posted
Large disasters like the tsunami always prompt me to think about my own disaster preparedness, and try bring it up to a better standard. Since I've started volunteering for the Red Cross, I've become more aware of how frequently disasters, large and small, do occur, and how much benefit just a little bit of preparedness can bring.
Preparing for disasters is just a wise and prudent thing to do, you know? It takes very little time and expense to be prepared, but makes an enormous difference if something should happen.
Here is preparedness information from the Red Cross.
For Latter Day Saints, and others who are interested, here is a link to information about emergency preparation compiled by the church.
Keeping a pack or duffle bag with supplies that can be grabbed quickly in an emergency is a good idea that seems to be recommended by everyone. Here are some things they say should go in your pack.
Three days supply of clean drinking water.
First Aid supplies, aspirin, antibacterial ointment.
Personal hygiene supplies: toothpaste and toothbrush, soap, hand towel, toilet paper, liquid detergent, towelettes.
Sleeping bag or blanket.
Towel (this wasn't on the list but hey, Arthur Dent knows best!)
Sturdy close toed shoes or boots.
Flashlight and extra batteries
Battery powered radio and/or weather radio with extra batteries.
Cash or travelers checks.
Paper plates and plastic utensils.
Nonperishable food.
At least one change of clothing.
Duct Tape!
Work gloves.
People with special needs should add appropriate items. For instance, families with babies should add formula and diapers, etc. I included dry cat food on my list.
In addition to keeping a pack or duffle bag to grab in case of fire or earthquake or if you have to leave home for any reason, it's also a good idea to keep more extensive supplies in your home. Of course the church counsels all members to keep a year's (or is it 2 years?) supply of everything on hand, and this is a really smart idea for everyone. You can start small and gradually build it up. It serves as a form of savings, too, in case you are sick or out of work, as well as disaster preparedness. If you buy an extra stock of just one or two items each time you go to the store, then you will quickly build up a nice cushion. I love it too just for convenience sake. Any time I run out of anything I don't have to run to the store right then, I can borrow from storage and replace when it's convenient. Also it allows you to take advantage of sales to get better prices on things. Lastly, the greatest thing about being prepared is that rather than needing help myself in any emergency, I will hopefully be able to extend help to others.
Anyway, because I'm currently in the process of reviewing my disaster preparedness, and trying to make up the various shortfalls, I thought I would share my list with hatrack, in hopes that it might be useful to others as well.
That just about covers it. One thing I add to my first aid supplies is prescription medications. That probably falls under the special needs category.
I think everyone probably has one thing they'd pack that others would think was unneccesary. But comfort is comfort. My 72-hour kit/go-bag has helped me several times.
posted
Here is a 3 day emergency preparedness kit from the Red Cross for an adult. You can just buy it ready made, for $50, if you want to save the trouble of making one up yourself. There are deluxe models here as well.
Looking at the list of contents, I see something I will definitely add to my kit: duct tape! How could I forget duct tape? <forehead slapping smilie>
Oh, another excellent idea is work gloves. Depending on the disaster, there may be lots of broken glass or debris to be cleared. Fires, earthquakes, tornados, floods, what else? Debris seems to be pretty likely. Gloves would help a lot to keep you from slicing your hands all up, which would be especially important when access to medical care is limited.
posted
I'm just so proud of myself that I got the Arthur Dent reference. (I know that all of YOU get it immediately, but I just read that book this past year, so now I'm in the club.)
Sorry for derailment, continue with your disaster preparedness. Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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quote:I think everyone probably has one thing they'd pack that others would think was unneccesary.
That's why the number one item on your list should be having a good raport with neighbors and family. A disaster is not the best time to start getting along with the people you may have to depend upon.
Second on the preparedness list is a plan of action. Know ahead of time where your alternate gathering places are and what your children should do if the parents are out of the picture.
Shelter and warmth is important in places with harsh winters. I like to keep a few bottles of propane on hand. Have a tent and a cooking/heating stove.
Need stuff for digging, heavy lifting, and wood cutting. Shovels, saws, come-along, logging chain, high-lift jack, wrecking bar.
Posts: 2655 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Somebody in your neighborhood should be set up with ham radio or CB and should participate regularly in a net.
Generators!
Games and non-electrical entertainment.
Comfort foods...chocolate.
Faster-than-foot-transportation for broken roads: mtn. bikes, dirt bikes, horses. Beat the crowds if you have to evacuate. Disaster-stricken crowds are deadly.
A hunting rifle. A hunting knife.
A water filter and some buckets.
Posts: 2655 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
The rifle is for crocs and dogs. A problem after Hiroshima was the neighborhood dogs running loose together, feasting on small children. Also if you live near a high-security prison, and there is a breach in security...
You won't need to start hunting Bambi for a couple of weeks.
Posts: 2655 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
<-- Enjoys pointing out the size of the packing list.
