Emergency/Disaster Preparedness.

[Chi Ma]

Have you thought about preparing for a disaster? In the SF Bay we haven't had a Katrina, Haiti, Mid-West or Fukishima Japan level disaster in a while. Because of that we have become pretty complacent. Is it because we have the "it won't happen to us" thinking? Or is it that we rely too heavily on the .gov to save our butts when the SHTF. We saw how fast the .gov moved in Katrina. We have to be responsible for ourselves and our loved ones when and if the time comes.

I'm not saying that y'all buy a bunker, arm yourself or do anything extreme. Just prepare as much as you can.

Basics for survival:

Food: You don't have to buy military MREs or fancy freeze dried meals. The next time you are grocery shopping throw in a few extra cans of things you would normally eat, get cans with pull top lids if you can. Buy some extra pasta, rice and beans. When you get home seal up the dry goods in an air tight container or vacuum pack them. Shoot for a weeks supply per person in your household.

Water: We need approx. 1 gallon a day. Water is heavy. If you have the room by all means store as much as you can. In containers that are easily portable like 1 or 5 gallon jugs. It's no use if you have a heavy 55 gallon drum and you have to bug out. Get a portable water filter. We all have fish tanks, toilets, swimming pools, hot water heaters, ponds, lakes, streams and other sources of water around us that we could process and use.

Shelter: Get a cheap tent that requires no stakes. A space blanket. Ponchos.

Things that are nice to have:

Clothing: Sturdy pants, shirts, socks, boots, sweater, under wear, wind breaker and and a jacket suitable for your climate. Pack them into a waterproof container.

Tools: Hammers, flashlights, chem sticks, lighters, hatchets, knives, rope, screwdrivers, shovels and various all in one tools come in handy in a survival situation.

Communication: In a major disaster most forms of mass communication will be damaged or tied up. Pick up an emergency radio that is powered by a dynamo that can double as a battery charger. You can also buy decent inexpensive 2 way radios. Keep fresh batteries on hand.

Medical supplies: Not saying that you need a trauma kit. Just stuff that you normally use. Medications, bandages, over the counter meds. Keep them in a water proof container.

Weapons: If you have them train and be proficient with them. Keep them well maintained and in good working order. Your good neighbor may not be so good after a disaster hits and they are hungry and desperate.

I'm sure I'm leaving stuff out. If you have a tip or links to supplies post them up.

[Allisyn Wood]

I'm a nut about this stuff. While I've taken alarmingly little measures to be prepared, I know how much I should be. Check out sincedutch. He has some good ideas for preparedness. I live about 1200 miles north of Puerto Rico ( a hot spot for earthquakes). So far, nothing major, but if something does happen, we have maybe 2 hours if a tsunami is generated. This freaks me out as I'm within 1 mile of the ocean. Miami is screwed. In realize it's a long shot (hopefully), and that I'm probably paranoid, but I've told close friends that if I call and tell them to get to the top of the hospital (tallest, strongest structure in out town), to do it. I get USGS updates texted to me if there's a 6.0 or higher anywhere in the world. That's not even mentioning fires plague our state annually or the hurricanes that skirt us each year. Were playing with fire, so to speak...

Be safe!

[Phillip Seibel]

I'm actually pretty big into this stuff, too.  I've been getting prepared one bit at a time.  What I currently have is a backpack for each member of my family with 72 hours worth of food, clothing, emergency shelter, water filtration, etc. so that if we have to bug out in a hurry, we can just grab those bags, throw them in the van, and go.  I also got a ham radio license, since the communication infrastructure for an emergency often relies, at least initially, on ham operators, and I'd like to be able to tap into that infrastructure if I need to in an emergency.

For more resources, you might want to see if you have a local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) nearby.  It's an organization of volunteers, usually sponsored by a police or fire department in the area, that is trained to provide disaster response in a community during a time when professional .gov resources are overtaxed and won't be able to get to your area for up to three days.  CERT's typically offer some type of free training that you can use in handling yourself, your family, and your neighbors if a disaster hits.

[George]

I'm not much prepared but I did give it some thought when I designed my system - planned solar/batteries into the start up costs.  I expect it will keep everything alive during a long term power outage but also hope to never test it.

[Bob Rogers aka The White Lion]

This is common sense and I agree !  Being prepared for any kind of emergency is just plain good common sense. It doesn’t make a difference if where you live you don’t have tsunamis, hurricanes, avalanches, earthquakes or whatever kind of emergency you can think of. We are all subject to some kind of emergency no matter what part of the world you live in.

I have an extra room in my home where I have assembled a number of sturdy steel storage shelves, which can be purchased from Costco, Lowe’s, or Home Depot. 

