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first off, if i were trapped in my home, with no water or power my family could last about a week. with water, 3 months easy. i believe one should always have a stockpile of food in case of any emergency, mostly financial. and if I have a friend who is in need, I always have extra food to send their way.
If i had to evacuate, I have a travel trailer that is fully stocked at all times for a 2 week trip. dried goods, canned goods and bottled water. propane fuel and gas, clothing and even tents, camp stoves, lanterns and a propane bottle refiller to fill small bottles off of a large tank. at a moments notice I just have to hitch up and go.
but I live in oregon, the only disaters were in risk of are volcanoes. Im too high for a tsunami, theres never been an earthquake of any magnitude, never a huricane, or flood, never a tornado. just those dang exploding volcanoes! BOOM! like we have ticking nuclear weapons stashed in them thar hills. never know when it will happen, and when it does, plan B hitch up and go, will be the right method.
The travel trailer is a good idea, but the only problem I see is that you're assuming the roads will be passable.
What if they're not?
I think another good idea, along with the travel trailer, is to supply a backpack or something that can be carried by a person.
Backpackers know what I'm talking about.
On the flip side, there were stories of people here in '89 after the quake that had earthquake kits, but were unable to get to them because of collasped buildings.
But still, better to have one (disaster kit) just case you do have access to your kit.
I have food and water to last some time. I have a large (heavy) bag packed with food, water, etc to last several days if I needed to "bug out". And toilet paper. Don't forget the toilet paper! Soap, hand sanitizer in case water must be rationed.
One thing I've been wondering about... Would you (would I?) share food and water with others who had none, if it meant that our supplies would run out in a day or two? Do we share, and hope "someone" comes to our aid soon enough? I guess it depends a lot on the situation.
Sierraben has a good point. I have been planning to get a backpack to pack up just for those reasons! My "bug out" bag has a lot, but is too heavy to carry far. I could leave it in the van, and take the backpack if I had to walk, or even bring it into a shelter.
Last edited by Mike Roma; Aug 31, 2005 at 05:50 PM.
I think people that live outside of the Metro Areas have a definite advantage here. We keep all supplies in Tupperware totes stored in our cargo trailer except water. Up here, I'm looking at three volcanoes off of my deck, and we're in earthquake country, even if we haven;t had one of those for awhile. then, there's always the unexpected winter weather event. Don't forget a "cash stash." ATM's don't work well when the power's out.
Whether or not one shares their food also depends on who's sharing and who needs it.
Not for myself, but you better believe I'd be involved if some 300 pound slob refused to share his last bag of potato chips with a little girl who has'int eaten lately and has'int seen her parents all day.
Water
food... a variety of foods (balanced diet) you know you like and will eat.
can opener
soap, hand sanitizer
first aid kit
poncho, or sheet of plastic
extra clothes in waterproof bag
maybe a blanket
tools (at least a "leather man")
TOILET PAPER (many forget this one!)
at least one book you are sure you will enjoy
deck of cards
radio
flashlight (LED type will last much longer)
small amount of cash (maybe some coins, too)
Bring larger amount of cash too, banks, and ATM's may not be working
any MEDICINE you may need
list of phone #'s you may want/need (if your cell phone 'dies', you will not have your #'s available that way)
emergency medical and contact info
maybe water purification tablets or...?
Adjust to space available. Small backpack, big movable container, home pantry, etc. Plan on how you will cook, and live without power at home, or elsewhere.
Please add to list... that's off the top of my head.
I don't really have anything prepared for a disasterous event. One thing I hate about living in the city is the lack of space. I'm hoping next year I can get some property and have space to be better prepared, as well as less neighbors to worry about. For those with land, you can buy 1000 gallon water storage tanks for "relatively" cheap and they'd be good to have anyway in case of a prolonged power outage. You can scrounge up all kinds of stuff to eat when need by but if you don't have water you're screwed.