Emergency preparedness

[Tradd]

There have been lots of threads about stock piling food and such, but I thought a thread on *real* emergency preparedness would be helpful and give needed ideas. By *real* emergencies, I mean hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding, and fires of all sorts (from wildfires to a house fire). This is not The End Of the World As We Know It, but rather when S**t Hits The Fan.

Someone else on another forum I frequent recommended this website:

http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/bl...ons/index.html

It's from a guy who is a native of the New Orleans area and this details both how to prepare for a disaster/emergency and what his family and others in the New Orleans area went through with Katrina. He stopped updating it, so you don't know what happened to his house, for example. He gives some very good information on preparations (especially if you have to evacuate) with worksheets to help. Note: the writer pulls NO punches. There is some foul language, pictures of corpses, political INcorrectness. Even though the author is used to hurricanes, he walks you through thinking about what emergencies you could face in YOUR area.

I'm a fan of the Unclutterer blog and last year they had a four-part series by one of their staffers who went through a house fire. This is the link to the last entry, which gives links to the first three posts. Read the comments. There is lots of good stuff, especially for pet owners in the first part.

http://unclutterer.com/2009/04/28/di...-looking-back/

I debated about putting this in another forum (such as Organizing), but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, so much of emergency preparedness comes down to cold hard cash. The guy who wrote the series about Katrina didn't have a lot of money. I think he said they had about $600 (from his boss giving him a paycheck early) when they evacuated. How many times did we read of people who didn't leave New Orleans before Katrina because they couldn't afford it?

It's kind of weird I'm paying so much attention to this because I live in a large Midwestern metropolitan area, in the suburbs. No hurricanes or wildfires here, no earthquakes unless the New Madrid fault decided to give out. I'm not in flood prone area (although my apartment complex's parking lot floods badly in extremely heavy rain). For me, it would be a bad winter storm that left me housebound, tornadoes, or no power due to a bad storm. Or a fire at home. I'd be out of luck in the winter with no heat, but if I could get to a friend's house, I'd be OK. I've got a great community to turn to, but I'm single (and no kids), so I've got to depend on ME.

What I've personally done:

*I have a laptop as my computer rather than a desktop PC. Emergencies aren't the primary reason, as I live in a small space, but it sure is helpful if you can just pick up your computer and go! If you're in an evacuation prone area, get a laptop, if you can afford it. Even a small netbook is better than nothing. I actually have two computers. A MacBook is my main computer, but I recently bought a little netbook that's a bit more portable for hauling around, traveling with, etc.

*Got one of those zippered binders like this:
http://www.mead.com/webapp/wcs/store...-1_false_10051

You can find them all over. I think I spent only $10 at Walmart for mine. With sheet protectors and dividers, ALL my important papers are in there. I got the sheet protectors that fold over at the top. I just don't have two pages in each one. I've got everything from CDs of pictures (in a paper cover, not a hard CD case), my passport, important papers, a copy of a bill for each utility, hard copy of my digital address book, birth certificate, my college diploma (took it out of the folder it came in), copies of my lease, list of computer/website passwords, etc.

*I back up my pictures several places online - Flickr (I pay $25 yearly for a pro account with unlimited space since I can take a lot of pictures) and Picasa, since I have a Gmail account.

*I keep some things, like a copy of my personal address list on Google Docs, accessible only to me.

*I don't rely on an external hard drive to back up my computer. That's useless if there's a fire or my home is broken into. I back up "in the cloud" with Mozy.com. I know people who back up with both an external hard drive and Mozy.

*I don't depend on a solely local bank. I have accounts with both Chase and ING Direct. Since both are national, if something happened, I could get cash anywhere.

*Just today, after reading the Katrina site, I got two USB flash drives, and I'm going to use True Crypt to secure things like copies of birth certificate, SS card, passport, financial docs, etc., and then have them safely on flash drive. I still have to make scans of these things, as well.

*Use web-based email, or at least have an account you can access through the web, even if you download the messages through Outlook or Apple Mail. If you have to evacuate for some reason or something happens to your computer, you will still be able to contact people via another computer.

*In addition to all of this, I'm building a small stock of food (7-10 days) if I was stuck due to a winter storm/power outage and couldn't cook (I love to eat ravioli cold out of the can anyway!). I'm OK on several lanterns/flashlights with batteries, battery operated radio, etc. I have sterno I could use to heat water for tea. Keep car gas tank no less than 1/2 full most of the time, have cash on me.

What have YOU done - or need to do?

[Paigekitten]

I love the first link you posted, I found it about a month ago. After reading it I revamped our bug out bags keeping in mind the most likely thing I would use them for is a house fire. They have clothes, underwear, diapers, water and a snack in them. I figure we won't need to show up naked at the neighbor's house to call the fire department if needed. I want to scan all my documents and save on a couple flash drives to put in the emergency bags.

