After having lived through the terrorist attacks of September 11th, we never wanted to feel that helpless again. Every emergency responder had their hands full. Transportation had shut down. Restaurants and stores were closed. Utilities were out and they weren't coming back any time soon. It was frightening on so many levels.

Working with our Prepper Coach Matt we now feel comfortable that our family can be self reliant in the face of the extreme weather conditions we've seen recently or, God forbid, another terror attack. We've received first aid training. We understand our food and water needs and are prepared at any moment to be able to sustain ourselves for at least X weeks. We are stocked with the necessary medical supplies, tools, and anything else we may need to take care of our family. We can make informed decisions about whether to stay or leave the city, and have several exit strategies.

Hurricane Sandy and the Blizzard of 2016 demonstrated that it doesn't take something as monumental as a terror attack to cripple our great city, either for several days or several weeks. Now we feel confident that we can deal with such situations, and there's a tremendous peace of mind feeling inconvenience rather than panic.

We realized a dream just a few years ago, buying a weekend home in the woods of the Hudson Valley. On one of our first visits we got to enjoy the splendor of a genuine Hudson Valley thunder storm. And the aftermath. We had no power, no water. No problem, we'll just drive into town to eat and use the facilities. Except part of our beautiful wooded lot had fallen across the driveway. We knew we had bought a home out where the buses don't run, but even a taxi wasn't a viable option.

We were't about to give up on our dream, and thanks to Prepper Coach Matt we didn't have to. We didn't need much, but Matt worked with us to ensure we could be self sufficient with food, water, and all of the other necessary supplies to survive without help for at least 5 days. We don't worry at all about a repeat performance now, but rather have the peace of mind to fully enjoy and appreciate our retreat in the woods!