Emergency Preparedness
Emergency Preparedness
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Last edited by mwm158 on Mon Jan 02, 2017 10:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
Not at all.
see: https://www.ready.gov/kit
I think it is a good idea to have a go-bag or at least a basic kit in our house and a smaller one in a vehicle (along with a breakdown kit). I bet alot of folks get so complacent they don't even have a first aid kit in the bathroom or garage. My property mgmt company doesn't even have a fire extinguisher in the house I rent (despite my pestering).
I've probably grown alot more complacent since moving from the Gulf where power outages in the summer were typical as where hurricanes. Jus ta couple years ago my parents had to drive to the nat'l guard for supplies during a 5 day power outage (following a hurricane). The supply was sparse; the literally were giving away 1 bottle of water per car regardless of # of occupants). One little plastic bottle..that tells me a smidge of self-reliance goes a long way.
I also evacuated Hurricane Rita. If you recall the news, traffic was slammed for a couple hundred miles and people were running out of gas. Now I have never tried to store gas (gotta keep it fresh even with stabilizer) but it isn't a bad idea to keep a little more gas than the lawnmower uses, just in case.
see: https://www.ready.gov/kit
I think it is a good idea to have a go-bag or at least a basic kit in our house and a smaller one in a vehicle (along with a breakdown kit). I bet alot of folks get so complacent they don't even have a first aid kit in the bathroom or garage. My property mgmt company doesn't even have a fire extinguisher in the house I rent (despite my pestering).
I've probably grown alot more complacent since moving from the Gulf where power outages in the summer were typical as where hurricanes. Jus ta couple years ago my parents had to drive to the nat'l guard for supplies during a 5 day power outage (following a hurricane). The supply was sparse; the literally were giving away 1 bottle of water per car regardless of # of occupants). One little plastic bottle..that tells me a smidge of self-reliance goes a long way.
I also evacuated Hurricane Rita. If you recall the news, traffic was slammed for a couple hundred miles and people were running out of gas. Now I have never tried to store gas (gotta keep it fresh even with stabilizer) but it isn't a bad idea to keep a little more gas than the lawnmower uses, just in case.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
I'm by no means a "prepper" but I like to have the following on hand:
Several cases and gallons of bottled water, Gatorade, soda, etc.
Extra batteries for pretty much everything I own
Generator
Gas-fired grill with extra full gas bottle
Gasoline for generator
Several pieces of plywood cut to size to cover windows if need be.
Many flashlights, batteries checked a few times per year.
Canned soup, vegetables, bags of rice, cereal, granola bars, similar non-perishable foods
Wood for fireplace
Those little USB storage charger things, checked periodically for full charges.
Candles, matches, lighters
First Aid kit
"Hothands" hand warmers and stick-on body warmers
I have some freeze-dried food but that's a last resort
I used to have an employer-issued Satellite phone, but unfortunately no longer.
Firearms with ammo.
Baseball bat.
Pepper sprayers.
Several cases and gallons of bottled water, Gatorade, soda, etc.
Extra batteries for pretty much everything I own
Generator
Gas-fired grill with extra full gas bottle
Gasoline for generator
Several pieces of plywood cut to size to cover windows if need be.
Many flashlights, batteries checked a few times per year.
Canned soup, vegetables, bags of rice, cereal, granola bars, similar non-perishable foods
Wood for fireplace
Those little USB storage charger things, checked periodically for full charges.
Candles, matches, lighters
First Aid kit
"Hothands" hand warmers and stick-on body warmers
I have some freeze-dried food but that's a last resort
I used to have an employer-issued Satellite phone, but unfortunately no longer.
Firearms with ammo.
Baseball bat.
Pepper sprayers.
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Re: Emergency Preparedness
Living in a rural area, we have had power outages and/or flooding for up to a week in all seasons and it could happen again. We could probably manage a couple of weeks without too much trouble if necessary. But then, this is for staying at home. I hope it is not necessary to do a hurricane evacuation from here. A portable kit would look very different than what we do.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
Interesting post. I've been through 3 major hurricanes and the aftermath was mostly no power, lack of running water for couple days, food dwindling, hot/humid and dark at night. Lots of bees (Hugo - bees tend to live in dead trees and there were a lot of bee stings and some people went to the hospital for shock). No cell phone for 2-3 days, everything in your refrigerator/freezer will thaw so be prepared for a big barbecue. We never had to evacuate so that is an issue as far as do you stay or go? I have my amateur radio license and that was a real asset when phones were out.
a few items to add to the list:
- cash, ATM machines will not likely to work during an emergency
- gas, as above, you can't pump gas if electricity is out (remember Long Island after Sandy hit a couple years ago)
- generator, I have one of those small Honda portable generators and they last a long time on a couple gallons of gas. If electric is out, you really don't need to run them a long time, just enough to keep the fridge cold and charge up batteries.
