Emergency Preparedness

[Lily&Me]

We have been tallking for some months about preparing a "bug-out bag", to grab at home or when we are traveling, in the event of an extreme emergency/natural disaster.

We dislike putting ourselves in survivalist mode (actually, we did that for years in another context) but the likelihood that we will experience at some point a natural disaster seems good.

Are ready to stop talking and put some things together, and would like to hear what others are doing along this line.

Our initial list is as follows:

First aid kit
Water purification tablets
Emergency blankets
Waterproof matches
One medium size pot
Single burner butane stove/butane cannisters
Small supply of dried foods...???

Are less concerned about food, as I think that would be available from one source or another. Thinking dried items which would cover a few days.

What's in your bug-out bag?


Maggie

[ROBERT CROSS]

Well Maggie....you asked.

Some tip's for the community to remember….


You can make a fire by vigorously rubbing elk together, Also beavers. Rub those beavers.

You can make a signal fire by burning Celine Dion CDs.

There’s no need to be afraid of strange noises in the night. Anything that intends you harm will stalk you silently.

If you encounter a black bear, attempt to cross the road or distract it with rap music.

If you encounter a grizzly bear, attempt to punch it in the eye. This will not scare the bear off, but you’re dead anyway so you don’t want to go out like a wus.

You can determine which direction is north by asking someone.
Failing that, float a stick on a still body of water. North will be the direction that is opposite of south.

Never make RIGHT turns when you’re lost in a forest. Right turns attract left wing zombies.

Punch squirrels to vent your frustrations

Plant a garden. Vegetables can sustain you if you plan on sitting still for the better part of a growing season. And you have vegetable seeds handy.

If you brought a cow, milk it.

Bob

[Lily&Me]

Oh, Bob, you just can't help yourself.

Add to the list:

Fire starter
Flashlight/extra batteries
Leatherman-type multi-tool
Personal medications


Maggie

[aftermath]

Maggie,

When you talk about a "bug out bag" or "emergency preparedness" you really are getting into a survival sort of scenario. This is going to take an ugly turn soon. It won't be long before you hear about guns and ammo, lots of both and the bigger the better. It saddens me to know that we have a population out there who see gloom and doom just around the corner.

I choose to think otherwise and to get back to your topic, I guess I would plan for a short lived inconvenience rather than a life threatening event. If you are thinking in terms of your Airstream, you probably should keep the water tank full, have full propane tanks and charged batteries. Some extra clothes, a flashlight and some food should do it.

If you are of the gloom and doom crowd, it isn't going to matter much either way. Just park the trailer at your favorite place and enjoy your last few days........sheesh, that sounds pretty silly, but then.......

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by doug&maggie

We have been tallking for some months about preparing a "bug-out bag", to grab at home or when we are traveling, in the event of an extreme emergency/natural disaster.

Our initial list is as follows:

First aid kit
Water purification tablets
Emergency blankets
Waterproof matches
One medium size pot
Single burner butane stove/butane cannisters
Small supply of dried foods...???

Living in a hurricane-prone area, the contents of a bug-out bag are near and dear to me.

The key is, have a plan. Know what kind of emergency you're planning for. I plan for hurricanes, which put me in the position of planning to either bug out or hunker down, as appropriate. People planning for blizzards would plan to hunker down because it may not be safe to bug out. People planning for forest fires will need to bug out because hunkering down may not be safe. People planning for earthquakes or tornadoes will have to ride out the event because of short warning, and then deal with loss of municipal services— and maybe their homes—afterward and so will have different needs as well.

For me, I'll hunker down for a Cat-1 or Cat-2 hurricane, and bug out for a Cat-3 or worse. As soon as New Orleans is in the NOAA "cone of uncertainty" meaning 3 to 5 days before the eye makes landfall, or 2 to 4 days before the leading edge does, I make my decision to go or stay. If I decide to go, my first choice of destination, as long as the storm isn't predicted to cross my route, is the family homestead in Oklahoma. But I also have several campgrounds in mind, all of which are between 6 and 12 hours driving time north of New Orleans, as fall-back plans.

I actually have TWO emergency kits, a hunker-down kit and a bug-out kit. Each has a different purpose and different contents. The hunker-down kit is for a storm that's not bad enough to bug out for (Cat-1 or Cat-2), and it includes those things I'll need to get through a significant interruption of municipal services. Emphasis on bottled drinking water, foods that don't need to be refrigerated OR cooked, first aid supplies, Wet Ones© for waterless personal hygeine, up-to-date prescriptions, emergency communications. I also do my laundry a day before the storm is expected to hit, so that I'll have a couple weeks' worth of clean clothing to wear if it takes that long for the power to return.