All that stuff will NOT fit in a "pack." I personally have a pack for "get the hell out of dodge" and that's about what I count on. If I was preparing a tsunami disaster kit, then I would plan differently. Winter weather? That's a whole 'nother gear. I live in tornado country, and my pack needs to be:
1) Grab, as in, I live on the third floor and I don't want to be there when the winds top 150 MPH.
and
2) Go, right now, in my hand, as I sprint for shelter. No time to go find it in another room. When I lived in a house, I just kept this in the basement...sprint downstairs.
I'm also planning from the perspective of a single, healthy male living in a studio apartment. If a home-wrecking disaster strikes, I'm not counting on my sleeping bag in the closet surviving. Keep in mind that your personal needs will vary when you look at these lists.
I think this is an excellent thread, and I'm going to enjoy seeing how some people plan for emergencies.
Posts: 1813 | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
Hang some channel-lock pliers on a coat hook by the back door. Know how to shut off the gas. Strap that water heater down.
Posts: 2655 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
There's a one in three chance that you'll be in bed. Keep shoes by the bed. Mirrors on the ceiling? No way!
Posts: 2655 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
My bf and I keep seperate camping bags with things we know we'll need in the closet downstairs. He carries the heavier things, like larger amounts of water, the axe, and the tent, while I carry all the cooking supplies, some of the first aid, and the clothing for all situations. Of course, we both carry enough first aid and water in case we got seperated. But we are both avid campers, and have had emergency bags, to one extent or another, for forever. It's interesting to me that so few of my friends have these bags. They are a group of the most paranoid people I've ever met, with many a conspiracy theory given serious credence. Yet they dont prepare for the worst.
Posts: 499 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Pregnant? Find out who the nearest midwife is. The hospitals will be full, too far to travel on foot, and the doc will be busy or out of commission.
Posts: 2655 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Do you have a chemical dependence? Get over it now. Your supply will surely be cut off, and you'll become a liability.
Posts: 2655 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Living in Canada, I always kept my 72 hour kit in the truck of my car. Because, generally speaking, wherever I was, so was the car.
Here, we also keep copious amounts of water stored. We have frequent water outages, sometimes lasting for 12 or more hours. Usually they last for only a few hours, but during droughts, there are planned daily water outages lasting for several hours at a time. We keep something like 50 or 70 or something litres stored. Maybe more. Not portable, but . . .
Water purification tablets. Must have.
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
I've been thinking about people who live with a boyfriend or girlfriend, and about those who don't have legal custody of the children living with them. In a disaster, the lack of legal ties could become a great obstacle. You won't be able to search for or visit loved ones in hospitals; your commonly-held property will be in question; your children will not be returned to you.
So add to your list of preparedness items: having all your legal issues settled, making sure that all your legal ties to loved ones are properly recorded, having on-hand legal records such as birth certificates and marriage licenses. Keep those records in a waterproof, fireproof, ready-to-go container.
Posts: 2655 | Registered: Feb 2004
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Our LDS stake had a preparedness fair a few years ago, and we practiced first aid, cooking with staples, and emergency rescue.
They had a mockup of a collapsed building, and we practiced jacking up the collapsed sections, using bottle jacks and levers.
You might think that kids will eat staples when there is nothing else to eat, but they won't, and even if they did, they might not be able to hold it down. There is an incident recorded in my family history of two little girls who starved to death because they refused to eat hard tack. Start incorporating staples into your kid's diets now. Their cold cereal, tater tots, and mac and cheese will run out quickly.
Posts: 2655 | Registered: Feb 2004
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It's important to cater your preparedness to the most likely event to happen in your area. While hurricanes were a big concern where I grew up, they're not a concern here. I'm actually not sure what kinds of natural disasters would be most likely to hit Providence. Fire and blizzard, I suppose.
Posts: 1261 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
See, I was confused about the staples until you clarified that children won't eat hard tacks. Are brass tacks better?
:gives skillery a noogie:
My husband and I are the emergency preparedness geeks for our ward.
P.S. I always thought having a gun and living by some good mormons was a decent plan, but now I'm thinking having a lot of chocolate on hand and living by a good mormon will also work. What were you saying about chemical dependency? Seriously, my plan is knowing how to make decent bread by hand and bartering for the rest. People are going to get sick of bulgur and sprouts.
[ January 03, 2005, 02:37 PM: Message edited by: Trisha the Severe Hottie ]
Posts: 666 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
Disasters don't have to be external, either. I grew up LDS, so my family did the year's worth of food storage prep. It saved us after my dad got out of the service and was unemployed for a year. We had no money and lived on that year's worth of food. It wasn't fancy, but it was decent and we never went hungry.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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I've been thinking about that too. There won't be much demand for currency. If you subscribe to the post-apocalyptic Road Warrior movies, then you might stock up on fuel, hoping to trade gas for food. In Waterworld dirt, fresh water, and paper were the big trade items. If you're into those wild Wilford Woodruff prophecies, you might be thinking about bartering your children for food (or drugs).
Of course food would be in demand, but it takes up space, and it's difficult enough to cycle through what you've stored for your own family, let alone what you've stored in anticipation of trading string beans for the neighbor's hot tub. Food has a limited shelf life after all.