- rechargeable batteries and a deep cycle marine battery (for running 12v lights, radios) or a small alarm battery and charger
- checkbook in case you need to write a check for urgent repairs
- tarps or tar paper (for temporary roof fix or lean to if it really hits the fan)
- a good tool kit, pry bar, chain saw, long 2000+ lb test rope, 100 ft. Good for a lot of things like pulling cars/trucks out of ditches, tying off downed trees, setting up a temporary shelter, water rescue, etc.
- mylar (space) blankets. One of the handiest things to have in the winter or even summer time
- plenty of energy bars, yeah they are expensive but just a couple a day can get you by and you don't have to cook them like rice
- documents like mortgage, insurance, copy of drivers license, passport (and copy), marriage certificate, etc. You can scan these and put on a jump drive or two (password protect of course).
- a couple of those large towlettes, you never know when you'll see a hot shower.
- medications and a copy of your prescription. plus any over the counter meds, like Tylenol, Benadryl, Neosporin, etc. (your first aide kit), speaking of which, the dinky ones you get from Wal-Mart, Costco, etc. really don't have much, you may want to get a more robust kit with bulky bandages, ace wraps, slings, etc.
- some good waterproof maps (and thinking of cars, be sure to have copies of registration and insurance) and spare can of gas or two
- A good hat/sunglasses and sunscreen and mosquito/bug repellant.
That's all I can think of for now . . .
a few items to add to the list:
- cash, ATM machines will not likely to work during an emergency
- gas, as above, you can't pump gas if electricity is out (remember Long Island after Sandy hit a couple years ago)
- generator, I have one of those small Honda portable generators and they last a long time on a couple gallons of gas. If electric is out, you really don't need to run them a long time, just enough to keep the fridge cold and charge up batteries.
- rechargeable batteries and a deep cycle marine battery (for running 12v lights, radios) or a small alarm battery and charger
- checkbook in case you need to write a check for urgent repairs
- tarps or tar paper (for temporary roof fix or lean to if it really hits the fan)
- a good tool kit, pry bar, chain saw, long 2000+ lb test rope, 100 ft. Good for a lot of things like pulling cars/trucks out of ditches, tying off downed trees, setting up a temporary shelter, water rescue, etc.
- mylar (space) blankets. One of the handiest things to have in the winter or even summer time
- plenty of energy bars, yeah they are expensive but just a couple a day can get you by and you don't have to cook them like rice
- documents like mortgage, insurance, copy of drivers license, passport (and copy), marriage certificate, etc. You can scan these and put on a jump drive or two (password protect of course).
- a couple of those large towlettes, you never know when you'll see a hot shower.
- medications and a copy of your prescription. plus any over the counter meds, like Tylenol, Benadryl, Neosporin, etc. (your first aide kit), speaking of which, the dinky ones you get from Wal-Mart, Costco, etc. really don't have much, you may want to get a more robust kit with bulky bandages, ace wraps, slings, etc.
- some good waterproof maps (and thinking of cars, be sure to have copies of registration and insurance) and spare can of gas or two
- A good hat/sunglasses and sunscreen and mosquito/bug repellant.
That's all I can think of for now . . .
Last edited by radiowave on Tue May 17, 2016 8:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Bogleheads Wiki: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Main_Page
Re: Emergency Preparedness
In case of emergency I would hop in the RV.
Solar Panels.
Propane.
Stove.
Tv.
4g on the phone....
Good to Go
Solar Panels.
Propane.
Stove.
Tv.
4g on the phone....
Good to Go
"One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity" –Bruce Lee
Re: Emergency Preparedness
I've thought about this in the past. I agree with most of what has been said already. I'd like everyone to consider http://www.solarcooker-at-cantinawest.c ... urner.html as a potential solution to cooking without fuel. I don't have any experience but it seems like a good option.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
In my car, I also keep: a comfortable pair of walking shoes and a spare pair of my prescription eyeglasses.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
For the case of an emergency and we shelter in place, besides the basics (first aid, batteries, radio, etc) I figure we only need 3 things in sufficient supply to make it through a multi-day emergency.: food, water, and heat.
Water is easy since we drink a lot of bottled water. I built a shelf where I can keep 6 cases of bottled water. It's enough to last us a few weeks in an emergency, and we drink enough regularly that the oldest case is still a few months from expiring.
