Monday, November 5, 2012

Being prepared

Hurricane Sandy may have come and gone, but millions are still feeling the effects of the "Frankenstorm." Fortunately the storm didn't have much of an impact where I live, we got some heavy wind and rain, but no lasting damage. But we were *supposed* to be on the main track of the storm so I made sure to prepare for it.

Unfortunately, looking at the news lately, it seems like a lot of people who were directly hit didn't prepare, and they are suffering now. So, with that in mind, I figured I'd pass along some tips for when something like this happens again.

Keep in mind what you really need to survive: food, water, and shelter.

You should keep a minimum of one week's worth of non-perishable food in your house, one month is even better. That means canned and dried foods, if you lose electricity the food in your fridge and freezer isn't going to last for very long. Also make sure that you have a manual can opener in your kitchen, nothing would be worse than having a bunch of cans and no way to open them. Start collecting your food BEFORE the crisis appears imminent. You don't want to try to stock up when everyone else is out there clearing the shelves. Another thing to keep in mind: most grocery stores only keep enough stock for three days at a time.

Make sure you have a way to cook your food. If you have a gas range you can probably use that, otherwise you'll need another option. I have a propane camp stove, it's probably older than I am but it still works just fine. Barbecue grills will work in a pinch. If you're going to rely on either of those, make sure to keep some fuel on hand. Matches are also helpful to keep around.

 Make sure you save enough water. You'll need it to drink, wash, and cook with. Depending on the size of your household that could be a lot of water. Consider options for storing water outside (like a rain barrel), and remember that you can purify water by boiling it or treating it with a tiny bit of bleach. Water purifiers and purification tablets are nice to have, but they aren't necessary.

Shelter, hopefully you'll already have this in the home you live in, but consider the time of year when you might experience a crisis. Temps in the Northeast this week are supposed to hover just above freezing, that is not good news for those still without power. Since the vast majority of modern homes are heated with electricity, you need to keep a plan in mind for how to heat your home if you lose the grid. Gas and propane powered heaters are an option, but if you use them you MUST ventilate your home to let the gas out. There have already been stories coming out of the coast about people that have died breathing their generator fumes. Don't burn your house down! If you have no other option, you can gather the household together in one room and huddle under blankets to stay warm.

Of course none of this is helpful if your house gets flattened. If you are under a mandatory evacuation order, GET OUT. Your lives are not worth the stuff in your home and you won't help anything by staying. Standing in front of your house and yelling at the storm to "go around" isn't going to work. If you do have to get out, it's not a bad idea to take food, water, blankets and a camp stove with you just in case.

Don't forget about your animals! If you have house pets, you should keep spare food on hand for them too. Have crates available if you need to grab them and go. Our horses are trickier, can you still get water for your horses if the power goes out? Do you have enough hay on hand if you can't get any for a week? (This is especially tough this year with the drought) What if you have to evacuate your horses? Will they load onto a trailer easily? Do you have a place to take them?

It's difficult to think about this stuff, literally it is. There's something called a normalcy bias that nearly all people have that makes us think bad things won't happen to us. Unfortunately they do, but if you plan ahead you can make the aftermath a lot easier for yourself and your loved ones.

 Stay safe out there.

10 comments:

  1. Its always prudent to be well prepared before an emergency situation. You have a very helpful list of things to have and do during an emergency. Glad you missed the brunt of Sandy's wrath. I've been doing hurricanes for lots of years and we were prepared. Now we just have to deal with the damage. Still now power or phone but I'm happy the cable is back!

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    1. Agreed- you have had WAY too much practice. I think you should get at least a 10 year vacation from hurricanes :)

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  2. Love this post!

    I wonder how many of those freaking out about where FEMA and the federal authorities are, are the same people who have complained all election season about big government...

    Where I live - the barely populated end of the earth - we don't expect there to be an immediate response to a disaster. And there never is.

    We, to a person, are prepared to be self sufficient and without utilities for several weeks when necessary. I've witnessed lots of sharing with and caring for your neighbors too.

    Good list. I would add one of those hand crank powered flashlight/beacon/radio/cell charger thingies + refills on all prescriptions - human and animal. :D

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    1. Good additions to the list and excellent point about having a community around you. The people around you could be the key to making it through a crisis.

      Did you hear that Romney said he'd privatize FEMA? I can see it now, the next hurricane comes through and privatized FEMA comes through looking for customers. "Would you like some help? We'll just need a credit card number first."

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    2. Well - "the 47%" are known for not being responsible for themselves... and expecting handouts. ;D

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  3. Excellent advice. We learned our lesson with the Ice Storm of 1998 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Ice_Storm_of_1998). No power, no heat. For days. Since that experience, our gas BBQ is on our deck during the winter months, with a full tank hooked on, with another tank in reserve. I have candles placed in drawers on each floor of the house, along with a lighter. There is a flashlight in the drawer of our nightstand. Our store room is always nicely stocked, for humans and dogs. :-) Our fondue pot and utensils are within reach - a nice solution to cooking the defrosting meat from your freezer without having to brave inclement weather to get to the BBQ. Board games by candle light help alleviate boredom, so we have them stored in one easy access place. And, your comment about a manual can opener is spot on. My husband brought an electric opener from his apartment when we first started living together and scoffed at me for wanting to keep my manual can opener......then came the ice storm.... :-)

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    1. More good ideas :)

      Isn't that funny about the can opener? If you've got an electric one it doesn't even occur to you to get a manual one cause you've already got a can opener!

      I hope you don't need that stash this winter, it would be nice if Sandy was weather's last hurrah for a while. If wishes were horses...

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  4. I think you have developed a very complete list. We just bought a space heater, because we realized that losing power in the winter is a lot different than losing it in July.

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    1. No kidding, especially now with "Winter Storm Athena" coming. Dun dun DUNNNNNN!

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  5. Wow. But what do some people do? Just let their horses go. What happens if you evacuate and don't have a trailer. It is just so scary. And Athena is coming. Yikes.

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