Thanks to National Geographic, preppers (those who prepare for an emergency disaster or survival situations) are often times looked upon as a bunch of whackos and crazies. Their television series, entitled Doomsday Preppers, frequently showcases extreme individuals that tend to give normal and sensible preppers a bad name.

For this reason and others, there are a lot of untruths being circulated about preparing for disasters. Don’t fall prey to the following 7 emergency preparedness and disaster survival myths, and you will be better prepared to survive a crisis situation.

All preppers hate their governments.

While many preppers do not trust the politicians, organizations and authority figures which run their government, this is not always the case. A hurricane, tornado, flood or earthquake does not care who your politicians are. Disaster does not have to be man-made, so be prepared, regardless of your political beliefs.

The government will protect us if there is an emergency.

Some countries work very hard to protect their citizenry. But governments are run by people, and people make mistakes. You should never leave your survival in the hands of anyone other than yourself.

All preppers are crazy.

The disaster preparedness community is like any other. There are fringe individuals to the right and left, as well as “normal” preppers. Average preppers just want to prepare and protect themselves and their families in case of emergency. That is far from a crazy notion. In fact, I think its crazy to never consider any emergency preparedness measures.

You have to buy this survival product right now!

Unfortunately, some advertisers use extreme fear to market their survival and disaster preparedness products. Do your research, formulate a plan, and then implement it. Never feel pressured to buy a particular item if it is not a part of your survival plan. It is a good idea to read multiple emergency food reviews to find a brand that matches your needs, preferences and prepping strategy.

It takes a lot of money to prepare for disaster properly.

Sure, if you are wealthy it will be much easier for you to prepare for an emergency situation. But there are plenty of guides, DVDs and how-to manuals available online that show you how to effectively prep no matter what your budget is.

Preppers enjoy promoting fear.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The vast majority of preppers wish that the world was a safe, reliable place. But that simply is not true, and those who are prepared for a disaster will have a better chance of surviving it.

Most disaster preparedness products sold online are junk.

As with any other purchase, you need to have a “buyer beware” attitude when shopping for emergency survival items. The best way to make a great purchase every time is to refer to online reviews from customers just like you that have already purchased and used a particular product.