For food I do the same thing with a few items: sardines, cereal, rice, and green beans We eat a lot of those too and a shelf full of items will last us months and never expire if I rotate the stock.
For heat, I keep a few 20 lb propane tanks on hand, and a Mr. Heater that is safe indoors. Enough to keep a room warm for several days or weeks in the middle of winter. And a propane camp stove for cooking.
Water is easy since we drink a lot of bottled water. I built a shelf where I can keep 6 cases of bottled water. It's enough to last us a few weeks in an emergency, and we drink enough regularly that the oldest case is still a few months from expiring.
For food I do the same thing with a few items: sardines, cereal, rice, and green beans We eat a lot of those too and a shelf full of items will last us months and never expire if I rotate the stock.
For heat, I keep a few 20 lb propane tanks on hand, and a Mr. Heater that is safe indoors. Enough to keep a room warm for several days or weeks in the middle of winter. And a propane camp stove for cooking.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
I have camping gear and do wilderness camping on a semi-regular basis. There is no doubt that i could survive in my neighborhood for quite a long time eating fish, squirrels, and the available plants. But the reality is that I would probably drive out after a couple of days.
I would not be able to eat 60 pounds of rice in a month or even 6 months. So I would only have stuff I know I would use. And in fact, I have survived hurricane damage where power was out quite a few days.
So don't go overboard and really think about how you would get out of a disaster area and not how you would live in a disaster area for more than a week or two.
As for water storage, I don't have a 55 gal drum, but I do have those 35 gal rubbermaid garbage containers in which I keep some hurricane supplies. I fill them up in the shower a day or so before the expected landfall and cover with the lid. I can take showers with the container without contaminating the water it contains. I can dump the water in the shower after the danger passes and then put the supplies back in the dry container for the next hurricane.
I am diversified in where I would drive to in event of a disaster with relatives in various directions.
I would not be able to eat 60 pounds of rice in a month or even 6 months. So I would only have stuff I know I would use. And in fact, I have survived hurricane damage where power was out quite a few days.
So don't go overboard and really think about how you would get out of a disaster area and not how you would live in a disaster area for more than a week or two.
As for water storage, I don't have a 55 gal drum, but I do have those 35 gal rubbermaid garbage containers in which I keep some hurricane supplies. I fill them up in the shower a day or so before the expected landfall and cover with the lid. I can take showers with the container without contaminating the water it contains. I can dump the water in the shower after the danger passes and then put the supplies back in the dry container for the next hurricane.
I am diversified in where I would drive to in event of a disaster with relatives in various directions.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
During Hurricane Sandy something like 500,000 Americans were evacuated; 10 million lost electricity; 13,000 flights were cancelled; etc. I'd wager that the overwhelming majority of those people didn't have any kind of emergency preparedness kit. There's not a single report of any lasting or significant harm that such a kit would have prevented. (87 people were killed 'indirectly' by Hurricane Sandy but that's things like electrocuted by downed power lines or car accidents caused by wet roads.) In short, the best case scenario appears to be that this kind of preparation appears to reduce (but not eliminate) the discomfort for a few days after such an emergency.mwm158 wrote:My question is, does this seem prudent or am I being overly paranoid? Do bogleheads do anything similar? Have any suggestions, tips, or criticisms?
On the other hand, the cost of such a preparedness kit is generally pretty low for Americans. (Though you do have to factor in some kind of on-going maintenance/checking/replacement costs as well; you wouldn't want to open up that 60-pound bag of rice and find that is now weevil- and mold-infested.)
Think of it the way you'd think about insurance: would you pay $100 for "discomfort reduction insurance" that you may never use? $50? $200? Settle on a number that works for you. (For me, that number is $0.)
As livesoft says, it is basically unprecedented in US history that you would need to go 6-weeks, so that seems like over-preparation.
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Re: Emergency Preparedness
This type is essentially free, easy and fun to build, even for children, and works well in the southern half of the country year 'round and in the northern half for half the year. I do have experience with them -they work, even for baking a cake.Dicast wrote:I've thought about this in the past. I agree with most of what has been said already. I'd like everyone to consider http://www.solarcooker-at-cantinawest.c ... urner.html as a potential solution to cooking without fuel. I don't have any experience but it seems like a good option.
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/gardening/ ... ar-cooker/
Re: Emergency Preparedness
For food prep, you could probably do worse than to use Soylent. I use its European counterpart Huel, but it should be mostly the same. It keeps for ages, just needs water and contains 100% of all recommended nutrients. You could live off it indefinitely if you so wished (and some poeple do).
