Realistic Emergency Preperations

[Tacopuck]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Is planning for an extended power or utility disruption realistic for the average person though? I think the 72 hour planning is a better choice for most.

72 hours wouldn't be an issue, two weeks+ is where I think some people would start to raid other homes for supplies. Granted it wouldn't be many (in the context of Canada) but as it continues on longer more and more would start.

Just having a shotgun to #### would probably deter most looters (again in Canada)

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Tacopuck

That must have been a very dark evening discussion.....

They usually are.

That's why we drink.

The bottom line is no matter the preparation or how much you stock. You're chances of survival are more about the knowledge that you have.

Its not enough to have a gun, its being proficient in its use.

Its not enough to hunt an animal as understanding how to dress the animal and having a way of preserving the meat.

If you have a family, one of the parts of your kit besides a really well stocked medicine cabinet is knowing first aid.

Understanding human survival standards of food is huge as well.

Maybe a basic knowledge of auto mechanics so that you can repair engines or a generator, not only could save your life, but that skill gives you a commodity.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Tacopuck

72 hours wouldn't be an issue, two weeks+ is where I think some people would start to raid other homes for supplies. Granted it wouldn't be many (in the context of Canada) but as it continues on longer more and more would start.

Just having a shotgun to #### would probably deter most looters (again in Canada)

2 weeks? I'd prefer the element of surprise and why put off til tomorrow what you can do within an hour of the apocalypse.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

They usually are.

That's why we drink.

The bottom line is no matter the preparation or how much you stock. You're chances of survival are more about the knowledge that you have.

Its not enough to have a gun, its being proficient in its use.

Its not enough to hunt an animal as understanding how to dress the animal and having a way of preserving the meat.

If you have a family, one of the parts of your kit besides a really well stocked medicine cabinet is knowing first aid.

Understanding human survival standards of food is huge as well.

Maybe a basic knowledge of auto mechanics so that you can repair engines or a generator, not only could save your life, but that skill gives you a commodity.

Are you suggesting knowledge of configuring a RAID array and setting up Group Policy and a DNS server won't be all that useful in an apocalypse? Well poop.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Are you suggesting knowledge of configuring a RAID array and setting up Group Policy and a DNS server won't be all that useful in an apocalypse? Well poop.

LOL, well it might if you run into a post apocalyptic mad max'esque group of brutal gamers and you don't have a woman to trade.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Tacopuck

72 hours wouldn't be an issue, two weeks+ is where I think some people would start to raid other homes for supplies. Granted it wouldn't be many (in the context of Canada) but as it continues on longer more and more would start.

Just having a shotgun to #### would probably deter most looters (again in Canada)

I'm not doubting you in what would happen 2+ weeks out in a disaster. I'm just trying to understand what you consider realistic planning for the average person.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

I feel like we just did this thread about a month ago.

[Tacopuck]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

I'm not doubting you in what would happen 2+ weeks out in a disaster. I'm just trying to understand what you consider realistic planning for the average person.

Fair, I'm not suggesting getting firearms for the sole purpose of emergency prep. Get them because they are useful tools (ie hunting) and they are fun to use (target Shooting / Skeet shooting / ect). The prepping aspect is just icing on the cake for the case of firearm ownership.

[Otto-matic]

After the 2013 Floods.

I have all my personal/important papers in a folder that's by a closet. It also has a spare gym bag that I can quickly fill with anything I can grab within a close distance.

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

one thing you didn't mention is how full you keep your gas tanks at all times. do you ever let it get below half full? also, how much cash do you keep on hand for emergencies?

what about a "get out" scenario where it affects the city as a whole, such as the fort mac fires?
if you're going through all this effort to be prepared, you really should be prepared for something where you have to flee the city.

where do you go, especially with three cats, for starters.

Almost all my planning for emergencies is around a personal or small scale thing. Family-sized, for the most part. Our tanks are generally kept half-full or better. We don't actually keep much cash on hand because our planning takes into account that we can go somewhere and get some if needed.

If there is a "bigger than us" level disaster, such as the Fires (or in Calgary's case, the Flood)...my wife and I work together, and we both live very close to work. We'd be expected to be there. There are places at work we can keep/store the cats.

[Nabber]

Interesting discussion. I haven’t at all thought about planning in case of an emergency. However, I do think back to when the major flooding happened in Calgary. I lived in Panorama Hills so way out of the effected area. I remember hearing on the radio, tv, or my phone that the city was going to shut off utilities. I decided to go to the Supermarket to get some bottled water and possibly some snacks and what not. Every gas station and supermarket I went to was sold out. It was pretty much chaos inside the Sobeys, I couldn’t believe it. The line ups were way back to the far corner of the store, people were rushing around like crazy grabbing food, water, some in a state of panic. There was no way I was waiting in that line, so I just went home and filled up a large drink dispenser we had and left it at that, the city never did turn off the utilities.

