Over the past four decades, scientists have reported a consistent uptick in weather and climate-related disasters in the United States, where rising costs affecting insurance premiums, property values, and human lives have not only become financial burdens on individuals, but also on taxpayers and the budgets of local, state, and federal government.

In the past five years alone, the number of natural disasters has more than doubled, requiring individuals, families and local organizations to consider the importance of having disaster plans.

According to their June global release, the National Centers for Environmental Information, under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said the U.S. had 403 confirmed weather-related disaster events exceeding $1 billion each between 1980-2024, averaging nine events per year.

The agency also reported that the average number of events from 2020-2024 increased to 23 events per year and that the number and frequency is expected to rise.

The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam, warned that Allah (God) would chastise America through His Forces of Nature for the country’s mistreatment of Black people.

His National Representative, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, has often cautioned people in the U.S. and abroad to ‘watch the weather’ and also the importance of disaster preparedness.

America’s unsteady economic outlook is further reason for preparedness. With soaring food and fuel prices resulting from the U.S. war on Iran, millions of Americans are struggling.

According to a July 7 article in The Guardian, based on a survey the outlet conducted, “Ninety-five percent of Americans believe the U.S. is suffering an affordability crisis, as many report trouble with the rising cost of groceries and gas.”

The outlet also noted, “The struggle crosses party lines: about half of all Democrats, Republicans and independents say they are having trouble affording everyday necessities like gas and groceries. Two-thirds of Americans—including 49% of Republicans—said they have little faith that the federal government will improve the cost-of-living crisis they face.”

Sister Alva Muhammad is a Chicago-based FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) certified volunteer disaster preparedness instructor and has been involved with training communities since 2003.

She told The Final Call that with the increase of both natural and man-made disasters, it is prudent for individuals, families and communities to be mindful of current events, the time according to scripture and to organize a survival kit based upon one’s location.

“The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad instructed us to store food and supplies in our homes and that instruction has not changed and that instruction is for a reason,” she said. Sister Alva explained that natural disasters related to weather are not the only issues of concern in cities like Chicago and other large municipalities.

“Couple that with the Minister’s (Farrakhan’s) recent instructions to help make our communities a decent and safe place to live, our current and immediate and future actions should be very clear,” she said.

Sister Alva encouraged people to read and study the book, “The Fall of America,” by the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, pubished in 1973.

He warned Black people, and others who will take heed, that Allah (God) is real and that there is a law of reciprocity that will affect all. On page 161 of “The Fall of America,” in the chapter, “America’s Land Being Divinely Curtailed,” He warned there are divine consequences to evil and injustice.

“Black Man in America, there is no one as blind as you are in seeing what is going on against America. I have warned you for nearly 40 years that Allah (God) in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad, to Whom praises are due forever, came to me and gave me the knowledge of the truth; and I have been preaching it to you continually.

“Now you see what is going on. As America has done, so now it is being done unto her. America has surrounded the countries of other peoples. She has blown their cities to pieces, and she has killed their inhabitants. Those who were left alive she put to flight, running for shelter from the destruction by America’s might.”

In 2006, Minister Farrakhan led a delegation to Cuba to learn how the island nation had successfully prepared for hurricanes. “Those who are scripturally prepared know that it is prophesied that we would be living at a time of wars and rumors of wars, pestilence, famine and earthquakes in diverse places.

We are witnessing terrifying disasters afflicting the people of the world and these disasters are now afflicting the United States of America,” Minister Farrakhan said in a press conference from Havana.

“Believing that these prophecies will be fulfilled, we felt that it is our duty to learn as much as we can, so that we can return to the United States and prepare documents on disaster preparedness, and in conjunction with local, state and federal government, do all we can to prepare the American people, and our people in particular, for coming disasters.”

Proper preparation and weathering the storm

Everything that an individual, a family or a group does today in preparation for what is likely to occur in the future will lessen the degree of its impact when it comes, explained Sis. Alva. This not only applies to weather disasters, but also to circumstances that are the result of the evil men’s hands have wrought.