I wish I had put more pictures online, I was in the process of doing so when BOTH our laptops crashed, I have hundreds of pictures that may or may not be recovered. Since then I've started utilizing Google Docs for things like recipes, addresses, word documents, pretty much everything.

Our biggest potential disaster is economic. Last month we ran out of food and money, ate beans for a week. As soon as I was able to shop again I made sure to be super careful with the food budget and I am restocking my kitchen. I want to have 3 months worth of food constantly rotating in the cupboards. I have had that much before and it's SOOOOOO useful if money is tight for a while, if it's hard to get to the store (super busy, sick kids, snowed in, car broken down...), and I never start cooking spaghetti to find out I am all out of tomato sauce.

I have access to bulk food and a dry pack cannery and I just started building up long term food supply. If DH is out of work again I would love to provide for ourselves long term and not rely on food stamps. Also, I garden and have extra seeds in case I can't afford/get what I need next year.

We have gotten stranded on the side of the road in the car several times. I keep tools in there for basic roadside maintenance. Both my husband and I know how to use them, we are trying to convince my sister who also uses the car to learn how to do things like jump the car, change a tire, refill the radiator fluid, etc. I also keep blankets, snacks, and water in the trunk for the kids. Nothing worse then sitting on the freeway waiting for a tow truck with cold hungry kiddos. Everything except the jack and the blankets (we use them all the time) fit into one messenger bag in the trunk. I always have a bus ticket in my purse, and I know how to get home on public transit from wherever I go.

We purchased a wood stove, so we are no longer dependent on electric heat in the winter, also I made a couple oil lamps to supplement our flashlights if the lights go out.

Also, I have enough sheets and towels that we could have people stay with us if ever necessary.

[Jaxinator]

We haven't prepared much, I think we live in the most mellow area weather-wise ever. Our biggest threat is a fire.

But anyway, a *really* good idea in general is a big fire proof safe. We keep birth certificates, money bonds, SS cards, all of the important stuff in there. It's big enough that it would stop, or at least seriously hinder someone from taking it. (It even has little hooks on the inside for all of your priceless family jewellry. Like I have any )
Does anyone have thoughts on keeping a bit of cash in the safe? I don't currently, but the more I think about it, the more it seems like a good idea. We usually use debit cards, so if those are melted in a fire it would be a good idea to have some cash until we can new ones, right?

I do keep my cabinets stocked fairly well, and I'm teaching myself how to make more and more things from scratch, like breads and pasta for instance. There was one instance in the past two years where a whole 3 inches of snow fell and the supermarket was closed for the day, so you never know.

Good item for the car. A battery pack. You can start your low battery with no one around. Something like this:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Portable-Car-B...c07940ffed1032
We also have the regular essentials, first aid kit, blankets, flashlight...
I'm pretty sure by law we have to carry an orange triangle too.

Camping equiptment. We have awesome sleeping bags, a cheap tent, a water filter and I think we should get a portable stove too.

Most of my photos are on shutterfly, I can just reprint the photo books I've made.

Once we move and buy our first house (yipee!) I'll do a bit more (wood stove perhaps) and get more organized.

Paigekitten, where do you keep your bags of clothing? I may have to do something like that too. Is it just a bag that you keep in easy access range to grab if you need to go quickly?

[ChristyMarie]

Originally Posted by Tradd

Someone else on another forum I frequent recommended this website:

http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/bl...ons/index.html

It's from a guy who is a native of the New Orleans area and this details both how to prepare for a disaster/emergency and what his family and others in the New Orleans area went through with Katrina. He stopped updating it, so you don't know what happened to his house, for example. He gives some very good information on preparations (especially if you have to evacuate) with worksheets to help. Note: the writer pulls NO punches. There is some foul language, pictures of corpses, political INcorrectness. Even though the author is used to hurricanes, he walks you through thinking about what emergencies you could face in YOUR area.

Awesome! He mentions zombies in the second paragraph, how can you not like the guy?

Thanks for sharing, looks like a very useful site.

***back to reading***

[Tradd]

I knew the mention of zombies would be a hit with some folks!

I've got my cooking in an emergency - power outage, since I have an electric stove - I got one of these from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ef=oss_product

It just came via Amazon. It was a bit cheaper from other sellers, but I'm an Amazon Prime member and this way shipping was included. I'd have had to pay shipping with other sellers.