I'm thinking seeds for a vegetable garden would make a good barter item. Maybe spices. Livestock would be the ultimate barter item, but who has got room for livestock anymore?
Posts: 2655 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Do you ever wonder why in Mad Max, they drove those big huge gas-guzzlers? I mean, a semi doesn't get but 8 miles or so to the gallon of diesel. Wouldn't it make more sense to drive a hybrid?
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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quote: I always thought having a gun and living by some good mormons was a decent plan
Unless you choose one of us Mormons that keeps a gun and ammo as part of their emergency preparedness stuff.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Shapely bod hauls more stuff, runs faster, walks further, swims better, wriggles in and out of tighter holes, and is easier (and more desireable) to rescue.
Posts: 2655 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
This is an aspect of preparedness that's woefully overlooked. I know I'm not physically fit enough to escape the area on foot with any amount of supplies.
posted
And in case of a zombie attack, leave the cities immediately.... Sorry...don't mean to make light of a serious thread...been watching too many "Living Dead" movies lately.
But getting far from populated areas seems like an awfully good idea in a major disaster. Too many potential threats in a city.
Posts: 676 | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
Yeah, and learn about technology and animal husbandry and farming. Humans do that for a living. That's more prepared than I probably want to be, though, come to think of it.
I'm not thinking now of the end of civilization sort of disasters, actually, though those are also possible, of course. I'm just thinking of your garden variety house fires, tornados, earthquakes, floods, utility outages, toxic chemical spills, volcanoes, tsunamis, and terrorist attacks.
posted
Keep up to date on your medical and dental checkups and corrective procedures, especially if you've currently got insurance.
Posts: 2655 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Bank branches are scheduled to re-open today. But that begs the question. Were the records centrally held? Were they backed up? Our financial records with the bank are fine, but what about those whose bank branches were destroyed?
And let's just assume for a moment that the financial information was backed up onto a secure server that still exists. With a million or a million and a half homeless, having lost everything, one would presume that losing everything includes all forms of identification. So now how do these people prove that they are the people they claim to be when they try to collect their money from the bank?
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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quote:how do these people prove that they are the people they claim to be when they try to collect their money from the bank?
That begins to make the case for embedding RFID tags in people. Embedded tags would definitely make the job of sorting corpses easier.
I once subscribed to some conspiracy theories about embedded tags, Big Brother, and identity theft. Maybe that was just silly of me.
Posts: 2655 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
No, no, I'm still conspiracy theorist on things like that. It wouldn't have me comfortable at all.
We got a call from the bank today. It seems a cheque we deposited won't go through - the signature doesn't match the signature they have in the computer system. So it's possible that they have all signatures in the computer. If so, that'll save a lot of hassle for a lot of people. But will they have to get new ID first before they can even make the attempt to access funds? Or will they make exceptions due to disaster? I can see this becoming a major opportunity for fraud. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Maybe you're an office worker and don't spend much time outdoors in the winter. Maybe you don't plan to be outside much in the cold. You probably haven't seen a 100-year storm with six feet or more of snow within a couple of days. Trees, power lines, and roofs come down under that much snow. Be ready to work outdoors when it happens.
Canadian Sorel or LaCrosse insulated work boots Polypropylene socks and long undies Insulated coveralls (I like cordura Carhart Extremes) Heavy winter coat Something warm for your head Insulated GoreTex work gloves
Posts: 2655 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
There's a one in three chance that the disaster will strike while at work or at school.
Keep a flashlight in your desk or purse. You may have to walk home; keep a pair of walking shoes in your desk or locker. Keep a full water bottle at your desk.
edit:
Know where the first aid station is. Know alternate routes to get home or to your family's gathering place.
posted
Here's my mother's tornado preparedness plan for our family:
If you hear a train on a cloudy day, run outside and jump in the ditch.
Unfortunately, one day I DID hear a train on a stormy day. And mom had locked the 7-foot gate in the backyard, from the outside. I wasn't going anywhere.
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
Arrange to check in with someone in another state or province. If communications are down where you live, it's probably going to be much easier than contacting loved ones in your same area.
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
PSI, did you live in a mobile home or did the house have no basement or interior rooms?
Running outside to jump in the ditch is pretty much a resort only used when no substantial shelter is available. Overpasses DO NOT COUNT as substantial shelter, people. I'm talking about places like campgrounds and mobile home parks (which may have community storm shelters).
(Good that you had a plan, though.)
Posts: 1813 | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
Quid, that's a good idea! I never thought of that before.
PSI, being inside during a tornado is safer, isn't it? Unless the only shelter you have is a mobile home or something, maybe. Ditches are only if you are caught outside without cover. I'm glad you didn't go get in the ditch. Ditches are safer than cars, I understand. But what I heard was the best thing is to get as many walls between you and the outside as you possibly can. And shelter under something sturdy.
I guess your mom is not noted for her disaster preparedness, though, in general. Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Boon
unregistered
posted
Why has no one mentioned plastic? As in, trash bags, ziplocks, and plastic sheeting?
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