All in, all the time.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
When we had the great blackout, we were without power for three weeks. The biggest hassle was getting gasoline for the small generator we have that can run our fridge.
Had converted the home stove to natural gas, so cooking was no problem. Also, have a propane grill.
Hard to imagine losing the water supply, but there is 40 gallons in the water heater.
My plan covers an extended power outage for a few miles around. In the event of a zombie apocalypse or an alien invasion, we are toast.
L.
Had converted the home stove to natural gas, so cooking was no problem. Also, have a propane grill.
Hard to imagine losing the water supply, but there is 40 gallons in the water heater.
My plan covers an extended power outage for a few miles around. In the event of a zombie apocalypse or an alien invasion, we are toast.
L.
You can get what you want, or you can just get old. (Billy Joel, "Vienna")
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Re: Emergency Preparedness
Ari wrote:For food prep, you could probably do worse than to use Soylent.....It keeps for ages, just needs water and contains 100% of all recommended nutrients. You could live off it indefinitely if you so wished (and some poeple do).
Use the green version
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Re: Emergency Preparedness
Each of our cars has a kit mostly based off of this page:
http://www.backwoodshome.com/10-day-sur ... r-just-25/
along with a file-crate full of 16.9 oz bottles of water, and extra bottles nestled within cubbies and under seats.
Even though we don't live in snow land, a crane falling over onto the freeway could lock you in place for hours...
We have a habit of refueling cars at about 1/3. There was a major widespread power outage a couple years ago so 1/3-tank should be enough to get home from my usual (at the time) commute even with congested traffic.
At home, we have a under-stairs closet of larger bottled water. In garage, I've slowly build (still building) a stash of 7-gallon water jugs
http://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Products ... r+7+gallon
We try to keep the pantry full, and rotate out by donating to our church's food drive.
http://www.backwoodshome.com/10-day-sur ... r-just-25/
along with a file-crate full of 16.9 oz bottles of water, and extra bottles nestled within cubbies and under seats.
Even though we don't live in snow land, a crane falling over onto the freeway could lock you in place for hours...
We have a habit of refueling cars at about 1/3. There was a major widespread power outage a couple years ago so 1/3-tank should be enough to get home from my usual (at the time) commute even with congested traffic.
At home, we have a under-stairs closet of larger bottled water. In garage, I've slowly build (still building) a stash of 7-gallon water jugs
http://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Products ... r+7+gallon
We try to keep the pantry full, and rotate out by donating to our church's food drive.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
I think everything OP has listed is reasonable except for maybe the rice. If I ate that much rice I'd have to go to the emergency room for help with a different kind of, ahem, evacuation. What you need, of course, entirely depends on where you live. On the Gulf Coast where I live, the natural disaster most likely to disrupt vital government functions is a hurricane. Fortunately, we get lots of notice of hurricanes and have ample time to evacuate if a really big one is coming. So it's not generally necessary to stockpile large amounts of food. The two most important things to lay hands on when it looks like an evacuation may be ordered are gas and cash. I always gas up all my vehicles as soon as a storm enters the Gulf. If you wait til the weather folks know exactly where the storm is headed, many stations will have run out of gas and there'll be lines at the others. Same with the ATM machines. Why cash? Because as all Gulf Coasters know, gas stations stop taking credit cards when the lines form to move cars along faster and because it literally becomes impossible to process credit card transactions. Like the cell lines, those lines become jammed. Also, after even a minor hurricane hits (one that wouldn't require evacuation), the power is usually out for days and sometimes weeks. Some stores will open, even though they don't have electricity, to sell non-perishable goods, but they'll only take cash.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
I got into the habit of refueling at 1/2 tank from when I worked in emergency services. Does anyone else do that?gnujoe2001 wrote: We have a habit of refueling cars at about 1/3. There was a major widespread power outage a couple years ago so 1/3-tank should be enough to get home from my usual (at the time) commute even with congested traffic.
Gnujoe, I also have extra water in the garage. I use 'cubies', 5 gallon mylar bags inside of cardboard shells. Very compact and stackable.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
Nothing at all wrong with being prepared for a natural disasters, far too few people in this country are. I think somebody posted the ready.gov link above, the feds recommend everyone has enough to get by for 2 weeks if needed.
We tend to forget that after another event like Hurricane Sandy its all too easy to be cutoff this long or longer, and there is so little reserve in the system that grocery stores and gas stations can bleed dry in hours when people panic.