Also got this stainless steel version of the fancy titanium cups I'd seen at REI (this was $30 cheaper than the titanium ones!) to use on the little stove so I wouldn't ruin any of my pots over an open flame of this stuff.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ef=oss_product

I've had people continually scoff at the thought of using Sterno or go on about the benefits of a small propane camp stove. If you have a patio or other place to cook outside, using a camp stove is fine, as they really aren't safe to be used indoors. I live in an apartment-style condo. I have no patio or outside deck to use. I need to be able to safely cook inside. With this little stove with Sterno inside, I could heat water for a hot beverage or ramen or a can of soup. Can use it right on the middle of my stove in the empty space between the burners. Sterno is cheap, it can be safely used indoors AND it is safe to store. I don't have to worry about it exploding or something. I don't camp so I don't have any camping equipment. This is small, relatively cheap, and will store without worry in the tub with my batteries and battery-operated lanterns under my bed.

Other than getting more food (canned stuff like soup or ravioli or soup cups where you just add hot water, granola bars, etc.) having lots of tea on hand (which I go through a ton of), water, beefing up the first aid kit and getting a bag to have some clothes/water/food in for the car (will look at the thrift store for a cheap backpack or duffel), I'd like to get another blanket or two for the house and to keep in the car. And sturdy shoes. I don't even have a pair of sneakers right now and my winter boots are due to be replaced this winter.

[Tradd]

Emergency preparedness for apartment dwellers looks different than for those who live in a house or a townhouse with outside space. I'm more concerned about safety (battery operated lanterns rather than candles), as a result.

[broodymama]

I read through that site a few months ago, I had seen it posted on here before. It was definitely good reading! I've been working on emergency prep stuff myself, I know we have a long way to go. My main concerns are weather-related (we lost power for several days during a snowstorm a few years ago, and snow is rare here), earthquakes, and financial (ohhh, love how the military can screw up pay sometimes!).

I started with the car, since we frequently go on day trips up to the mountains. In the van I have (for 6 people) 72 hours worth of emergency food plus some extra snack-type stuff, water (though not 72 hours worth), a Katadyn Hiker Pro water filter, first aid kit, change of clothes, extra diapers for the little ones, small folding camp stove, tube tents, emergency blankets, ~3 days worth of 18 hour emergency heat packs, fire starting materials, extra jackets, ehh some other stuff that I'm not remembering right now. The changes of clothes for the kids are kept in gallon ziploc bags under the seats so they are easily accessible, I've had to use those frequently. Everything else is kept in a Sterilite storage container in the trunk, any groceries or shopping bags just sit on top of it. We have an emergency battery pack, but right now it's sitting in the kitchen for some reason. I also need to get extra shoes in there.

Working on stuff around the house. We've built up our food storage, as well as working on eating what we store. (Since we have wheat, dried beans, rice, etc. in storage I needed to start cooking with those regularly.) We do keep some canned veggies, tomato products and fruits on hand as well. I've started pressure canning, and am thinking about canning some chicken or ground beef to be able to use for soups/stews if we're cooking without power. We have rain barrels outside that we use for watering the garden, I'm saving for a Berkey water filter and we also have bleach on hand if we need it as an emergency water supply. We have some water stored, but I don't remember exactly how much.

I need to work on our bugout bags. I also need to get all our important paperwork together in something easy to grab, I like that binder. Right now it's all stuffed in the firesafe. I would like to get a woodstove installed in the living room, but right now I'm waiting to see if we're going to be moving soon. The fireplace in the family room will keep that room warm during a power outage, I need to get some cords of wood for this winter.

[Shahbazin]

I'm going to mention, those fire-proof safes are not dependable - they don't work in wildfires, for instance, where the temps are substantually higher than regular house fires. Friends of mine took their stuff out of their fire safe, when they evacuated for a wildfire, & it was good they did, since their safe was pretty much vaporized.

I 2nd the "important papers" notebook - as well as keeping the originals somewhere out of the home (safety deposit box, etc.); keeping photos/info backed up on the web; it's also an excellent idea to take a video of everything in your house, & keep that in a safe, out of the home place (like with your papers) for insurance reasons. Make sure you have some proof that shows you are a resident, in case you need to return to a disaster area. A check list is an excellent idea - don't assume, even if you've done a "run-through before", that you'll remember what you want/need to evacuate when the time comes...

We lost our home in a wildfire 3 years ago (same one my friends lost theirs in), & we didn't do real well evacuating, but the good stuff we did do was: didn't wait until last minute, got out kids & pets, had a binder with all our important papers (easy to grab), address book, check book/wallets, DH yanked the hard drive out of our computer & brought that, we brought prescription medicines, cell phones (& a charger!) & DH brought his briefcase from work. Bad stuff - I had a 3 month old baby w/reflux & an 18 month old toddler, wasn't thinking real straight - I didn't bring physical photo albums (so only had recent pics on the hard drive), jewelry, keepsakes, the passwords to computer websites (was taped in a drawer in our desk), some other stuff I would really have liked to have (DH, ditto). Brought lots of baby clothes & diapers, just grabbed random stuff for DH & me (he only had 1 extra pair of underpants - oops.) We did have two cars, but with two babies in car seats, one 50 lb house dog, & three 110-150 lb dogs, it was pretty cramped.

