In the past couple of hours I have fielded phone calls from friends/family in the path of Hurricane Irene. They wanted to do what they could get right damn now to be prepared for the storm.
Here's what I told them:
Get to a full grocery store, Family Dollar, Dollar General, Wal-Mart or Target or similar store.
Buy 5 gallons of water (at Family Dollar it is 1 buck a gallon). That's for drinking and cooking only. Many places will end up sending out *boil water* orders because their water treatment plants will be flooded, etc. Having ready water to drink will be a relief. Buy 10 gallons if you have a large family.
Buy ready to eat foods. Nuts, dried fruit, trail mix, a box or two of crackers, some peanut butter and bread, anything you don't have to refrigerate or cook. Canned tuna and canned ham or chicken, too.
Buy 1 or 2 tarps. High winds and rain may cause roof leaks or break a window. Tarps can help you reduce or mitigate damage.
If you have a grill, get a bottle or two of propane or if not a gas grill, get charcoal briquets and lighter fluid. If the power goes out for a few days, you'll need this to cook on. The food in your refrigerator should be the first things you cook, then the foods in your freezer.
Buy a cooler and buy a couple of bags of ice to save refrigerated foods if the power goes out. Keep the ice in your freezer until it starts to melt a bit.Then transfer it and your thawing foods to the cooler.
In fact, make as much ice as you can right now! Fill empty 2 liter bottles 3/4 way full and put in freezer where-ever you can fit them in. They will keep your frozen foods frozen longer.
Buy flashlights and batteries NOW. Also some candles. The dark is scary to most people, even more so to small children. Never leave small kids alone in a room with a lit candle. Remember matches and/or lighters.
Buy a manual can opener. Most folks forget this!
Buy paper plates, plastic utensils and aluminum foil. Easy to clean up. Make sure you have trash bags. You can cook in aluminum foil. Get the heavy duty type, so you can cook on the grill or over a campfire.
Move valuables out of basements or any other place where water may flood. If you think it necessary, park your vehicles on higher ground.
Buy a roll of duct tape Tape windows or use to tape up tarps, etc if windows break.
That is the quick basics.
Realize that you should ALWAYS have the above items on hand.
Showing posts with label emergency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label emergency. Show all posts
Friday, August 26, 2011
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Chilean Earthquake, Haiti Earthquake, Argentine Earthquake, Japanese Earthquake..
First Haiti.
Then Japan last week (not a HUGE one, but big enough)
Then Chile and Argentina within 24 hours of each other.
If you do not have water and food stored for emergencies:
WHY NOT!???
Do you think you somehow live a charmed life and nothing that bad will happen to you and your loved ones?
Do you shrug off the responsibility of preparing for yourself and your family because "The government or our church or our family or SOMEBODY" will take care of you?
It does NOT work that way.
What will you do when there is no drinkable water and one of your kids tells you he/she is so very thirsty?
Have you ever gone hungry? I mean REALLY gone hungry...three, four, five days or a week with no food at all?
Many people in the countries above are experiencing that RIGHT NOW.
As you read this, in the comfort of your warm home, with a flushing toilet, a cabinet stocked with snacks and a phone to call Dominos, people are sleeping in the street in those countries. Some are dying of thirst or hunger.
Yet some of you out there still don't have food or water storage to insure your own families well being. You don't have a tent or, at least, tarps and para-cord to make shelter. No water filter. No 72 hour (bug out) bag.
Do you have a way to boil water or cook food if the power and natural gas from your local friendly utility company is n longer flowing?
Do you have an adequate first aid kit? Back-up medications or medical equipment for family members that may need it?
I knowing I am beating a dead horse here (and preaching to the choir for some of you, if we want to keep going down cliche' road)
If you watched the news today, you saw what happened when they issued the tsunami warning in Hawaii. Did you see the people buying anything and everything out of the grocery stores?
Did you hear the comment that Hawaii (the ENTIRE state) has, at best, a FIVE DAY supply of food for it's citizens? That includes everything in the stores, everything in warehouses and so on. They also said the average household in Hawaii has only a TWO DAY supply of food in their home.
Here's an assignment for next week, if you care to take the challenge.