The bug-out kit consists of everything I need to take on the road, to make sure I can get out of the affected area, and to cover those things that would be difficult to replace while away from home. Given that I plan to bug out with my Interstate, most of the daily essentials will already be there, just as they would be for a camping trip. But things that need to be added at the start of hurricane season are:
Paper copies of my prescriptions, including my eyeglasses prescription as well as medication prescriptions.
Personal documents, including (copies of) registration and title to my vehicles, birth certificate, a recent pay stub and bank statement, and others.
Contact info for my doctors, family, etc. so if something happens emergency responders will know who to call.
A laptop and/or a tablet computer, for online banking and bill-paying.
My Verizon MiFi.
Chargers for my portable electronics.
Two 5-gallon cans of diesel to extend my driving range in case all of the stations along the way are closed for the storm or sold out.
During hurricane season, I keep my Airstream Interstate ready to go at all times; full tank of diesel, full propane, full fresh water, empty gray water, empty black water, full closet, full pantry. That way, I just hook up my toad, load the toad like it was a trailer with stuff I don't need while camping but don't want to leave behind to be destroyed, and drive off.
Just before bugging out, I'd transfer as much of the contents of my home fridge to my Airstream's fridge as will fit, so that it doesn't spoil during the inevitable power outage.

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by aftermath

Maggie,

When you talk about a "bug out bag" or "emergency preparedness" you really are getting into a survival sort of scenario. This is going to take an ugly turn soon. It won't be long before you hear about guns and ammo, lots of both and the bigger the better. It saddens me to know that we have a population out there who see gloom and doom just around the corner.

If you are of the gloom and doom crowd, it isn't going to matter much either way. Just park the trailer at your favorite place and enjoy your last few days........sheesh, that sounds pretty silly, but then.......

Good point.

Just to be clear, we are talking about being prepared for natural disasters here....earthquake, tornado, hurricane.

I would like to ask that folks not focus on the gloom and doom stuff, guns/ammo and bunkers, etc.

Serious suggestions, please.


Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Great suggestions, Protag.



Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Hand sanitizer.
Baby wipes.


Maggie

[Protagonist]

One thing I forgot to mention, for my hunker-down kit is CASH. Quite a bit of it, in denominations of $20 or less. After riding out a storm, it might be a long time before power is restored, but some essential businesses will reopen on a cash-only basis (and inflated prices, no doubt) during the power outage so having cash on hand is a way to hold out until credit/debit cards are usable again.

On the other hand, the bug-out kit doesn't need so much cash, because I'l be traveling to places where there's no problem using credit/debit cards.

[eubank]

For us, it depends on the season, but always deals with our wheeled machines. During the winter here, accessibility is a big deal: If you can start a vehicle, but can't move it because it's buried in snow and ice, it's useless. We keep the heavy snow chains on the truck all winter, and we spend a good deal of time moving snow with the tractor - because it's important to be able to get out (even if that means just driving to the grocery store). The other dangerous season is "fire season," May and June in this area. Living next to a national forest can be a little freaky, especially if there are dry, windy thunderstorms (or insane, campfire-obsessed campers) about. During this period, we try to make sure that the truck and the Airstream are relatively ready to roll out.

In truth, we shouldn't worry too much about forest fire. Our little patch of the valley is one of the more defensible "safe zones," where people would be brought/sent in case of catastrophic fire in the area. Even so, having seen major forest fires too close for comfort, one gets the heebie-jeebies about it.


Lynn

[Lily&Me]

For us, locally, the disaster would be a hit from a major tornado, or possibly an earthquake.

We did sit out a hurricane out east a couple of summers ago, also an earthquake that same summer. We moved inland for the hurricane, the earthquake just happened. If we had been closer to the epicenter, it could have been much more dangerous for us.

We would like to think we would not lose the Interstate, wherever we were, but you just don't know. We would leave it to take shelter, if traveling, would also have to leave our house if a major tornado were headed our direction, as we are on a slab.

One thing we have learned from these F4's+, is that your only real chance of survival is underground. We do not have underground where we live, would have to leave everything and head to my son's basement a mile away.

Add to the list:

Pet food


Maggie

[RickDavis]

I would have to disagree that a vehicle that won't move is useless. a handicap maybe.
It still offers shelter and if it runs a source of heat and a radio to get information on what is going on.
I would also be sure to have some form of food because most sources operate on a just in time stocking basis. I would hate to ride the horse to the store only to find out all that was left was canned brussel sprouts.

[Len n Jeanne]

I you had your AS with you, it would probably contain most of what you need, minus any important documents, family photos-- anything portable you wouldn't wish to lose.

We do sometimes camp in remote areas. Because there is an odd chance that we couldn't get out for some reason (like a road wash-out or mechanical failure,) we make sure we always have wilderness camping-type stuff on hand.

