Preparation Concierge

Be prepared

Sometimes, despite all the fabulousness, things go wrong. See California and the fires recently — when flames raced through the most fabulous parts of Malibu, and people and pets ran for their lives. Check out those crazy low temperatures hitting many parts of the country recently.

Or look back at New York City in 2003, when the lights went out. They called it the Blackout and in typical NYC fashion, it turned into a party. As the ice melted and the credit card machines went offline, drinks were free and people danced in the darkened streets.

But some of us also learned that it can be pretty hard to dress yourself in the dark. And after more than two days with no electricity, the party vibe starts to go south.

Crisis Averted

Remember the snacks

So what’s the best way to protect yourself from the next blackout? Or the next hurricane, or whatever the next climate-change bummer that will soon be trending on Twitter?

A group of lifestyle and outdoor media editors based in New York City have banded together to create Preparation Concierge . The idea is simple enough: The site is looking to curate the disaster experience. Or perhaps better put, serve as the concierge to urbanites in duress, dispensing emergency advice and the best ways to thrive when the lights go out in our downtown apartments.

The purpose isn’t to frighten you, but to find “reasonable ways to respond to scary stuff.”

For instance check out the Simple List which gives the essential list of stuff to buy if you’re a Single Urbanite, and with a budget of only $300. Says the site: “What’s the bare minimum I can buy and, like, survive till my next hookup? And is booze considered a bartering item if the grid goes down? (Totally, BTW.)” Or maybe you fit into the category of City Sophisticate, in which case you might want to pick up a very smart solar lantern that will keep your apartment bright for many nights — and has a USB to recharge a cell phone.

Founder Jason Harper, who’s written for a host of travel and lifestyle magazines and lives in upper Manhattan, says, “Most of us in New York and the West Coast are prepared for everything and anything — except for the moment when our cell phones stop working and you can’t order from Seamless.” Prepare today, he says, and party by solar lantern next time the lights go out. PreparationConcierge.