is an FM-AM radio, a little one, maybe it’s rechargeable, maybe it’s got a little hand crank on the side,” he said.

“The emergency information system in Australia is often transmitted on FM or AM radio and in this digital age where we’ve got iPads and phones and stuff, a lot of people don’t have a small radio that they can put in a bag and take with them.

“You can hear the weather on the radio, whereas we’re used to having that stream to us on our phones very easily.”

He added the overlooked item would become instantly crucial if phone towers were to be knocked out during a conflict or natural disaster.

Some preppers say having spare batteries, chargers and a small solar panel to charge electronics is just as important, while others claim having face masks for toxic chemicals should be in people’s go bags.

But Goldie said it doesn’t matter what someone deems as important, but rather that they are ready to leave their home at a moment’s notice.

Mental preparation just as important

Goldie was just a kid when he and his family survived the devastating Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983.

He would go on to be deployed by the army to aid locals in Katherine as floodwaters rose 20.4m in 1998, and later live through floods in Brisbane and cyclones in Darwin.

During each disaster he saw the impact of having the essential items to survive, but those who had mentally prepared were far more likely to get out of the disaster.

“You can prepare mentally for this sort of stuff well before,” Goldie said.

“So if you live in an area that’s flood-prone you know where the river floods and how long it takes and what rains do, so you can plan out your route to a friend’s house or what next safe place is going to be well in advance.

“It’s not something you have to put a lot of mental effort into.”

He said simply thinking about and having a plan for each scenario, from war to natural disaster, would mean there’s less likely to be any mistakes if it were to happen.

“I think of this in terms of my military training, you train to do things so that when that danger comes face to face with you, you’re much less stressed and you just do it automatically,” Goldie said.

“The thing that no natural disaster can take away from you is your mental preparation and any training that you’ve done.

“So if you want to learn how to use a radio, do that now.

“If you want to learn how to navigate by the stars, you can do that now.”