[ChristyMarie]

Ok, that is a really good site. I've read quite a bit today. And.....finally got my BOB together. I had 2 extra backpacks we used to use for travel so I used those. Went through my old emergency kit in the garage, pulled out the necessary items and organized.

Now I need to get a larger bag together with extra clothing - especially for the cold weather - and such.

I need to put stuff back in my car as well as I took it all out when we went on vacation earlier this summer.

And I've started getting the documents together but that is going to take a while. And a trip to the bank to get in the safe deposit box.

[sapientia]

oh man, thank you for that website...I have a serious crush on this guy, he's so freaking realistic!!!
I've always been a preparedness geek-but this helps me be more physically organized instead of just mentally 'knowing' what to do, what to grab, etc. I love that site...

[Tradd]

Originally Posted by sapientia

oh man, thank you for that website...I have a serious crush on this guy, he's so freaking realistic!!!
I've always been a preparedness geek-but this helps me be more physically organized instead of just mentally 'knowing' what to do, what to grab, etc. I love that site...

Yesterday, the little folding stove (basically just a metal box) to use with the Sterno cans came. I get everything delivered to work. Anyway, a coworker asked what was in my package, I showed her, and she thought it was cool, and very neat that I'm thinking about this stuff. She's getting married next year (I'll be invited) and said "You have to make me a box of small stuff like this when I get married." Good idea for a wedding gift!

[InchByInch]

Reviving this old thread as the topic's been on my mind for awhile...

Some of what I'd like to do:

-scan in all important documents and save them to disk.
-buy non-electric household items from the Lehman's store, as money allows
-beef up my gardening skills
-learn about wild edibles
-also learn about medicinal herbs
-take sewing classes
-fix up our truck, which is paid off and running okay, but could use some TLC (not to mention new tires)
-create bug out bags for the entire family, as well as several evacuation routes
-keep the truck stocked with useful items
-build up our stockpile with both food and non-food items
-build up the discipline to stop eating at restaurants and start making everything from scratch at home
-have electricity-free days at home to see how we fare and where our weaknesses are

P.S. I have to chime in: That blog, theplacewithnoname, is AWESOME and super helpful. Wow!

[Nemesis]

I've really been enjoying http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com I don't agree with everything, but he's entertaining and has a lot of great advice about disaster preparedness.

I also really enjoy Prepared LDS Family, although their blog is mostly dedicated to food storage there is some emergency prep info on there, too.

ETA: Fixed the link! Sorry about that.

[Tradd]

Originally Posted by Nemesis

I've really been enjoying http://www.thesurvivorpodcast.com I don't agree with everything, but he's entertaining and has a lot of great advice about disaster preparedness.

I also really enjoy Prepared LDS Family, although their blog is mostly dedicated to food storage there is some emergency prep info on there, too.

The link to the Survivor Podcast didn't work.

[Nemesis]

Originally Posted by Nemesis

I've really been enjoying http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com I don't agree with everything, but he's entertaining and has a lot of great advice about disaster preparedness.

I also really enjoy Prepared LDS Family, although their blog is mostly dedicated to food storage there is some emergency prep info on there, too.

ETA: Fixed the link! Sorry about that.

Sorry, it's The Survival Podcast, not survivor.

[Ninja_Dad]

Are there any good survival supply websites that anyone could recommend? Camping gear is the first thing that I can think of, but I know in the past I've seen some pretty comprehensive sites with storable foods, gear, etc. that I can't find now. My first thought is sites like REI, etc., but my concern is that they are going to be catering more to the recreational camper with higher prices and possibly lower quality than a more serious website (although I could be wrong). There are probably really good deals to be had on Amazon (such as the couple listed so far), but I don't know for sure without having something else to compare to.

[InchByInch]

Originally Posted by Ninja_Dad

Are there any good survival supply websites that anyone could recommend? Camping gear is the first thing that I can think of, but I know in the past I've seen some pretty comprehensive sites with storable foods, gear, etc. that I can't find now. My first thought is sites like REI, etc., but my concern is that they are going to be catering more to the recreational camper with higher prices and possibly lower quality than a more serious website (although I could be wrong). There are probably really good deals to be had on Amazon (such as the couple listed so far), but I don't know for sure without having something else to compare to.

I have no personal experience with these companies, but I like the Survival Mom's blog, and this is who she recommends:

http://thesurvivalmom.com/resources/...ne-businesses/

[Siennaflower]

For those with gf needs: http://gingerlemongirl.blogspot.com/...hurricane.html

[Staceyy]

I like http://www.mrssurvival.com

[Tradd]

To help as a sort of night light to find the bathroom during power outtages, those little LED battery-operated tea light candles are great! Each one lasts for about 40 hours. There's an on/off switch at the bottom.