In preparation for Hurricane Ike in 2008, Ken and Sharon Brown evacuated Pearland only to return home to find they had nothing to eat.

“When we came home [after Ike], we didn’t have food,” Sharon said. “It [all expired] in the refrigerator. I got caught with my pantry down. I didn’t have the stuff I needed to feed [my family].”

After a few days of eating quesadillas from a local restaurant for every meal, the CYB Survival by Squatch co-owners realized they needed to be better prepared for the next catastrophic weather event.

“When you take the rest of your family [to restaurants] to feed them, that can be pretty costly,” Sharon said. “The [freeze-dried] Wise [Company] food would have come in very handy then had we had it. It has a 25-year shelf life so if you’d had it for [Hurricane] Alicia [in 1983], you could’ve used it for Ike.” 

The Browns opened CYB Survival in November 2013 in Pearland to help others get ready for similar weather-related situations along with any other emergency scenarios that customers may encounter.

“The [importance] of [survival products] is just being prepared for whatever’s coming,” Sharon said. “A lot of people are prepping for a lot of different things. Whether it’s to evacuate or hunker down, we’re going to try to provide the things you need.”

CYB Survival offers camping and hunting equipment, such as tents and knives, in addition to various items designed to allow customers to sustain themselves without the use of electricity. The Browns also put together a survival pack—which includes freeze-dried meals—that will feed a family of four for seven days, Sharon said.

The couple made a personal bag of survival products before deciding to go into business as both neared retirement.

“We made our [survival pack] first, and then one day [Ken] asked me if I wanted to run a store,” Sharon said. “I said, ‘Sure.’ We’ve had a real good time [managing the business].”

Looking ahead CYB Survival plans to host instructional courses on disaster preparedness, including hurricane and flooding tips. Sharon hopes to begin the first classes in late August.

While she has not come across any people preparing for doomsday, Sharon said she has gained a lot of information about a variety of situations causing concern for her customers. 

“People right now are unsettled about the [stability of the] economy and a lot of other factors,” Sharon said. “They just want to be prepared. They don’t know what’s coming.”

CYB Survival by Squatch 2530 E. Broadway St., Ste. C, Pearland 832-288-4072 www.cybsurvivalbysquatch.com Hours: Tue.-Fri. 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.