On being prepared
On January 7, 2010, a 4.1 earthquake struck Silicon Valley, and before the ground stopped shaking, twitter was abuzz with snarky comments from local area residents. Along with my co-workers, I laughed at the funny tweets, and sent a silent 'thank you' to whomever governs these seismic events. Instead of hysteria, we had hilarity.
Two more quakes, or aftershocks, occured over the next two days. Then, well north of us, on January 9, 2010, a 6.5 earthquake shook the town of Eureka, CA, knocking out power and breaking glass. Nerves were frayed, but there was no loss of life.
I joked about dipping into my meager stash of emergency food that week. But you know, it really isn't very funny at all.
Were we to suffer a major disaster that cut us off from resources, we'd be largely unprepared to survive for days without assistance. It's time to get my head out of the sand, and to prepare for the unthinkable. It may take us a while, but we need to start.
Any tips on good resources for how to attack this?
Comments
You can get fully-stocked backpacks, and also sealed cans with emergency supplies-it's like a coffee can with energy bars & water purification tablets instead of coffee. But maybe a can of coffee, too. Srsly. My mom keeps one (the emergency can, not the coffee) in her car & one at work. You'll want to add a supply of your medicines to your backpack. I think if you stock up on water, and know how to turn off the gas, you'll be ahead of most folks. xo
Posted by: Jenijen | January 16, 2010 10:42 PM
I'd be up a boat without a paddle. I should get serious too. A wake-up call...
Posted by: jennyonthespot | January 19, 2010 1:58 AM
We were pretty prepared when we lived there, thanks to Y2K. We had 2 large lidded garbage cans full of canned food, and extra water. We go the kind with wheels so we could move them around. We left them outside in case the house fell. We always have an extra gas cannister for the grill.
We always have batteries on hand, but I am not sure we have a battery powered radio!
Posted by: susan | January 22, 2010 7:33 AM
If you just spend about $8 a week more than you usually spend on groceries, but dedicate that amount to purchasing basic canned and dry goods, spices, sauces, marinades etc., you will be prepared, and faster than you think. Remember when planning for food storage that dry packaged foods, including flours, cereals, and rice/pasta will need either to be stored in tightly sealed buckets or frozen in the freezer for 24-48 hours to kill the weevils. Water is a huge need; everyone in the family will need a minimum of 1 liter a day -- a gallon is better so that you are including cooking, washing. But don't try to reuse milk jugs as water storage -- the plastic breaks down too fast and they will burst. I reuse pop 2 liters a lot -- washed thorougly and then stored in a cool dark place is good. The fact that you are aware is huge -- most people aren't and then panic.
Posted by: JenniferB | January 25, 2010 5:11 PM