I tend to stay well stocked:
First Aid - I keep an expedition class first aid kit in the house in a location everyone knows (good to have in general)
Water - The town water supply is gravity fed from a water tower. The tower is fed from town wells with generator backup. Things would have to get really bad for a really long time for the water to go out completely.
Food - We tend to have enough staples on hand that we could stretch it out a few weeks if needed. Even if it means eating plain pasta or peanut butter by spoon
Cooking - gas range that will still work in a power failure. If the gas gets cutoff there is the grilll, or my camp stove, or cooking on the fireplace.
Heat - we live in an old new England house and Ive got a wood stove. I could heat this place for years without power if need be
Lighting - candles, camp lantern and flashlights to last indefinitely. I have rechargeable batteries
Power - For short term outages I have a couple deep cycle batteries (power the backup sump pump) that can charge tablets and phones (car chargers). For long term outages I have a small 3200 watt generator wired to a transfer switch. I can run this for an hour a couple times a day which is enough to keep the refrigerated food cold, run the water heater (natgas) for showers, cycle the septic pump, etc. I usually keep a couple 5 gallon gas cans full that would last up to a couple weeks used sparingly.
We tend to forget that after another event like Hurricane Sandy its all too easy to be cutoff this long or longer, and there is so little reserve in the system that grocery stores and gas stations can bleed dry in hours when people panic.
I tend to stay well stocked:
First Aid - I keep an expedition class first aid kit in the house in a location everyone knows (good to have in general)
Water - The town water supply is gravity fed from a water tower. The tower is fed from town wells with generator backup. Things would have to get really bad for a really long time for the water to go out completely.
Food - We tend to have enough staples on hand that we could stretch it out a few weeks if needed. Even if it means eating plain pasta or peanut butter by spoon
Cooking - gas range that will still work in a power failure. If the gas gets cutoff there is the grilll, or my camp stove, or cooking on the fireplace.
Heat - we live in an old new England house and Ive got a wood stove. I could heat this place for years without power if need be
Lighting - candles, camp lantern and flashlights to last indefinitely. I have rechargeable batteries
Power - For short term outages I have a couple deep cycle batteries (power the backup sump pump) that can charge tablets and phones (car chargers). For long term outages I have a small 3200 watt generator wired to a transfer switch. I can run this for an hour a couple times a day which is enough to keep the refrigerated food cold, run the water heater (natgas) for showers, cycle the septic pump, etc. I usually keep a couple 5 gallon gas cans full that would last up to a couple weeks used sparingly.
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Re: Emergency Preparedness
+1Nearing_Destination wrote:Ari wrote:For food prep, you could probably do worse than to use Soylent.....It keeps for ages, just needs water and contains 100% of all recommended nutrients. You could live off it indefinitely if you so wished (and some poeple do).
Use the green version
I actually went and googled to make sure Ari wasn't pulling our collective leg.
"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity." --Dorothy Parker
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Re: Emergency Preparedness
What about a camping toilet? If there's no power, might not be any water pressure, either.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
I think that it is prudent to have back up food, water, medical, power, etc. in case of a disaster, natural or otherwise. I think the term "prepper," or worse yet, "survivalist" have become pejoratives and that is unfortunate in my opinion. Politics gets wrapped in the history of these terms, but basically the more independent and self sufficient you are, the greater your ability to help others as well as yourself.
Preparedness extends all the way from being able to handle an auto breakdown on the side of a freeway to the dreaded zombie apocalypse. You have to figure out what kind of risks you want to mitigate and the cost. Not to do so, is pretending that there are no risks.
Preparedness extends all the way from being able to handle an auto breakdown on the side of a freeway to the dreaded zombie apocalypse. You have to figure out what kind of risks you want to mitigate and the cost. Not to do so, is pretending that there are no risks.
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Re: Emergency Preparedness
Growing up in California, we learned in elementary school how to be prepared for earthquakes. Nowadays, the CDC seems to think it's more important to be prepared for the zombie apocalypse.
http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatter ... pocalypse/
http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatter ... pocalypse/
Re: Emergency Preparedness
The head of Homeland Security was on TV Tuesday claiming 100% success in preventing any zombie apocalypse.quantAndHold wrote:Growing up in California, we learned in elementary school how to be prepared for earthquakes. Nowadays, the CDC seems to think it's more important to be prepared for the zombie apocalypse.
http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatter ... pocalypse/
L.
