Whether you believe in a zombie apocalypse or just want to be prepared for the next large scale power outrage, having a plan and some basic items is critical. What you basic needs are doesn't change and many of the basic three - food, water and shelter are rathe generic for any type of disaster.
Your first step is to take stock of your potential threats. I call this the threat analysis. Every location is subject to a different threat analysis. I like to break this down further into natural, man made and technological disasters. Natural would be anything like hurricanes, wildfires, floods, tornados, earthquakes and the like. Man made could be as simple as a car hitting a critical utility pole, to a terrorist attack consisting of a dirty bomb, to a civil unrest and riot situation. Technological can be caused by either of the previous two types but lies more in a failure of critical infrastructures and technologies we all depend on. Examples include cell phones, electricity and running clean water.
Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy and Irene all have taught us not to take for granted getting 'help' quickly and how severe the damage may be. Those living with the risk of tornado or earthquake know all too well how quickly it can all change in mere seconds.
So a few reminders. Our government- both local, county, state and federal have some responsibility to managing disasters, responding to them and providing support from them. We as citizens cannot wholly rely on them to support us. For a host of reasons, aid may be delayed by hours, days or even weeks. While your issue is the center of your world, there are hundreds of other immediate situations and limited resources to deal with them all. Even a simple winter storm can delay critical services like EMS, fire and police response.
Threat Analysis
●Identify most common disasters that occur●Identify possible hazards with most severe impact●Consider recent or historical impacts●Identify susceptible locations in the community for specific hazards●Consider what to expect from disruption of services
From this you can start to develop a plan of what you need to keep you and your family protected. You may have a zombie defense plan or merely weather related plans, but should the unexpected happen, any plan will benefit you and your family. You should now develop a disaster plan. This is a written plan detailing the basics of what you need to do for the various threats you felt needed to be addressed. Some questions to ask are:
●Where will you meet family members? ●Who is your out-of-State “check-in” contact?●Will you have an extended stay? Shelter in place? Evacuate?●How will you escape your home? Workplace? School? ●What route (and several alternates) will you use to evacuate your neighborhood?●Do you have transportation?●Did you practice your plan?
These are just some basic questions to ask yourself.
Consider special needs cases like sick and infirm, chidden, elderly, and pets. These factors should be tarn into account. You should have easy access to important documents like passports, wills, banking information, property lists, insurance papers, mortgage documents, birth certificates, etc. Often a digital and encrypted off site storage can provide an excellent backup. Do not rely on home protection alone, or even keeping them in a safe deposit box. In a large scale disaster that safe deposit box may be unavailable.
The three main killers in a disaster are shelter, water and food. You cannot survive long without all three. You can plan to shelter in place - your home or apartment, but you have to have backup plans in the case of home loss, or having to evacuate. Your vehicle is another shelter in place option. Getting stuck in the snow along an interstate with 3 kids is a problem. For an hour or two you may just have some frayed nerves. For 8 hours you have real needs for bathroom, food and possibly medical needs.
The first step after your disaster plan is your disaster kit. Keep one in your home, vehicle and place of business. The primary and most extensive should be the one in your home.
1. Important documents and cash.
2. Water - 1 gallon per person per day for 5 days minimum.
3. Means of filtering additional water and storage. A simple hand filter, bleach, etc.
4. Non-perishable food for the family for 5 days minimum and means to prepare it.
5. Season and disaster specific clothing and footwear.
6 Medications and personal items.
7.Battery powered flashlight and radio with spare batteries
8. First Aid kit
9. Signal Whistle for help
10. Dust mask, heavy gloves
11. Wrench and simple tools to turn off utilities and perform basic functions
12. Manual can opener
13. Written disaster plan with contact numbers
14. Something to do - books, dominoes chess.
Keep in mind the Katrina disaster lasted for week. Hurricane Sandy lasted for days before services returned to normal.
Ask yourself could you and your family survive with no power (including heat, water, refrigeration, etc.) for the next 7 days? What if you couldn't purchase any goods for the next 2 weeks? This is possible if there was an infrastructure problem or computer problem with the Nation's telecom and payment processing. Hurricane Sandy was cash only for a full week in most places. If the local grocery store and pharmacy couldn't accept debit or credit cards would you ave cash on hand?
These are just some simple questions to make you think and start planning. Subsequent posts will detail more specifically what steps you take to get on the road to basic preparedness levels.
FEMA suggests the following at a minimum:
FAMILY SUPPLY LIST
Ready Kids & The Federal Emergency Management Agency present:
Family Supply List
Emergency Supplies:
Water, food, and clean air are important things to have if an emergency happens. Each family or individual's kit should be customized to meet specific needs, such as medications and infant formula. It should also be customized to include important family documents.
Water, food, and clean air are important things to have if an emergency happens. Each family or individual's kit should be customized to meet specific needs, such as medications and infant formula. It should also be customized to include important family documents.
Recommended Supplies to Include in a Basic Kit:
- Water, one gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation
- Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
- Battery-powered radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert, and extra batteries for both
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- First Aid kit
- Whistle to signal for help
- Infant formula and diapers, if you have an infant
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
- Dust mask or cotton t-shirt, to help filter the air
- Plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
- Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
- Water, one gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation
- Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
- Battery-powered radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert, and extra batteries for both
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- First Aid kit
- Whistle to signal for help
- Infant formula and diapers, if you have an infant
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
- Dust mask or cotton t-shirt, to help filter the air
- Plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
- Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
Clothing and Bedding:
If you live in a cold weather climate, you must think about warmth. It is possible that the power will be out and you will not have heat. Rethink your clothing and bedding supplies to account for growing children and other family changes. One complete change of warm clothing and shoes per person, including:
- A jacket or coat
- Long pants
- A long sleeve shirt
- Sturdy shoes
- A hat and gloves
- A sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
If you live in a cold weather climate, you must think about warmth. It is possible that the power will be out and you will not have heat. Rethink your clothing and bedding supplies to account for growing children and other family changes. One complete change of warm clothing and shoes per person, including:
- A jacket or coat
- Long pants
- A long sleeve shirt
- Sturdy shoes
- A hat and gloves
- A sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
Family Supply List (continued)
Below are some other items for your family to consider adding to its supply kit. Some of these items, especially those marked with a * can be dangerous, so please have an adult collect these supplies.
- Emergency reference materials such as a first aid book or a print out of the information on www.ready.gov
- Rain gear
- Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils
- Cash or traveler's checks, change
- Paper towels
- Fire Extinguisher
- Tent
- Compass
- Matches in a waterproof container*
- Signal flare*
- Paper, pencil
- Personal hygiene items including feminine supplies
- Disinfectant*
- Household chlorine bleach* - You can use bleach as a disinfectant (diluted nine parts water to one part bleach), or in an emergency you can also use it to treat water. Use 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
- Medicine dropper
- Important Family Documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
- Emergency reference materials such as a first aid book or a print out of the information on www.ready.gov
- Rain gear
- Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils
- Cash or traveler's checks, change
- Paper towels
- Fire Extinguisher
- Tent
- Compass
- Matches in a waterproof container*
- Signal flare*
- Paper, pencil
- Personal hygiene items including feminine supplies
- Disinfectant*
- Household chlorine bleach* - You can use bleach as a disinfectant (diluted nine parts water to one part bleach), or in an emergency you can also use it to treat water. Use 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
- Medicine dropper
- Important Family Documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
That is a minimum recommendation. A longer shelter in place situation would require additional food and water. Following a disaster it may be many days before basic services are restored. And while helpers may start up in your area, wouldn't it be preferable to shelter in place at home?
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