Because of this I would say bottle water would be a major priority for myself if planning for an emergency, maybe just keeping a couple 24 packs unused in the basement always. Also having enough easy to make, snack type food on hand to survive for an extended period. Even just having a general conversation with your significant other about a game plan for emergencies would go along way to being prepared.

In the collapse of society situation, I’d be totally screwed as I’m now right in the middle of the city, and not a condo which I feel would be safer than a house. I’m not sure what would be safer, trying to get out of the city, or just barricading yourself inside.

[Northendzone]

personally, I will be asking each of you who has prepared a kit, to provide me with your thoughts and prayers to help me make it thru the crisis.

personally, I have nothing prepared and ready to go, I guess I would hope that we would have some time to gather some stuff.

in some ways it would be difficult to prepare for much more than 72 hrs, as half of the week my vehicle is sitting in the garage with a half empty tank of gas

[troutman]

Had a client just before the Y2K scare - did all kinds of emergency planning because he thought the world was going to end - even painted his house black to attract heat.

[CaptainCrunch]

I remember people filling up their bathtubs with water.

We played a great prank that night. during a house party on New Years eve, we pulled the fuses on all 5 houses on the block right at midnight. (we went to the party hosts neighbors and told them we wanted to pull a Y2K prank and kill their power at the same time.)

Some people actually freaked out.

[puffnstuff]

I live in a cul de sac and I have studied all my neighbours. I know which ones are the weakest. Which ones have the nicest stuff. Who has a generator in their garage. I know the nice widow lady two doors away has a fully stocked pantry and a cold room in the basement full of preserved vegetables and various jams. I know where my other neighbour has his hunting gear, rifles and ammo, his quad and his skidoo. I also know how to get into his house easily and that his vision in his left eye is very poor.
I also know I have no moral qualms about doing whatever I need to do.
I'm prepared.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

I live in a cul de sac and I have studied all my neighbours. I know which ones are the weakest. Which ones have the nicest stuff. Who has a generator in their garage. I know the nice widow lady two doors away has a fully stocked pantry and a cold room in the basement full of preserved vegetables and various jams. I know where my other neighbour has his hunting gear, rifles and ammo, his quad and his skidoo. I also know how to get into his house easily and that his vision in his left eye is very poor.
I also know I have no moral qualms about doing whatever I need to do.
I'm prepared.

[flamesfever]

A few things to think about for short term disruptions e.g. power

1. a battery operated radio

2. some super large candles

3. flashlight and spare batteries

4. stack of wood for the fireplace

5. spare food and water

[Flashpoint]

I live in LA and have an earthquake kit. You can buy them online, but it's cheaper and usually better to build them yourself.

Assumption is water and power is out for a week, and roads are impassible.

(End of the World stuff is fun to talk about, but not really worth planning for. Would you want to live in a world without NHL hockey?)

The wife and I take a first aid course every few years. We have a 4 year old, so just generally a good idea. Emergency First aid is a good start, but usually you want to get to what called Standard or above - you can dress wounds, know how to make a splint, more advanced Heimlich stuff.

Medical kit has:
http://www.redcross.org/get-help/how...-first-aid-kit

Bandages, tape, gauze etc
Antibiotic ointment packets
Antiseptic wipes
Variety of over the counter meds
https://survivallife.com/otc-meds-for-kit/

Aspirin – pain relief and fever reduction, some take it in small does for heart health
Acetaminophen – pain relief and fever reduction, many times used for dental pain, menstrual cramps
Ibuprofen – pain relief and fever reduction
Naproxen sodium – long-acting for pain relief and fever reduction
Extra Strength Excedrin – Great for migraine relief
Diphenhydramine hydrochloride – commonly known as Benadryl, an antihistamine – helps allergic reactions, bee stings, etc.
Loperamide HCl – Imodium anti-diarrhea medication
Bismuth Subsalicylate – commonly known as Pepto-Bismol – good for stomach upset and anti-diarrhea medication
Benzocaine – this one is for the ladies, commonly known as Vagisil, relieves feminine itching and burning
VaporRub – such as Vicks. Vapors help relieve coughing due to common cold. Can also relieve minor muscles aches and pains when rubbed on sore spot.
Antacid/Heartburn relief – such as Tums, Rolaids, Pepsid,
Cold/Flu Remedies – these could include cough syrup, cough drops, Dayquil/Nyquil and the like.
Liquid Bandage – also known as New Skin, handy for sealing up a cut in place of or in addition to band aids
Antibacterial ointment – to protect cuts, scraps & burns, Also can help with chapped skin.