You can get what you want, or you can just get old. (Billy Joel, "Vienna")
Re: Emergency Preparedness
Or perhaps the CDC is using pop culture to encourage people who otherwise would do nothing to consider some kind of preparation.quantAndHold wrote:Growing up in California, we learned in elementary school how to be prepared for earthquakes. Nowadays, the CDC seems to think it's more important to be prepared for the zombie apocalypse.
http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatter ... pocalypse/
- BarbaricYawp
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Re: Emergency Preparedness
Actually during the anthrax scare they were tossing numbers like that around. OP was thinking of weather-related disasters, but there is more than one kind of natural disaster.AlohaJoe wrote:
As livesoft says, it is basically unprecedented in US history that you would need to go 6-weeks, so that seems like over-preparation.
"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity." --Dorothy Parker
Re: Emergency Preparedness
In every city we need giant self-contained skyscrapers dedicated to producing huge amounts and varieties of food quickly. If/when supply lines are drastically cut off, things will become dire fast. Neighborhood pea plotting will buffer for a short time only. Keeping camping gear for a few days walk probably won't help much for any person without a lot of luck or unable to improvise quickly, and I think overkill for small disasters. Jugs of water, extra clothing, and maybe some food are plenty. -- Tet
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Re: Emergency Preparedness
I'd suggest that needing 6-weeks supplies is not unprecedented.BarbaricYawp wrote:Actually during the anthrax scare they were tossing numbers like that around. OP was thinking of weather-related disasters, but there is more than one kind of natural disaster.AlohaJoe wrote:
As livesoft says, it is basically unprecedented in US history that you would need to go 6-weeks, so that seems like over-preparation.
For the first half of its existence the US was largely agrarian. A fair chunk of the population was essentially self sufficient for years on end. There have also been a couple of wars fought on US soil. Some civil war sieges were longer than 6 weeks (e.g. Vicksburg).
Re: Emergency Preparedness
IIRC, one of the tenets for surivivalists is multi-function. A shovel could do that and much more.Independent George wrote:What about a camping toilet? If there's no power, might not be any water pressure, either.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
Also consider this:
Even if you have gas or oil heat, without electricity, the thermostat and controller won't work, so no heat. Have a battery backup system or way to connect into a generator so you can have heat even if the electric service is out. I learned this the hard way during Sandy. No heat for 6 days even though the gas could flow.
Even if you have gas or oil heat, without electricity, the thermostat and controller won't work, so no heat. Have a battery backup system or way to connect into a generator so you can have heat even if the electric service is out. I learned this the hard way during Sandy. No heat for 6 days even though the gas could flow.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
We have enough geese on the golf course across the way. That two iron I have has to be good for something. If I run out of geese I can always start eating the neighbors.Epsilon Delta wrote:I'd suggest that needing 6-weeks supplies is not unprecedented.BarbaricYawp wrote:Actually during the anthrax scare they were tossing numbers like that around. OP was thinking of weather-related disasters, but there is more than one kind of natural disaster.AlohaJoe wrote:
As livesoft says, it is basically unprecedented in US history that you would need to go 6-weeks, so that seems like over-preparation.
For the first half of its existence the US was largely agrarian. A fair chunk of the population was essentially self sufficient for years on end. There have also been a couple of wars fought on US soil. Some civil war sieges were longer than 6 weeks (e.g. Vicksburg).
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
Re: Emergency Preparedness
Coffee. & a stove top percolator so I don't have to use a saucepan.
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Re: Emergency Preparedness
You are the official Zombie Apocalypse epicenter.jebmke wrote:If I run out of geese I can always start eating the neighbors.
"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity." --Dorothy Parker
Re: Emergency Preparedness
The Siege of Vicksburg was 47 days. (The overall campaign was longer.)Epsilon Delta wrote:I'd suggest that needing 6-weeks supplies is not unprecedented.BarbaricYawp wrote:Actually during the anthrax scare they were tossing numbers like that around. OP was thinking of weather-related disasters, but there is more than one kind of natural disaster.AlohaJoe wrote:
As livesoft says, it is basically unprecedented in US history that you would need to go 6-weeks, so that seems like over-preparation.
For the first half of its existence the US was largely agrarian. A fair chunk of the population was essentially self sufficient for years on end. There have also been a couple of wars fought on US soil. Some civil war sieges were longer than 6 weeks (e.g. Vicksburg).
So the longest siege of the worst war on American soil still didn't require 6-weeks of food stocks? I'd say the OP is well into paranoid territory with his supplies
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Re: Emergency Preparedness
Not if you live in the city; the bucket is a multitasker. Line it with a trash bag, then take your waste outside hygienically at your convenience. Use kitty litter if you're forced inside by weather, etc. - kind of gross, but still better than the alternatives.JZinCO wrote:IIRC, one of the tenets for surivivalists is multi-function. A shovel could do that and much more.
