Disaster and Emergency Resource and you...

[Hurricanebob]

I couldn't find the right place to put this link so I thought I'd put it in USA weather... Often, we prepare for hurricane season but neglect to prepare for natural disasters...often, we as humans depend on the "grid" system, abundant municipal water sources and assume all is well...It happens to not be something talked about enough here because perhaps we each face reality differently?...That said, I too tend to be lax in that I have nothing other than some candles, cans, water, etc...BUT, I want you to please think for a moment for me what contingency plan you have, if any in such an even and pass on some ideas.


The intent here is to not necessarily to backhoe a bunker and line it in lead sealed with concrete but to simply think for a moment what would you do? For the record, I saw no movie, whatever that movie is about dooms day, I'm not into that stuff...I actually went on vacation and had to sit in a hotel room unprepared in Pennsylvania with no power with the snow piling up and wind howling with restaurants with power, unfamiliar place, no heat other than the radiant heat left (which wasn't much because I don't like heat so I keep the room cold), and I had 2 little girls... My wife pulls out a bag of apples, 2 bags of trail mix, all kinds of JUNK, and things I typically would not have liked BUT, you know what, it was GREAT. I had purchased the kids LED flashlights for Xmas, had them stowed in the suitcase so I pulled those out..., I had yet another LED penlight attached to my macbook bag, pulled the macbook out, popped in a movie, and we all enjoyed a couple movies, and when the power came back on, it make me thankful we blindly planned.

Hence, the link below:

http://www.librarysupportstaff.com/safensound.html

[Dionne]

I think it's safe to say that most of us that went through Katrina learned a valuable lesson. How many of us keep provisions in the event of another complete infrastructure failure?

Just to my left is a closet. It contains everything we need to survive. It also contains a "run bag" in the event we require a rapid departure.

I'd like to hear from other S2Ker's......how many of us stay prepared 24/7?

[Hurricanebob]

I thought there would be more interest?..

[Sihara]

I just saw this topic now, and I'm giving it a bump b/c it's important.

I think the amount you suffer through a natural disaster is a direct result of two factors - the severity & nature of the disaster + how prepared you are when it hits.

No amount of preparation, of course, could have helped the individual citizens of Haiti because the damage was so awful and completely without warning. If you're trapped beneath tons of debris, it doesn't matter if you stocked provisions. BUT.....

Here in the US, weather disasters are commonly: hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, wildfires, blizzards. In some cases, you're stuck in your house; in others, you're forced to flee. If you have the necessities in your storm kit, you can ride out the situation without being forced to go out when it's dangerous, or simply doing without. There are situations in which no one can get to you - you're on your own, and too many people - although they rationally know it - haven't taken it to heart.

A relative of ours who recently moved up north from FL experienced just this situation. She soon found herself stranded in her home by a winter snowstorm, unable to get out. But - she still had her old hurricane kit from living down here. Canned foods, flashlights in case the power went out and the rest of the storm supplies. So she was fine - only because she'd been prepared for a storm down here.

We have a storm kit - we try to update it each June. It contains most of the supplies we would need and extra flashlights/batteries. However in the food/water dept., we're not doing as well, so that could stand some improvement.

[Hurricanebob]

Sihara, I'd say lacking in food/water is the easiest thing we overlook... Especially water... A friend of mine suggested I buy those power bars but added I should research them. He is a personal trainer and compared the survival bars to the power bars they sell in the stores and said they are virtually the same. Water kits are available to decontaminate our water which makes life a little better http://www.purpurifierofwater.com/products.html

Thanks...

[feederband]

If something wide spread happens where maybe roads are destoyed and no way to comunicate and it happens during the day with all my kids at school at three different schools and me and my wife at different areas we found a old church that is pretty much the same walking distance from everyone...The rule is if the disaster is say like Hati you need to get to that parking lot within 24 hours at all cost...And try to find some sort of bag and carry what supplies you can find on the way...If you cant get there within 24 hours and we had to move we will leave note in broken pipe as planned...If told you cannot get to that area go back to the schools and we will get there in time...As far as supplies we have a good first aid kit guns with ammo I'm ready ....

[Sihara]

If something wide spread happens where maybe roads are destoyed and no way to comunicate and it happens during the day with all my kids at school at three different schools and me and my wife at different areas we found a old church that is pretty much the same walking distance from everyone...The rule is if the disaster is say like Hati you need to get to that parking lot within 24 hours at all cost...And try to find some sort of bag and carry what supplies you can find on the way...If you cant get there within 24 hours and we had to move we will leave note in broken pipe as planned...If told you cannot get to that area go back to the schools and we will get there in time...As far as supplies we have a good first aid kit guns with ammo I'm ready ....

No guns n' ammo here... yet. But....

The idea of a mutual meeting point is excellent. We had our neighborhood evac'd (due to a nutcase, not wx), and my husband and I couldn't find each other. Fixed that situation. Now, we have a pre-arranged spot to meet in the neighborhood - and outside of it if we can't get to that one.

And you can't depend on your cell to connect with family. Esp. in a wx-related disaster, those cell towers jam up and you can't get through.

HurricaneBob wrote:

lacking in food/water is the easiest thing we overlook... Especially water... A friend of mine suggested I buy those power bars but added I should research them

Power bars - great idea, hadn't even thought of it. When we had to buy food for a possible hurricane strike, I got canned tuna, chicken etc, and plenty of chips and cookies. Food and water are the most important items, and as you said, easily overlooked.... or procrastinated.

Our strategy is, if a hurricane is approaching, prepare to LEAVE - as early as possible so as not to clog up the roads when the official evacs begin. Never want to get caught in that kind of traffic.