“These are man-made, slow-moving disasters, so to speak,” Sis. Alva stated. “It’s not a hurricane or a tornado or an earthquake. It is economic changes, political changes, social changes that cause our dollars to not stretch as far.

That means whenever possible, we should be stocking up on the things we absolutely need,” she insisted. She noted that the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad told his followers to store navy beans as a nutritious, inexpensive, long-term staple food.

“If we have been dragging our feet on it, now is the time to go ahead and stock up while we still can,” Sis. Alva insisted. “We should be storing things that we eat and eating the things that we store so that we always have a ready supply of whatever it is and it doesn’t cost a ton of money to do that. Just start buying an extra item or two every time you go to the store until you build up your supply,” she explained.

Sister Landra Muhammad is a registered member of the Nation of Islam from Mosque No. 45 in Houston and the author of a book about disaster preparedness. “It’s one thing to tell somebody you need to have a ‘go bag,’ (or) that you need to do this or that and you don’t give them a guideline,” Sis. Landra said.

She explained the importance of learning from and accessing materials that offer step-by-step guidelines on what to do and how to do it, before disasters strike. “It’s not just a fad, and hopefully soon preparedness and emergency management will become a way of life. Minister Farrakhan said to ‘watch the weather,’” she said.

In addition to storing food, water, emergency supplies, medicines, and other items during emergencies or disasters, access to alternative communication is vital. 

Brother Paul C. Muhammad is a registered member of the Nation of Islam’s Mosque No. 15 in Atlanta and an amateur ham radio operator. He explained that learning this skill set could come in handy if cell towers go offline, prolonged power outages occur, or other crises undermine standard communication systems.

“Communication is vital in all areas of people’s activity, particularly in crisis or disasters,” he said. “When a disaster happens, you want to be able to do damage assessment, you want to check on your loved ones, you want to check on your children if they’re at school or your grandmother who may have ailments.

You want to check on your church or organization because the lack of the flow of information can be the difference between life or death in a disaster or in a crisis,” said Bro. Paul.

Ham radios rely on radio waves for non-commercial two-way communication. Operators communicate without relying on the internet or cell phones. Ham radio uses public airwaves and transmitting requires passing an exam to get a license from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and classes can be taken online.

In the U.S., there are three licensing tiers: Technician: Entry-level, great for local and regional VHF/UHF communication; General: Mid-level, opens up global high-frequency (HF) capabilities and Amateur Extra, which is the highest-level that provides all available amateur frequency privileges. Bro. Paul has obtained his technician and general licenses.

“Historically, ham radio … has been a go-to form of communication that has saved countless numbers of human lives,” Bro. Paul explained. “If you study all the different disasters from the wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, and blackouts, it is amateur radio operators that have played a vital role.

Some may look at it as an antiquated tool, but this antiquated tool is easy to come by, and it plays a major role when it comes to disasters,” he said.

Nation of Islam Student Southwest Regional Minister Dr. Abdul Haleem Muhammad is based at Mosque No. 45 in Houston. He explained that the Nation of Islam’s focus on disaster preparedness comes from the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s warnings and from the prophecies from both the Bible and the Holy Qur’an.

He advised and recommended that people review Part 36 of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s 2013 lecture series, “The Time and What Must Be Done.” In that episode, Minister Farrakhan teaches on the plans of the U.S. government when it comes to its use of chemicals in food, water and other products.

“God visited America in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad, raised for us the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, both of which have consistently warned us of the schemes of our open enemy,” Student Minister Dr. Haleem Muhammad explained.

“So we are reminded of what the Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us in ‘The Fall of America’ where he wrote on page 222: ‘America’s scientists of war conduct dreadful experiments on how to best kill human beings by the millions and wipe out whole continents.

These are the days of fulfillment of prophecy of not one, but of many calamities. But in all of these preparations of the destruction of human life by the devil … Allah (God) too has plans to save His people,’ he read from the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s book.

“We put on disaster preparedness workshops here in Houston and throughout the Southwest Region, we do the same,” Student Minister Dr. Haleem said. “Cuts to the staff and budget of FEMA will inhibit their ability to respond to natural and man-made disasters, so we must become more self-sufficient because no one is going to save us but Allah (God) and ourselves.”