Disaster Preparation - Dressed To Run

"What?  There is a fire? Quick, I want to wear my pilot jumpsuit!"  That was me during my younger years.  I had a yellow pilot jumpsuit that I love and would want to wear it should something happen and we had to leave the house in a hurry.  Or so I was told.  I admit I vaguely recall having the jumpsuit and the photo below helps reinforce the feeble memory.

Thanks to the recent visit by Hurricane Irene, I finally have a Go Bag made.  9/11, blackout, some other minor storm...  after each of those past events I would declare I would make a Go Bag, something to grab and run out of the house.  I never did, until this weekend.  I only have two 500-mL bottles of water and the bag is already pretty heavy.  At most it will last me two days, I think.  The recommended amount is 1 gallon per person per day.  One gallon is about 3.7 L, so I only have about a quarter of the recommended amount.  I do have a flashlight which does not require batteries but is rather human-powered.  As long as I have the strength to crank it, it will work.  I love the Etón series of emergency devices.  Flashlight, AM/FM radio, weather radio, USB port for charging small electronics like cell phone and Nintendo DS, powered by human power or solar energy.  In my case, the Go Bag's device also has an alarm clock.  I had some snacks and a few change of clothes and that's about it.  No important documents in waterproof bag, so I guess my Go Bag is not that ready to go.

Maybe it's an obvious thing so it's not mentioned, but in all the stories on disaster preparation I read, no one ever said that we should wear street clothes as part of the preparation.  For me, that would be a shirt or maybe even a sweater, then some kind of pants or shorts to hold the house keys, wallet with IDs and credit cards etc, some cash and coins, and the cell phone.  What's the point of having a Go Bag but you cannot go right away because you are not dressed to run out into the street.  I should have slept in street clothes last night but then did put it on when I woke up.  It's not that I don't want to be seen on TV at a shelter in my PJ, I just want to be prepared.  It is not so much as the clothes themselves, it's what I can bring with me and home clothes usually don't have pockets to carry stuff.  Maybe it is easy for a guy to say what I just did, but I imagine women can wear something comfy that allow them to run quickly.

Did you wonder if I had some other pilot jumpsuit on this morning?  No, for me these days life is all about long-distance running, so the shirt of choice I had was my NYRR Queens Half Marathon 2011.

Be Prepared - by The Lone Gunman

Remember The Lone Gunman? Today I have him as a guest blogger, writing on a topic close to his heart. I only made some minor changes here and there, nothing to diverge from LG's POV. Enjoy!

寧為太平犬,不做亂世人 - "It is better to be a dog in a peaceful time than be a man in a chaotic period."

If you have been watching the news lately, you might have noticed the historical changes going on in the banking sector. We live in a very chaotic period and the odds you will be laid off or have your income reduced in some way is very high. If you are laid off how long will it take you to get a new job in this business climate? Probably longer than most times I believe. So it is time to take a good hard look at your life and ask yourself, "What would I do if I get fired?" Make those cuts now while you still have a job if you can and set aside some emergency supplies. You should have supplies on hand anyway in case of a natural disaster. How long was the power out in Houston after Hurricane Ike? Most people had no damage to their homes, but were without power for days, some weeks. How well would you live in times like that?

Water - I believe the recommended amount is at least one gallon per person per day. It is just a good idea to have some water on hand at all times in case of disaster.

Food - Stock up on what you already eat. If you are like me, it is easy to run to the store a few times a week to pick up this or that and supplement meals with take-out. What happens if you cannot go to the store for a week or so? Would you be able to feed your family? I have a few kids so I feel a greater responsibility to be prepared, instead of 2 boxes of spaghetti, I buy 10. Instead of 5 cans of beans, I will buy 20. This type of thing lasts a long time, most canned goods last 2-3 years easy, so it won't go to waste and will be eaten eventually if disaster doesn't strike. Make sure you check the expiration dates on products when you purchase them. I have found cans with a year difference on the same shelf.

Baby items - If you have an infant then you should stock up on formula, diapers wipes, etc. The whole Idea is to be as self-sufficient as possible if you are without an income or disaster strikes. One hundred years ago this type of thinking/preparedness was second nature. People had no one to go to for help when disaster struck.

Here are a few links to get you started, take and leave what you need for your personal situation.

http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=cfrm
http://tirec.mysite.com/rich_text_2.html
http://www.hubbertpeak.com/whatToDo/DeindustrialAge.htm