Space blanket
Breathing barrier
Latex gloves
Plastic thermometer
Survival Medicine handbook
https://www.amazon.com/Survival-Medi...2ATX9NW1MB6C9N

20 gallons of water (~1 gallon/person for 7 days). I tend to go with a significant number individual bottles as well as couple larger containers, so if some get ruptured, you don't lose all of them.

Water purification tablets.
Unscented chlorine bleach + eye dropper(you can use it to purify water if you need to).
Since we live next to the ocean – pressure cooker for evaporation distillation of salt water if needed.

Camping stove
Wind up radio/flashlights
Solar charger
Glow sticks
Wool blankets (retain 50% of heat even if wet)
Safety Goggles + masks (adult and child sized)
Rain ponchos
Sunblock
Whistles
Work gloves
Hand sized collapsible shovel
Plastic sheeting
Extra pair (broken in) hiking boots.
Sleeping bags.
Fireproof matches
Compass
Crazy Glue
Multi-purpose tool
Non-perishable food + can openers
6 Walkie talkies + replacement batteries

Big ol book of paper roadmaps for NA, and smaller more detailed ones for local area.
Ziplock full of Silica packets (if your electronics get wet, you can use it to dry them out). Rice also sometimes works.
Extra pair of glasses
Photocopies of all personal docs (passport/DL, SS) in ziplock
Paper copies of important contact numbers and addresses
Cash

And finally (and most importantly)
10 rolls of duct tape.


Probably missing a bunch of stuff… and you all probably see some holes too.

[DoubleF]

Sometimes I have conversations about preparedness and I feel like I'm not going to survive a post apocalyptic event due to the people I associate with... I'm talking about people who go one 3-5 hour hike without proper footwear, clothing, water, snacks etc. and even after a dozen hikes, never seem to learn, even when reminded, "Don't you remember last time?"

I'm not a full on survivalist junkie, but there are some basics I do to try and keep ready. I do on occasion joke that in a zombie situation, my wooden stairs can be removed relatively quickly with a power drill to buy a little time inside my home though.

Winter driving (cross province):

- Full size steel spreader shovel. (None of that plastic or aluminum crap that destroys your hands and bounces off iced snow banks like nothing)
- Fleece blanket
- USB jump starter/phone charger (checked every few months to ensure it's over 50% charge)
- Fuel is refilled at half tank (though sometimes I'm lazy and it falls as low as 1/5th)
- No extra clothing left in car, but I have more than average clothing on my body during the winger and will bring extra clothing in events where I consider I may need it. Toque, gloves, scarves, boots etc.


Quick exit:

- My wife and I can throw together things we need to survive on for a few days in about 5 minutes. It's worked fine for travels so far. We did this during the June floods, but we were foiled on our escape because the lack of electricity at the time meant our car at the time was trapped in our condo building parking lot. With no key to unlock the mechanism, we couldn't even manually open the parking lot door.

Overnight annoyance and disturbance while at home (ie: Power outage, maybe a snow storm)
- Flashlights
- Basic snacks and booze
- Basic first aid
- Camping stove
- But no heat source

First aid (portable) - Probably fail
Food resistant to spoiling - Fail

In a post apocalyptic scenario, I think I could survive the initial chaos reasonably well, but I probably would be a second wave death in the event of society collapsing.


One random idea I've been mulling lately is to acquire an airsoft gun to play with as a toy, but also a bluff in a home invasion situation. Some people have bats etc. by their bed, but I feel like an airsoft gun is enough to scare away a thief or inflict enough pain that it's a deterrent. Of course I wouldn't be charging at the thief with an airsoft gun, I'd be on the phone with 911. But at least I could yell, "I have a gun, take what you want, but leave my family alone!" while on the phone with police.

This I think is a good bluff/semi deterrent without having an irresponsible object left around my home that could easily kill or quickly injure people if placed in the wrong hands like bear spray and guns. The worst thing really is to shoot someone in the eye, possible damage to vision, but no one dies from an airsoft... I think. I guess in a survival situation, it'll also be good enough for killing birds and squirrels to eat.

[CaptainCrunch]

Always take a box of condoms with you in your survival gear. Not only for you know. But they're the best thing in the world for protecting things from water.