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Re: Emergency Preparedness
I see no mention of cash. What do people feel about that? If there is an electrical breakdown, no ATMs working. Or worse, a financial black swan or something like the Greeks and no cash greater than $50 at a time from an ATM. All financial transactions affected in some way or another. Limits on transactions.
So what about cash on hand? Do you have it, and how much?
I think it might be prudent to have $5,000 in cash, smaller bills.
So what about cash on hand? Do you have it, and how much?
I think it might be prudent to have $5,000 in cash, smaller bills.
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Re: Emergency Preparedness
My friend who lives on Kauai has taken to eating the feral chickens that have taken over Kauai. Apparently they're both tasty and abundant. A little tough, though. He makes good use of the crockpot, which might be a problem if the power goes out.jebmke wrote: If I run out of geese I can always start eating the neighbors.
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Re: Emergency Preparedness
We keep about $400 in small bills. There is no reason for that specific amount, other than it was the amount we had in the house when we were doing disaster planning. Not worrying about the banking system failing, but after the Northridge quake, the power was out, none of the ATMs worked, and the few people who were selling anything only took cash, and we had no food in the house. We learned from that.Shallowpockets wrote:I see no mention of cash. What do people feel about that? If there is an electrical breakdown, no ATMs working. Or worse, a financial black swan or something like the Greeks and no cash greater than $50 at a time from an ATM. All financial transactions affected in some way or another. Limits on transactions.
So what about cash on hand? Do you have it, and how much?
I think it might be prudent to have $5,000 in cash, smaller bills.
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Re: Emergency Preparedness
$400 is probably not enough. After seeing what a Cat5 hurricane can do you need enough to evacuate and live in a hotel for a while. I know credit cards may cover hotels but in a very widespread power outage credit cards will not work for a while. I keep $2500 hidden in cash.
I can drive out of a hurricane zone but if I lived in California or Alaska I would want enough cash to live on for a month.
I can drive out of a hurricane zone but if I lived in California or Alaska I would want enough cash to live on for a month.
If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging
Re: Emergency Preparedness
A bucket is useful. The camp bucket is a sales gimmick.Independent George wrote:Not if you live in the city; the bucket is a multitasker. Line it with a trash bag, then take your waste outside hygienically at your convenience. Use kitty litter if you're forced inside by weather, etc. - kind of gross, but still better than the alternatives.JZinCO wrote:IIRC, one of the tenets for surivivalists is multi-function. A shovel could do that and much more.
I see so much wasteful consumption in survival/prepping. Go simple. Kitty litter, a bucket and a shovel are infinitely more useful than single function crap like a camp toilet.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
Keeping supplies on hand is great. Even more important in a survival situation are your skills and knowledge. I recommend periodically holding practice weekends, where you and your family stay home and don't use the phone, tap water, Internet, electricity, or any other utility service. This will really show you any weak spots in your preps and skill set.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
My personal experience despite what others say is that cash has NEVER been useful to me in disasters. These personally experienced disasters areShallowpockets wrote:I see no mention of cash. What do people feel about that? If there is an electrical breakdown, no ATMs working. Or worse, a financial black swan or something like the Greeks and no cash greater than $50 at a time from an ATM. All financial transactions affected in some way or another. Limits on transactions.
So what about cash on hand? Do you have it, and how much?
I think it might be prudent to have $5,000 in cash, smaller bills.
1. Numerous hurricanes, most recently Sandy, Ike, and Rita (Yes, I was in NY and in TX) with loss of power. What is one going to do with their cash anyways? You are not going to go out to gas stations that are closed nor to stores that are closed. Those places are closed because employees never got to work to open them up. You should have no need to buy anything for a few weeks because you are prepared.
2. Tornadoes destroying homes in the neighborhood. Loss of power and roofs will not be helped by cash. We got free meals from nearby fast-food restaurants.
3. Flooding. I heard of people trying to go out to buy food and gas with their cash and dying because they decided to drive into deep water. With no cash, they would not be tempted to do that.
Once again, the best plan for us has to been to shelter in place until safe to travel out of the disaster zone. A tank of gas can get one almost 400 miles nowadays which is well out of most disaster zones. Once out of the immediate disaster zone, there is electricity and credit cards work.
Also note that cash burns up in a fire.
Last edited by livesoft on Thu May 19, 2016 3:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
Anyone live near a nuclear power plant? Have you considered your options in an EMP attack?
"..the cavalry ain't comin' kid, you're on your own..."