Our general rule of thumb is that if you really count on something while you're camping, take a back-up along. This might be a camping stove, a jerry can of water, spare sleeping bags, or a few days' worth of foods that don't require refrigeration.

If we got into a futuristic doomsday scenario I'd prefer hunker-down mode at home. We have a super group of neighbours and I think we would support and look after each other. We have a lot of stored food to share, and as former farmers and truckers, the guys are really handly with tools. Firewood is abundant throughout rural BC.

I notice that so often the doomsday scenarios involve a lone household unit struggling on its own. I think there is strength in the group, because you can help each other.

On the other hand, people do evacuate parts of BC sometimes in the summer, on short notice, due to forest fire threats. Then the Bug Out bag makes sense if you couldn't take your AS with you for some reason. But then I'm not sure you'd need emergency supplies because you'd just be traveling to a safe area where everything functions.

[Lily&Me]

I remember a news clip after Hurricane Sandy, of a man with an AS trailer who was sheltering and feeding his family out of his trailer.

He had plenty of water and propane, so met all their needs in his driveway, while power outages and infrastructure destruction surrounded them.


Maggie

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by RickDavis

I would have to disagree that a vehicle that won't move is useless. a handicap maybe.
It still offers shelter and if it runs a source of heat and a radio to get information on what is going on.

It has been a long time since I lived in snow country, but a snowed-in vehicle IS useless, and dangerous, compared to staying in an equally snowed-in building. At least the building won't choke you with carbon monoxide.

I would also be sure to have some form of food because most sources operate on a just in time stocking basis. I would hate to ride the horse to the store only to find out all that was left was canned brussel sprouts.

I agree there; as I said in my earlier post, my hunker-down kit includes food that doesn't require cooking or refrigeration. Trail mix and canned goods are your friends. My bug-out kit includes less food, because presumably I'll be driving out of the affected area, to someplace where food is more readily available. But I'd still need a couple day's worth.

Another essential for a hunker-down kit is entertainment. Books, board games, something to keep you amused (without using electricty) while you're sitting around waiting for conditions to improve.

And if you're one of those people who would lie awake worrying when you should be sleeping, make sure to include sleep aids. Not getting enough sleep during a natural disaster is a good way to bring on a case of the stupids.

Not really mentioned much up to this point, but a bug-out kit should include at least the basics necessary to stay on the road. I recall during my evacuation before Hurricane Katrina, lots of cars stranded by the side of the road, overheated or out of fuel, or with flat tires. Antifreeze, motor oil, jumper cables, a gas can if you have a place to store it, should definitely be part of the bug-out kit.

[nsbcpa]

Having experienced a F3 tornado in addition to multiple hurricanes I would add:

-Hard copies of Passwords and hard copies of recent financial documents.
-Make copies of important documents, ie passport, drivers license, and email them to yourself
-Make a list of valuable items that may not be in your bug out kit but that you might want to take with you in a hurry.
-Inflatable mattress because you never know where your next nights sleep may come.

[Sbb]

I always travel with my old glaases, if mine were to break or get lost, i would be in serious trouble of not being able to see well enough to drive. At least the old perscription is better than none at all.

[Lily&Me]

So many things just one of us would not think of.

I always travel with the glasses and my last pair of contact lenses (gas-permeable).

My biggest fear is an emergency that finds me without corrective lenses.......then stumbling around, legally blind, falling into holes, walking off precipices, etc., etc.



Maggie

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by doug&maggie

So many things just one of us would not think of.

I always travel with the glasses and my last pair of contact lenses (gas-permeable).

My biggest fear is an emergency that finds me without corrective lenses.......then stumbling around, legally blind, falling into holes, walking off precipices, etc., etc.

Which is why you should carry a copy of your glasses prescription. That way you can get new glasses made if necessary— anywhere you happen to be— without having to get a new eye exam first.

I always have three pairs of prescription glasses at any one time, all with the same frame style. One pair polarized sunglasses, one Transitions, one clear. Plus a copy of my latest prescription.

[robwok]

wow. These are some great ideas. Of course, you can't kill a zombie with an EYEGLASS PRESCRIPTION!!!!

just kidding.

I'm restoring my trailer, and hope to keep it stocked well enough to where if there was a storm, fire, etc. I could just drive out. It was odd to watch the destruction and misery of folks affected by Hurrican Sandy, and if they just drove an hour away, everything was normal.

I feel like I have enough friends and family, that I'd only be an hour away in several directions to find a driveway that would welcome me.

I would say to keep the trailer stocked with whatever you need for 3 days. Then, you can throw either extra clothes, food, etc if you need to leave. Maybe a case of tasty meal bars or protein shakes. Average over the counter meds. Maybe some collapsable water bags.

I liked the spare chargers idea and entertainment. I don't want to think about the pet food. Our dog gets carsick after only 2 miles. She may just have to survive the "event" on her own.