Disaster Preparedness Plans

coasterqueen wrote: We lost power last night due to a storm -- this is like our fourth time in a month. Anyways, DH and I started talking about disaster preparedness plans and if we should think about it some more. I mentioned how I recalled some of you on this board had those, kept supplies, etc. I was wondering if you could share them with me again. We are considering being a bit more prepared now and your input could help.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: i'm sure mine has been updated since the last time I posed about it... but here goes.

brand new bulk pack of several battery sizes.
5 cases bottled water
couple boxes of protein pack type foods (high energy granola bars etc)
small generator, plugs into the lighter socket of our vehicle
a screwdriver, a swissarmy type knife (scissors, blade, corkscrew etc)
a can opener, plastic dishes and utensils
a whole crapload of canned goods
a case of instant Firelogs
some blankets
3 flashlights and a box of candles (with holder)
first aid kit - a bottle of tylenol, bandaids, sewing kit, lighter, iodine, peroxide, ipecac, cold meds etc...

I can't really go check, it's all packed in a couple boxes.

We also have a small package in the car with a few canned goods, a flashlight, some tools, a lighter, some candles, some plastic dishes\utensils, some blankets and an extra change of clothes for everyone.

lovemy2 replied: A generator and my DH and my neighbors if he is working!!! Probably not a good plan since we live about 10-15 miles from a nuclear power plant

holley79 replied: Since we live in Hurrican Alley

Here's Mine:

Batteries
LED flash lights (they use less battery power and don't give off heat)
Tuna
Bottled Water
Canned fruit
Any kind of canned snacks family will eat.
Rubber Maid tubs
bleach
Propane
Camp stove
Gas for Generator
tool box

Cece00 replied: We dont do it like we should. Generally, the disasters we have are hurricanes, and we dont get them too too often...usually about every 3-7 yrs here, sometimes MUCH longer.

We always keep gallons of water in the house, and batteries in the flashlights, extra batteries, we always have canned goods, we have a generator & gas, etc

I mean anything we'd really need is here, and if we have a hurricane, we usually have plenty of time to go & grab a few things in case the stores are closed down.

kit_kats_mom replied: batteries, a lantern, the shiny blankets (camping supply store), a gas grill and extra gas tank, water, some juice boxes, granola bars, candy LOL, a giant box of ritz crackers, peanut butter, some military rations that DH bought online, a few flashlights, changes of clothes, a can opener, tuna, leatherman, packets of jelly, mayo, ketchup and mustard, canned ham, cooler, instant coffee, small toolbox, thermos, pan, nuts, tarp, rope and we have a pellet gun that shoots tear gas cartriges for if there is any threat to the home.

The camping supply area of wal mart or target is a great place to start.

boyohboyohboy replied: we have all the above also a place we know to meet if we cant meet at home or else the cell phones are not working..we know where we are all going to end up at.

we also kept small bottles of meds in the box. paper and pencils and kids stuff to keep them busy.

coasterqueen replied:
Cary,

You were the one that definitely came to mind when we were talking last night. Did you buy a regular gun too for protection or just decided on the pellet gun?

MommyToAshley replied: flashlight and batteries.

We don't do anything extra other than keep the normal groceries and supplies on hand. We always have food and drinks on hand. No hurricanes for us here in Ohio .... We've had a few tornado scares over the years, but we just go to our basement. If a tornado hit our house, it'd probably take our stash of supplies with it anyways.

ETA: Oh forgot, we are better prepared than I stated. We also have candles and a lighter on hand too.

kit_kats_mom replied:
just a pellet gun with the pepper gas pellets. DH still wants a shotgun but I'm still too afraid of having one in the house. I figure, I want to protect the family. If someone is going to steal our food or something else, that's fine, they can...I just want enough time to get away safely and I figure the pepper gas would hold them off long enough for us to escape.

Boys r us replied: We're bad..we have nothing set aside in a special place for this. I mean sure..we have flashlights, bottled water and all the canned spaghetti o's you could stand to eat before choosing death by starvation..but we don't have a plan per say either.

I'll be interested to see this thread in it's entirety and then maybe I'll get busy on that! We do have a generator..so unless it's a terrible disaster that destroyed everything we'd have power for awhile anyhow...long enough to get some stuff together.

My2Beauties replied:
I'm in the same boat Dee Dee, so we can together!

luvmykids replied: We have most of the things mentioned, just not together in one place

I keep a kit in the car too, water, snacks, blanket, etc.

coasterqueen replied: Well in IL I don't ever see anything other than a tornado or flood, but I don't want to bank my life or my childrens' lives on that being the only things that could ever happen, KWIM?