Re: Emergency Preparedness
I lived near nuclear weapons for a good chunk of my life. An EMP attack is not going to affect my camp stove. I consider all those times I have gone on extended wilderness ski camping trips to be enough preparation.peppers wrote:Anyone live near a nuclear power plant? Have you considered your options in an EMP attack?
- quantAndHold
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Re: Emergency Preparedness
After the Northridge earthquake, we needed cash to buy lunch. The first day, we had food and water, but no gas for the stove, and all of the food we had needed to be cooked. There was one guy who had his taco truck up and running. He was only taking cash, not giving change, and had a long line. We bought $20 worth of burritos. IIRC my mom bought $20 worth of batteries from some woman who had a table set up in front of a 99 cent store. Cash only of course, and no change given.livesoft wrote: My personal experience despite what others say is that cash has NEVER been useful to me in disasters. These personally experienced disasters are
1. Numerous hurricanes, most recently Sandy, Ike, and Rita (Yes, I was in NY and in TX) with loss of power. What is one going to do with their cash anyways? You are not going to go out to gas stations that are closed nor to stores that are closed. Those places are closed because employees never got to work to open them up. You should have no need to buy anything for a few weeks because you are prepared.
2. Tornadoes destroying homes in the neighborhood. Loss of power and roofs will not be helped by cash. We got free meals from nearby fast-food restaurants.
3. Flooding. I heard of people trying to go out to buy food and gas with their cash and dying because they decided to drive into deep water. With no cash, they would not be tempted to do that.
Once again, the best plan for us has to been to shelter in place until safe to travel out of the disaster zone. A tank of gas can get one almost 400 miles nowadays which is well out of most disaster zones. Once out of the immediate disaster zone, there is electricity and credit cards work.
We learned some lessons about being prepared. Having cash for the things we haven't thought of was one of those lessons.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
Your examples are covered by the cash found in many people's wallets and purses. $5,000 might help people who want to smoke dope for awhile as they watch the asteroid coming at them. Anybody who cannot survive for 3 days without power and without going to a store, then they should think about fixing that.quantAndHold wrote:We learned some lessons about being prepared. Having cash for the things we haven't thought of was one of those lessons.
Technology has changed somewhat in the past few years. Solar-powered battery chargers are cheap and useful for cell phones. Wind-up flashlights and radios make one independent of old batteries.
BTW, fire is the disaster than I am most worried about. There really is no sheltering in place for a fire. I might have to swim out into the middle of a large pond with a snorkel for that.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
Head for the water. That's what the good citizens of Pompeii thought when they saw the pyroclastic flow coming at them.livesoft wrote:
BTW, fire is the disaster than I am most worried about. There really is no sheltering in place for a fire. I might have to swim out into the middle of a large pond with a snorkel for that.
"..the cavalry ain't comin' kid, you're on your own..."
Re: Emergency Preparedness
Do not live in the lahar zone.peppers wrote:Head for the water. That's what the good citizens of Pompeii thought when they saw the pyroclastic flow coming at them.livesoft wrote:
BTW, fire is the disaster than I am most worried about. There really is no sheltering in place for a fire. I might have to swim out into the middle of a large pond with a snorkel for that.
In Texas, there are designated Hurricane Evacuation routes. In Washington, there are designated Volcano Evacuation routes.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
This site that is now a decade old inspired me to take a good number of "resilency" related steps. It is a deep dive but based on a "crisis manager" who actually "managed a crisis"- a much smaller subset I have come to learn:
http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/blogs ... index.html
I have also learned I am much more resilient in a "Stay in Place" scenario than a bug out one. (I could easily cook for longer than my food would last... The world is a pretty bleak place after the beer and wine run out anyways)
The above link is very much a "what to do" primer whereas the link below offers a strong forum of "how to do its" from self reliant folks without going all doomsday on you:
http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=cfrm
Full disclosure- not affiliated with either link but I did spend some time in the business continuity, crisis management world.
http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/blogs ... index.html
I have also learned I am much more resilient in a "Stay in Place" scenario than a bug out one. (I could easily cook for longer than my food would last... The world is a pretty bleak place after the beer and wine run out anyways)
The above link is very much a "what to do" primer whereas the link below offers a strong forum of "how to do its" from self reliant folks without going all doomsday on you:
http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=cfrm
Full disclosure- not affiliated with either link but I did spend some time in the business continuity, crisis management world.
Re: Emergency Preparedness
THanks. Worth the read.Capsu78 wrote:This site that is now a decade old inspired me to take a good number of "resilency" related steps. It is a deep dive but based on a "crisis manager" who actually "managed a crisis"- a much smaller subset I have come to learn:
http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/blogs ... index.html