No shopping. You live with what you have. Monday until next Saturday. No shopping after you read this, either!
At least 4 meals have to made SOLELY out of what you have in your food storage.
That's right, roll out a #10 can of wheat and get to grinding...or just soak and cook in a crockpot...or even start sprouting. I hope you have some tasty food storage...wheat, all by itself, can get boring!
If you have no *food storage* in place, then just live with what is currently in your cabinets, fridge and freezer.
Oh...I am going to go easy on you and not insist you use up your stored water...or if you have none, go without. That would just be cruel. But at least THINK about how difficult it would be not to have water at the turn of a tap.
If some of you break down and call Domino's by Thursday afternoon, I'll understand. I won't be happy about it, but I will understand.
Remember...we have many earthquake faults in this country, too.
Then Japan last week (not a HUGE one, but big enough)
Then Chile and Argentina within 24 hours of each other.
If you do not have water and food stored for emergencies:
WHY NOT!???
Do you think you somehow live a charmed life and nothing that bad will happen to you and your loved ones?
Do you shrug off the responsibility of preparing for yourself and your family because "The government or our church or our family or SOMEBODY" will take care of you?
It does NOT work that way.
What will you do when there is no drinkable water and one of your kids tells you he/she is so very thirsty?
Have you ever gone hungry? I mean REALLY gone hungry...three, four, five days or a week with no food at all?
Many people in the countries above are experiencing that RIGHT NOW.
As you read this, in the comfort of your warm home, with a flushing toilet, a cabinet stocked with snacks and a phone to call Dominos, people are sleeping in the street in those countries. Some are dying of thirst or hunger.
Yet some of you out there still don't have food or water storage to insure your own families well being. You don't have a tent or, at least, tarps and para-cord to make shelter. No water filter. No 72 hour (bug out) bag.
Do you have a way to boil water or cook food if the power and natural gas from your local friendly utility company is n longer flowing?
Do you have an adequate first aid kit? Back-up medications or medical equipment for family members that may need it?
I knowing I am beating a dead horse here (and preaching to the choir for some of you, if we want to keep going down cliche' road)
If you watched the news today, you saw what happened when they issued the tsunami warning in Hawaii. Did you see the people buying anything and everything out of the grocery stores?
Did you hear the comment that Hawaii (the ENTIRE state) has, at best, a FIVE DAY supply of food for it's citizens? That includes everything in the stores, everything in warehouses and so on. They also said the average household in Hawaii has only a TWO DAY supply of food in their home.
Here's an assignment for next week, if you care to take the challenge.
No shopping. You live with what you have. Monday until next Saturday. No shopping after you read this, either!
At least 4 meals have to made SOLELY out of what you have in your food storage.
That's right, roll out a #10 can of wheat and get to grinding...or just soak and cook in a crockpot...or even start sprouting. I hope you have some tasty food storage...wheat, all by itself, can get boring!
If you have no *food storage* in place, then just live with what is currently in your cabinets, fridge and freezer.
Oh...I am going to go easy on you and not insist you use up your stored water...or if you have none, go without. That would just be cruel. But at least THINK about how difficult it would be not to have water at the turn of a tap.
If some of you break down and call Domino's by Thursday afternoon, I'll understand. I won't be happy about it, but I will understand.
Remember...we have many earthquake faults in this country, too.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Emergency Drills
Every family out there should do this at least once a month.
Pick a day. Weekday, weekend, doesn't matter.
Now, turn off your power.
That's right, go switch those breakers OFF.
Leave them off for 24 hours.
If it is not possible for you to do this, because of where you live or other reasons, sit down with a pad of paper and imagine your house hold without power.
Better yet, stretch it out and imagine being in that situation for a week...two weeks...a month.
In your location, what are your priorities?
If in a cold climate or season, is heating covered?
Do you have a way to cook?
What about water? For cooking, bathing, etc.?
How long will your food supplies last?
If you have kids, did you stash some games and activities away from them? (Board games, coloring books and crayons, other *low-tech* activities)
Did you stash away some amusements for yourself?
If you are doing your drill *for real*, take notes.
I thought *I* had everything covered until I did this drill last month.
I discovered I had not stashed enough *amusements* for myself.
