Are you Prepared?

[Boyd]

With the crisis in Haiti going on, right off our own coast it has made me once again think about my preparations and disaster readiness. There is an island nation that can not get enough help fast enough and in many cases folks are now fleeing the cities for the countryside to get help/food/medical attention. There isn't a lot of law and order from what I've read right now as the country is in ruins.

Ok, so this is how it relates to us here in the USA ... (or whichever country you are from) If a natural or man made disaster knocked out all major water/sanitation/food/transportation/medical/ how many folks are prepared enough to last the amount of time needed for a relief effort? As bad as it sounds, how long until looting, shooting, roving gangs start to effect the populace who wasn't prepared?

A thought provoking article I just read this morning... If you turned off your main breaker in the house.. shut off your water at the main and tossed your car keys.... how long would you be able to survive? how long would your preps last you? If the worst did happen could you defend your family from the hungry, sick, and lonely who want what you have?

 

[Goose and Fig]

We've been pretty much camping since last May. No fridge, wood fires for heat, candles at night. Except for being able to get ice- I think we'd be fine. I just worry about my family in the city.

Looks like they just had another quake.

 

[chickenmamalp]

thought provoking thanks!

 

[Boyd]

What would most do for water? In michigan where I live I am never more than walking distance from any water source, but much of the land is covered in ice and snow half the year anyways

I have a had driven well that i use for gardening, but in a pinch that would also work for emergency situations.

 

[CedarRidgeChicks]

My major concerns would be prescriptive meds..and water. We are near several creeks that run most of the time and have a well (sulphur-ugh..

) that is run with a gas motor..but we don't keep much gas on hand..food, lighting, and heat we have covered..need to revamp the first aid kit..have been thinking about this since the Haiti disaster.....

What do most feel is a good amount to stockpile..30 days..3mo..etc?

 

[AHappychick]

I am ready have been for years. Wont list everything I have but lets just say unless it is a chemical attack (and dont think I have not priced out NIOSH approved chemical suits and masks ) I am all set.

Aside from having everything wwe need and much more in the house. All of my friends and family have very specific directions on where we will go (house in AZ) with directions to that house from every bridge and tunnel in my area. This way no matter what happens we have an escape route. The home we would be heading to has everything we need and is set ontop a mountain with a great view (locked and loaded if need be) generators and the temp is mild.

There are a few things I would love to have like a camper/trailer that is also a boat and a armor plated vehicle, but dont have the funds and everyone thinks I am crazy as is.

 

[Boyd]

since water isn't a major concern where I currently am I try to stock food. Real life situation for me.... I am what my dad calls a crazy survival guy. My dried and canned foods were enough to make the wife question my sanity. Lost my job a year and a month ago. I am still fat n sassy

In times of plenty I stock up on long term storable foods... but I think for situations like what's going on in haiti, 2 months minimun food n water storage per person... or a good bug out location.

http://www.survivalreportblog.com/Food_storage.html a site i frequent. here's where he details for .62$ a day per person, you can put up a years worth of food.

 

[grandmaof5]

I've even noticed that the gubberment has recently been showing ads on tv to have a week's worth of water and food at all times; as recently as a few months ago the recommendations were for 3 days' worth. It appears they've ramped up the amounts they say to have...

Water and meds seem to be the most important, with food and clothing next...

 

[Ridgerunner]

Can I address this from the viewpoint of someone who was living in the NewOrleans area when Katrina hit? I know you can find a lot of this on Survivalist sites, but I'll give my take.

We did evacuate for Katrina and my job was moved to Houstion immediately afterwards, but my children and three other kids (late teens and early 20's) lived in our house as soon as they were allowed back. I believe Katrina qualifies a bit when you are talking about a man-made and natural disaster. And while the media tends to distort the information they give out so don'tbelieve everything you see, almost 2000 people died because of Katrina, many of those deaths extremely unpleasant. It truly was a disaster.

Let me mention law and order first. I see a big difference in someone who breaks into some place to take advantage of a chance to steal goods that will make them rich and someone who is hungry or thirsty, or has kids who are hungry and thirsty, and breaks into a place to get food and water, especially if that food is going to spoil soon and nobody is going to use it if you don't. You can draw your own line where one bleeds over into the other. And if Boyd has plenty of food and is protecting it with an arsenal and you have hungry kids, who has the right to the food? It might depend on your perspective. How much charity do you have in your heart when it is your neighbors going hungry, but if you help, you risk your kids going hungry? It is a time that tries your soul. Just "food" for thought.

To provide relief and distribute supplies, law and order has to be provided. You cannot have people stealing relief supplies and threatening relief workers and get anything done. And desperate people are going to be desperate. I think it may be pertinent to add here that I've noticed in working overseas in affluent and poor countries and here in the US that where you have sufficient supplies, you normally have people waiting patiently in line. When the supplies are limited and will probably run out, long patient lines are not customary. People climb over each other, shout, claw, do whatever is necessary to get part of that limited supply. For those my age, think Cabbage Patch Dolls that are actually necessary for you and your kids to stay alive.

As far as what was actually required, when things did finally get organized, the thing as they were handing out were food, water, and ice. All were necessary, but a neighbor that stayed even when he was not allowed said he could manage for quite some time without replendishing his food and water (he did stock up before it hit) but he would have to leave if they stopped handing out the ice. It was hot in New Orleans after Katrina. In some areas and at some times, ice would not be as critical. So stock up on food and water or have a dependable supply that does not depend on electricity.

You can expect to not have electricity or running water. You say, I have a generator so I'm covered. Do you crank it once a month to make sure it works when you need it? Remember that fuel will become very rare and precious. Do you have enough fuel safely stored? The purpose of electricity is not to provide light. You don't want to advertise that you have something that others want by shining lights in a dark world. The electricity is for cooking, keeping refrigerators or freezers working, for hot water. Even in a hot climate, you'd be amazed at how important hot water becomes. Think washing dishes and laundry, not just getting yourself clean. And water becomes precious, not just for drinking but for cooking and cleaning. Many people die in these disasters because of lack of cleanliness.

I'll end this by giving a lot of thanks to Tim, a neighor that stayed behind to protect his mother's house. He cleaned up debris, not just at his mother's house but at several houses up the street. He kept the grass mowed in the front lawns. He tried to make it look like the area had people living in it without specifically saying which house had people living in it. I think that did a lot to discourage theft at my house. And I'll give a lot of credit to the people who responded, especially the National Guard people for law and order and distributing supplies once the higher ups got their act together and allowed them to come in and help. They were good.

I was in Houston for Rita. While that was not on the scale of Katrina, for the people affected, it was horrible. The relief effort ws actually quite a bit better than the Katrina relief effort. It is possible for some people to learn, but unless the people in charge have actually been through something similar in recent memory, don't expect any help for at least a week and quite possibly longer.

Anyway, that is my take on your topic. I could go on a while, but I'll quit.

Have a nice day.

 

[texasgal]

The recent hurricanes in our area really opened our eyes. When people can't get what they need (or THINK they need) for a couple of days, they get CRAZY! We saw fights at gas station lines, on backed up roads, people trying to get into our place of work, syphening gas out of our cars in the parking lot .. etc.

If this will happen in a matter of days, what in the HECK would they do in a REAL extended emergency??

We sold our suburban house, bought 5.2 acres in the country and are preparing to be more prepared! We also have a local group of people in our area that meet up and discuss preparedness and share ideas for helping each other should the SHTF .. so to speak.

There is a sense of urgency .. and a feeling that we are getting started a bit late, but better late than never, huh??