I can survive for six months if required, because I have stocked up a wide selection of necessities; foods, dried, freeze-dried, canned goods, etc. in a wide assortment, to include large #10 cans of beans, vegetables, fruits and other high caloric foods.  ( You will need plenty of calories during an emergency ) I have stored toilet paper  ( you don’t want to use your hands ) paper towels, matches, both regular wooden stick and waterproof matches, solid-fuel for solid-fuel stoves ( get these from a surplus store or on-line ) they can be very handy. I think Coleman Surplus still sells the Military “ Multi-Fuel “ stove and if they do, get one because they are the best. You can use gasoline, alcohol, ( not rubbing alcohol but Methanol alcohol )  white gas and even diesel fuel if the need arises. I have had one for thirty years and it has never failed me.  There are so many different things to have. 

Do NOT buy a cheap or inexpensive tent. If you buy a cheap tent and it falls apart during a windstorm or a rainstorm, what have you saved ??  you’ll end up cold, wet and tired and the body can’t afford that during an emergency. Being cold, wet and tired can kill.

Get a quality tent and you’ll be much better off, happy and warm if and when it’s needed.

If you have any serious questions about what to stock up on, go to your local bookstore and ask someone to show you the “ survival section “. 

Select a number of different books and then sit down and look for the “ Survival Lists “, Don’t forget to take a pad of paper and a pen or pencil with you.  Copy down what you really need from several different lists.  Each author has their own primary and secondary favorite items to have. Then chose the things that would make you happy, if you had to survive for a month without regular services. That will provide you with a solid list to work from. Then get busy building your supplies.

Do not store for a week … you need to store for a one month minimum but shoot for six months to be safe and certain, the emergency could last a week or it could last much longer but if you only stored for a week, you are going to be in real trouble.

Also, remember that when times get really bad, Ammunition becomes worth more than money and you can use it more effectively to purchase the things you will really need.

There are so many variables and choices to make but they all depend on your individual choices and what you regard as important to survive.

One final word on storing emergency supplies; Your friendly federal government Nazi’s, the one’s you elected to represent you ? They have a Federal Law against “ Hording “. They could …. And would take what you have stored if they can get to it. Do not expect friendly people from the government to come and assist you. THEY WILL TAKE IT ALL.

So make sure that you have enough hidden for yourself and your family. They are NOT to be trusted. I don’t care what you have been told.

If you don’t believe me … http://thecomingcrisis.blogspot.com/2012/07/federal-anti-hoarding-l...

The link is one of a number regarding what the politicians call “ Hording “.

Smart Citizens, Decent Citizens, Law Abiding Citizens call it being prepared, just like the “ Boy Scout Motto “ says … “ Be Prepared “.

I also have stored gasoline and methanol alcohol for use in my vehicle. If you store gasoline, you will need a     “ storage preservative “ for the gas so it won’t go bad.  Make sure that if you store these items that they also can’t be easily found by people looking for your emergency supplies. Your life depends on these things.

I also recommend that if you have a good bicycle, preferably a Mountain Bike, make sure you have extra tubes ( puncture proof tubes ) and tires. I recommend the puncture proof tubes because they are heavy duty tubes and give you better service, especially when there might be a lot of debris and trash lying around. A good mountain bike is good to have for getting around if you don't have a vehicle, or you are out of gas. It is far better than walking and you can add a bike trailer, which doesn't cost a lot.

Being prepared for any kind of emergency is just plain good common sense.

If you were in the military or are still, you can’t beat their survival courses. I went through Aircrew Survival and it was the best course I ever had. I wouldn’t want to be forced to live that way but if I had to, I could survive with the training I received.  The code word of course is “ Survive “.  You need to survive until help arrives.

I hope this additional information will get you thinking about basic survival.

It does no good after the emergency if you are not prepared before it happens. If you aren’t prepared, you’ll probably end up as a statistic and looters get shot.

[Andrea Mills]

Canning is a nice and probably more healthy alternative to buying canned goods at the store. Nothing beats coming home from work and opening a jar of homemade beansoup for a nice meal in just minutes. I wouldn't say we are preppers (we don't do survival drills and we don't stockpile 500 tons of rice and beans in a secret bug-out location) but being prepared, especially in hard economic times, makes you sleep a little easier. We are planning to preserve most of the food we grow in 2013. We cook with propane and have solar cells, power outage isn't that big of a deal. We've been through several hurricanes here in Florida. In our location the winds aren't that bad and we aren't prone to flooding. Worst thing is lack of A/C in the summer, everything else we can deal with. I believe everyone should be prepared and have at least a few months of food and supplies to get by with. Drove me nuts to see the folks up in NJ not having anything to eat and basically not being prepared at all. I would hate to have to rely on the government to provide. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail!