Disaster Preparedness -- How ready are you?

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by llwhiteoutll

If we were hit with a city wide disaster that significantly disrupted services, I doubt that a large portion of the city would be prepared for it. The last place you want to be is stuck in a line to fight over the last drops of gas or the last case of water.

I'm of the opinion that you should have the resources to be able to function with no outside services or help for 3-5 days, with little to no extra prep needed prior to a storm hitting, flood occurring etc...

A lot of this stuff either doesn't go bad or can be rotated over the course of years.

Sorry, poor wording. I meant there are enough individuals who know enough about back country exploring that in general as a populace, many would be able to survive/aid those who were ill prepared in a long term disaster situation. Most people nowadays get all wonky and lost if they lose connection to internet for more than 15 minutes.

It's a separate statement as to whether individuals have enough of a stock pile at home that they could survive a disaster for 3-5 days without topping up supplies. I agree with you that I think most individuals would not be prepared for something like that at all.

I agree. Basic things like bottled water, canned foods, tetra-pack beverages camping fuel etc. can be used up and topped up on a regular basis and don't take up much more than a few extra shelves in a pantry.

[OMG!WTF!]

Also I can barely cook for myself now under the best circumstances. If Subway goes down I'm screwed.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by mikephoen

Helsinki isn't that dissimilar to Calgary in that regard. But we both get winter. Are you prepared for an ice storm, a huge dump of snow, or extended period of extremely cold weather? All of those things can disrupt the electrical grid and could be pretty bad if you're not prepared at all.

You're an inland city with mountains nearby, we're a coastal city with only some small hills. That's actually a big difference. Plus we have the Gulf Stream warming us up. As a result, we don't get extreme cold, at least for extended periods. Typical Helsinki winter is around zero celsius +/- 5 degrees, and only a few weeks of snow. (Winters actually kind of suck in Helsinki. It's mostly just dark and wet.)

Baltic Sea is also too small and shallow to allow for really huge storms to grow there. (For comparison, the Great Lakes are about three times as deep as the Baltic sea, both max and average.) I'm not even sure what an "ice storm" is outside of D&D " Here "record snow" is about 20 cm in a day. That's not even enough to stop a cab even before the roads are plowed. I know, I've done that driving

Besides, the electric grid is mostly underground here. You could level the whole city and still find a place to charge your smartphone.

[CaptainCrunch]

I think its interesting that if there was ever an epic man killing disaster on a massive scale that there would be a shortage of food and survival gear.

I mean, lets say just for fun (bad term but whatever) that Calgary is hit by a clean atomic bomb, there's plenty of warning because its a North Korean missile powered by three guys flapping their wings. Lets say its just enough yield to encompass Calgary.

So people fly out in a panic and snap up all of the food and water. Then the bomb hits.

And instantly a1/3rd of the population dies in the blast. So now we're down in the first day to lets say 800,000 people.

What that means is there's a likely hood that there are hordes of un-needed supplies out there if your willing to crawl over bodies to get that.

Now because of the panic social services collapse. Doctors flee and nurses flee and chances are a lot of the cops are either dead or they went screw this I'm protecting my family.

So the people that are wounded, or have pre-existing illnesses are just going to die. Lets say 10% of the population, so lets take out 80,000 people.

Ok, so in the first week, we're down to probably about 750,000 people. So now who dies next. The dependents who lose their primary care givers. There will be un attended children out there that can't take care of themselves, and the elderly, so lets knock another 10% out of the world of the living.

So now we're down to 675,000 battered survivors who come out of the wood work. "I'm alive oh god I'm alive". Now nature in her cruelty gets rid of the stupid. People that go into the rubble and contract tetanus. Drug addicts who break into pharmacies and takes something stupid. People who break into houses and promptly get shot in the face. Kids on their own for the first time driving cars without supervision. People that suddenly find a bonanza of liquor and die of stupidty. So lets say half of the survivors are killed by their own brains.

340,000. Now the reality of what has happened starts seeping into peoples brains. The hopelessness, they've lost their families, all they see is pain. Blam take another 20% off 270,000.

Now we get into the fight for survival. People will kill each other for a snickers bar, our baser human instincts come out also known as "Sorry pal, but I want to live". People start fighting each other for food and water and even sex, you know the necessities of survival. Lets knock off 20%. 220,000.

The weather changes, the people that haven't figured out winter survival huddle in homes and start fires and burn to death, because there's no fire department it spreads. As well people freeze to death, and a second round of disease hits from all the decaying flesh and bad hygiene. Lets cut 75%.

so 55,000 people are now trying to live in a town that used to house 1.2 mil and since most people died in the first year, there's an abundance of stockpiled food and water and guns and ammo lying around.

