Which safe is good for emergencies?
I have never had a safe. Which one should I get?
A safe is very big, right? I don’t have any space.
Is a safe very expensive?
Nowadays, a safe is not just for money, gold bars, and expensive jewelry. You can think more casually about having a safe. It’s your very own keepsake storage — a secure, small box in your home.
Think about this for a minute. What is your most important possession or keepsake? How many of these items do you have, items that are as important or almost as important?
You might bring your items with you when you have to evacuate from your home in an emergency. But wait a minute! Can you decide (quickly) only one or two things to bring with you? or you are planning to bring everything?
It’s very difficult.
I have many precious things that I associate with strong memories and emotions.
“Grasp all, lose all.” I know!!! But it’s still so hard to decide.
If an emergency or major disaster happens, you may not have enough time to grab your keepsakes in addition to a water bottle, some food and critical survival gear. When an emergency evacuation order is issued because of a major disaster, are you confident you can evacuate immediately, without hesitation?
Earlier this year, there were wildfires threatening my neighborhood, and I had to prepare to evacuate from my home.
It was hard to decide which things to bring and which ones to leave behind.
Whatever I left behind would be left to burn…
Some people would wonder about the things I chose to bring: why do I consider them valuable?
A looming disaster can make you panic and rush your decisions. Your top priority must be to survive, it should not be to protect your valuables. It’s a good idea to think about how to protect your valuables from disasters, in advance, while you have the luxury of time. I recommend getting a safe to help solve this problem. This is exactly what I did to protect my keepsakes.
Let’s continue where we left off in my previous post, #101.
Last time, I explained why you should get a safe for emergencies.
This time, let’s talk about options.
Which type of safe?
There are many different types of safes available on the market. You need to consider these points when choosing a safe.
1. Style
In an emergency, do you plan to bring your safe with you or leave it in your home?
▪︎ Portable style
▪︎ Freestanding style
Personally, I picked up the freestanding style because portable is just too portable.
A portable safe would be good for an evacuation, but it would also be easy to steal. So…
2. Size and capacity
Before getting a safe, you need to check carefully how much space you need to store your keepsakes. And put some thought into where in your home you will set up your safe. It’s not like those plastic storage bins you keep in the basement. When you buy a safe, you are getting a heavy-duty, secure vessel that will last for years (assuming there are no problems). Please think it over.
3. Safe lock types
I don’t have experience with this, but I suspect a safe that needs electricity might have problems, like if you have blackout, or experience an EMP surge, or the battery dies, or your house floods. In an emergency, it might be better to have an analog option, like a key or combination. Please think it over carefully.
▪︎ Key lock
▪︎ Combination lock (with a dial)
▪︎ Electronic or Digital lock (smart-phone enabled lock)
▪︎ Biometric lock (fingerprint, iris or facial recognition)
I picked up a combination lock.
I needed to practice how to open it, but I think it will be fine.
I picked up this one.
SentrySafe
SentrySafe, the company, has a long history. They must have a lot of experience. I trust them. The size, style, and price were all a fit for me.
In Japan, it’s common to keep a child’s umbilical cord, as a memento of their birth.
In the future, it might help with medical treatments.
So, my safe is a time capsule too.
If burglars open my safe, they will be shocked and disappointed, because my valuables are important memories of my family, without resale value. I don’t think they’d be worth anything to anyone else.
“Hey, bummer!”
“Who wants that!?”
Somehow, I feel I am suddenly a stronger person, with a safe. I can leave my valuables behind, secure in my safe, and run away from disasters to save my life.
See you next time.
Remember, “Protect your life by yourself” （自分の命は自分で守る). You need to survive first, and then you need your emergency supply. No matter how well you prepared your emergency supplies, if you die, then all of your preparations will have been for nothing. First and foremost, keep your health up all the time. Build your stamina so that if you need to, you can evacuate as quickly as possible. Stay healthy
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