We have the normal stuff on hand, but it's stuff we always have on hand and at some point yes we may not have any more bottled water on hand or canned food may be low. We are just thinking of having a stash that can only be used during emergency situations.

Last night we had candles, etc, but when it came to finding the flashlight it took awhile and the batteries were dead. We do keep a can of gas on hand now at all times after the March tornadoes a few years back. Gas was hard to come by and it was hard to keep the generator going. Also one time we had an ice storm, had no gas for the generator to heat the home and couldn't make it in to town because of the roads.

I guess I'm trying to devise a plan for all the possibilities that are not the norm for our area.

coasterqueen replied: Cary,

DH has always wanted a gun as well. I grew up with them in my home, but it still scares me to have it in mine now with my girls there.

PrairieMom replied: mine: hide in the basement walk in closet. We really should have more, I keep thinking about it, but it never gets done. Maybe i'll put it on the list. At least I made it you you can walk into the walk in closet now.

kit_kats_mom replied:
That's actually where most of our stuff is stored. All of the food stuff and a large container with the other necessities. Of course, the grill and extra water are in the garage within easy reach. I also keep my photo albums and a backup of all of our computer stuff in a container near the door in the garage so I can grab it if anything were to happen.

MommyToAshley replied:
See... I'd be more paranoid about keeping the gas on hand. I'm weird, I know. But, if something were to spark or a small fire start, I'd be afraid the gas would blow up.

I also wonder about food that is stored. How often do you rotate it out? Even canned goods have expiration dates. I know that I would not be in the routine of rotating it, and if we ever needed it, we'd die from botchulism. I'd rather risk it and grab a loaf of bread on my way down to the basement. Again, I know I am weird and my thoughts aren't normal or rational.

kit_kats_mom replied: Dee Dee, we rotate our food stock. Right now, we are down to mainly the MRE's. My Sams trip this month is to refill the stock. We usually use it all up when hurricane season is over (NOV) then start to restock. That way we also have newer batteries and I can check to make sure everything is working.

I forgot to mention, we also have a shovel for digging a potty trench, tp, wipes (a lot of wipes), sanitizer, iodine tablets and a first aid kit. I'm looking at buying a "bathtub bag" next. it's basically a sterile bag that you put in your tub and fill up.

One more thing. My grandma takes a loaf of bread and makes a ton of PB&J's and she keeps them in her freezer. She eats them all after 3 mos and makes another batch. That way she's got fresh cold sammies if the need ever arrises. LOL
If I had the freezer space, I'd probably do something similar.

redchief replied: We have supplies in emergency management, since in the event of an emergency, basically my entire family becomes disaster response. I always go with the FEMA list, since I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.

FEMA Emergency Disaster Supplies Page

The FEMA page also gives good advice for storing water... Note that if you're stockpiling water from your well water source, you must chlorinate it to keep bacteria from blooming in the containers.

luvmykids replied:
Heyyyyyy....that is a great idea for kids in general, I think I may do that!

coasterqueen replied:
Living out in the country we usually keep gas on hand anyways for our lawn mower. We aren't that far from the nearest gas station, but to run in town to fill up a small gas can costs just as much as it is to keep it on hand. We only keep a 5 gallon can on hand. Dh never liked to keep it on hand either, but that one time last year when it was VERY COLD and we had no electricity for 3 days it just wasn't safe not to have gas on hand for the generator -- we had already spent two nights in the freezing cold because we couldn't get to town to get gas. With two little kids at home and no heat -- not good. So that's why I thought it was best to always keep it on hand.

luvmykids replied:
We keep gas on hand too, for a variety of reasons....we keep it in a locked workshop outside so that just in case there ever was an accident with it the explosion or fire wouldn't be so close to the house.

Bamamom replied: I didnt' read all the replies so this may be totally out of place - sorry!!! But I have a kind of funny...

I keep duct tape and a crank flashlight in my closet so that if a tornado comes I can duct tape the kids to me. You know how you always hear those stories of the mom who's baby was ripped out of her arms and found in a tree a mile away? One of my biggest fears...so I have the duct tape plan. My family thinks I'm nuts....

coasterqueen replied:
I need to tell my Dh that one.

kit_kats_mom replied:
That's awesome...brb

<<Running to garage to dump roll of duct tape in our disaster suppy kit>>

ok I'm back

We also have a crank radio with cell phone charger and flashlight too. I always forget about that since it's so small.