I had my books, but actual *activities* were not present.
I went to Goodwill and a couple of other thrift stores and added some *fun* things to my preps.
Scrabble game. Monopoly. Yahtzee. I already had a chess board.
I even tossed some coloring books, colored pencils and crayons into the mix!
It may seem frivolous, but boredom is a bad thing!
Other Emergency Drills good for families:
Set your alarm for 3am.
When it goes off, see how long it takes you to get your family outside with your BOBs, your FAK and other essentials ready to go.
In cases of emergency evacuation, you may only have a few minutes to grab and go. (Think Hurricane Ike, Hurricane Katrina, tsunamis, earthquakes., fire, etc.)
It is imperative that you be able to *grab and go* in under 10 minutes. Next time, try for 8 minutes and so on. Cut your time to 5 minutes if possible.
Most evacuation plans will involve you taking your vehicle.
I keep an *Emergency Kit* in my car.
Since I drive a small van, I have a rubbermaid tote in the very back
In it:
Number 10 cans of: wheat, rice, beans, oats, flour. (1 each)
10 baby food jars with spices.
10 baby food jars with my *powders*.
10 baby food jars with teas and herbs.
1 pair sneakers
6 pairs socks
2 pair jeans
4 tee shirts (2 long sleeve, 2 short sleeve)
4 pairs underwear
6 candles
2 lighters, 5 boxes of matches
4 gallons water
Small first Aid Kit
I also have an Emergency Car Kit that includes 2 cans of *Fix a Flat*, a set of jumper cables, and other car necessities.
If you are able, you can put together a kit and store it in your trunk. I suggest putting it in a Rubbermaid tote for organizations sake.
Pick a day. Weekday, weekend, doesn't matter.
Now, turn off your power.
That's right, go switch those breakers OFF.
Leave them off for 24 hours.
If it is not possible for you to do this, because of where you live or other reasons, sit down with a pad of paper and imagine your house hold without power.
Better yet, stretch it out and imagine being in that situation for a week...two weeks...a month.
In your location, what are your priorities?
If in a cold climate or season, is heating covered?
Do you have a way to cook?
What about water? For cooking, bathing, etc.?
How long will your food supplies last?
If you have kids, did you stash some games and activities away from them? (Board games, coloring books and crayons, other *low-tech* activities)
Did you stash away some amusements for yourself?
If you are doing your drill *for real*, take notes.
I thought *I* had everything covered until I did this drill last month.
I discovered I had not stashed enough *amusements* for myself.
I had my books, but actual *activities* were not present.
I went to Goodwill and a couple of other thrift stores and added some *fun* things to my preps.
Scrabble game. Monopoly. Yahtzee. I already had a chess board.
I even tossed some coloring books, colored pencils and crayons into the mix!
It may seem frivolous, but boredom is a bad thing!
Other Emergency Drills good for families:
Set your alarm for 3am.
When it goes off, see how long it takes you to get your family outside with your BOBs, your FAK and other essentials ready to go.
In cases of emergency evacuation, you may only have a few minutes to grab and go. (Think Hurricane Ike, Hurricane Katrina, tsunamis, earthquakes., fire, etc.)
It is imperative that you be able to *grab and go* in under 10 minutes. Next time, try for 8 minutes and so on. Cut your time to 5 minutes if possible.
Most evacuation plans will involve you taking your vehicle.
I keep an *Emergency Kit* in my car.
Since I drive a small van, I have a rubbermaid tote in the very back
In it:
Number 10 cans of: wheat, rice, beans, oats, flour. (1 each)
10 baby food jars with spices.
10 baby food jars with my *powders*.
10 baby food jars with teas and herbs.
1 pair sneakers
6 pairs socks
2 pair jeans
4 tee shirts (2 long sleeve, 2 short sleeve)
4 pairs underwear
6 candles
2 lighters, 5 boxes of matches
4 gallons water
Small first Aid Kit
I also have an Emergency Car Kit that includes 2 cans of *Fix a Flat*, a set of jumper cables, and other car necessities.
If you are able, you can put together a kit and store it in your trunk. I suggest putting it in a Rubbermaid tote for organizations sake.
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