Quick! There’s just been an announcement that there’s a swine flu outbreak in your town – what do you do? If you didn’t instantly answer, there may be a problem. When something big happens, it’s always good to have a plan in place before hand, especially if it’s something that could move quickly and cause death. Having a plan doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or take a lot of time. You can put a lot of time and money into preparation if you want, but just having a simple plan in case of a big emergency like a human flu epidemic can increase your chances of survival.

A good plan should include a system to monitor the news and keep informed about swine flu (all the various strains, like H1N1) and how it’s spreading not just in your area, but the world. This takes less time than you might think if you leverage the power of the Internet to help you keep up to date on all the latest human influenza news. Once you start tracking the information on a daily basis, you’re in a good place to know before something big is going to happen in your area. This can make a big difference in your survival.

Beyond that, your plan should include what you’re going to do after news of a swine flu outbreak in your area hits the airwaves. From a safe place to go to having enough supplies to “hole up” for a while until things get better, there are a lot of small details that can save you in the long run. Sadly, not a lot of people live with more than a week or so of food and supplies in their homes. This can cause a run on the stores and local food if there’s a flu epidemic in your area. Being prepared can safe your life.