Staying in a homestead lets you practice self-sufficiency, but the homesteading lifestyle isn’t without dangers, like minor medical emergencies, fires or pests in your property. Get ready for these incidents by making the necessary preparations. (h/t to DoomsdayMoose.com)

Living in a homestead means you don’t have access to the same resources that people living in larger communities have. Despite this drawback, you can set up preps to keep your homestead intact when disaster strikes.

Follow the four tips below to prepare your homestead for common emergencies.

Build good relationships with your neighbors

Living off the grid doesn’t mean you’ll live in total isolation. Sometimes, you’ll have neighbors who are also preppers and homesteaders. In the worst-case scenario, they might not be familiar with homesteading, but that doesn’t mean you can’t teach them how to be more self-sufficient.

Socialize with your neighbors and let them know that they can count on your help when the going gets brought. Once you gain their trust, maybe they may extend the same courtesy willingly.

If your closest neighbors live several miles away, make an effort to befriend them. When facing a survival scenario, it’s always better to have more people on your group.

Introduce the benefits of homesteading to your neighbors by trying the following suggestions:

• Form a neighborhood garden or gardening club with people who are avid home gardeners.
• Share homemade jams and jellies made from berries you’ve harvested from your garden. This might get your neighbor interested in eventually learning how to preserve their own harvest.
• Before you introduce yourself to your neighbors, take some fresh produce from your survival garden. Share seeds or plants, along with a printout of how to cultivate the crops if they’re gardening newbies. Offer them tips to help them start their own home garden.
• Give away bundles of fresh and dried herbs to your neighbors. If you have seeds to spare, share them as well and teach your neighbors how to grow their own medicinal plants. Print out the medicinal benefits of the herbs and include DIY recipes for natural home remedies.

Practice fire safety

A fire may break out in your homestead when you least expect it.

Always have a fire extinguisher in several rooms in your house and learn how to use it properly. Finalize a fire safety plan in and teach your family what to do and where to go in case of a fire.

Check your fire extinguisher regularly. Make sure it’s working and that it isn’t past its expiration date. (Related: Crucial first aid skills you need to learn before going off grid.)

Protect your property from pests

Various creatures can wreak havoc on your homestead. Some pests may try to get into your food supply while others may steal materials to build their own homes.

Predators like bears and mountain lions may try to invade your living quarters, putting your safety at risk.

Setting traps and using certain sprays that can deter wild animals to keep them out of your homestead. Before you shoot anything, even dangerous animals, review the gun laws in your area.

Winterize your homestead properly

Winterizing your homestead is essential if you live in an area where the winters are very cold.

Insulate your home with eco-friendly materials like cotton or sheep’s wool so you can be more comfortable when winter arrives. Any equipment that you need to keep your homestead up and running must also be winterized.

Add sufficient amounts of antifreeze and other fluids to protect your tools from the cold.

Get rid of pests in your homestead and befriend your neighbors before SHTF to keep your property safe.

Sources include:

DoomsdayMoose.com

SurvivalSullivan.com