In a apocalypse if you survive through the first winter after the end of the world, chances are that your survival rate is high and you will find a stockpile of what you need.

[mikephoen]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I think its interesting that if there was ever an epic man killing disaster on a massive scale that there would be a shortage of food and survival gear.

I mean, lets say just for fun (bad term but whatever) that Calgary is hit by a clean atomic bomb, there's plenty of warning because its a North Korean missile powered by three guys flapping their wings. Lets say its just enough yield to encompass Calgary.

So people fly out in a panic and snap up all of the food and water. Then the bomb hits.

And instantly a1/3rd of the population dies in the blast. So now we're down in the first day to lets say 800,000 people.

What that means is there's a likely hood that there are hordes of un-needed supplies out there if your willing to crawl over bodies to get that.

Now because of the panic social services collapse. Doctors flee and nurses flee and chances are a lot of the cops are either dead or they went screw this I'm protecting my family.

So the people that are wounded, or have pre-existing illnesses are just going to die. Lets say 10% of the population, so lets take out 80,000 people.

Ok, so in the first week, we're down to probably about 750,000 people. So now who dies next. The dependents who lose their primary care givers. There will be un attended children out there that can't take care of themselves, and the elderly, so lets knock another 10% out of the world of the living.

So now we're down to 675,000 battered survivors who come out of the wood work. "I'm alive oh god I'm alive". Now nature in her cruelty gets rid of the stupid. People that go into the rubble and contract tetanus. Drug addicts who break into pharmacies and takes something stupid. People who break into houses and promptly get shot in the face. Kids on their own for the first time driving cars without supervision. People that suddenly find a bonanza of liquor and die of stupidty. So lets say half of the survivors are killed by their own brains.

340,000. Now the reality of what has happened starts seeping into peoples brains. The hopelessness, they've lost their families, all they see is pain. Blam take another 20% off 270,000.

Now we get into the fight for survival. People will kill each other for a snickers bar, our baser human instincts come out also known as "Sorry pal, but I want to live". People start fighting each other for food and water and even sex, you know the necessities of survival. Lets knock off 20%. 220,000.

The weather changes, the people that haven't figured out winter survival huddle in homes and start fires and burn to death, because there's no fire department it spreads. As well people freeze to death, and a second round of disease hits from all the decaying flesh and bad hygiene. Lets cut 75%.

so 55,000 people are now trying to live in a town that used to house 1.2 mil and since most people died in the first year, there's an abundance of stockpiled food and water and guns and ammo lying around.

In a apocalypse if you survive through the first winter after the end of the world, chances are that your survival rate is high and you will find a stockpile of what you need.

Kind of doubtful that there would be an abundance of food. With no new food coming in, the remaining population would eat up the food that didn't spoil pretty quickly. You also predicted a pretty big fire, which would destroy a significant amount of the supplies.

[2Stonedbirds]

Originally Posted by New Era

The Captain will appreciate this basic survival kit.

1 - Ruger .308 with Vortex Viper PST 4-16x50 optics. 500 rounds of ammo.
1 - Smith & Wesson M&P AR-15 5.56x45. 2,000 rounds of ammo.
2 - Beretta 92FS. 2,000 rounds of ammo.
2 - Mossberg 500 12 gauge. 500 rounds of 00 buckshot. 500 rounds of birdshot. 100 slugs.
1 - Ruger 10/22 takedown, with SR22 pistol, both threaded for suppressor. 10,000 rounds of ammo.
1- shovel.
1 - bag of lime.
1 - case of quality tequila. Helps with the remorse you're sure to face.

Is that all you'd use?

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

So now we're down to 675,000 battered survivors who come out of the wood work. "I'm alive oh god I'm alive". Now nature in her cruelty gets rid of the stupid. People that go into the rubble and contract tetanus. Drug addicts who break into pharmacies and takes something stupid. People who break into houses and promptly get shot in the face. Kids on their own for the first time driving cars without supervision. People that suddenly find a bonanza of liquor and die of stupidty. So lets say half of the survivors are killed by their own brains.

Yeah, that's my group.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

Also I can barely cook for myself now under the best circumstances. If Subway goes down I'm screwed.

Chicken or Real Estate Agent its 20 minutes a pound, give the meat a few minutes to relax after you pull it out of the oven serve over rice.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by 2Stonedbirds

Is that all you'd use?

I did say "basic."

[Weitz]

My friend and I were bored once and we decided to google how many chickens you would need to have eggs every day and eat 1 full chicken every 3 days.

The answer is 122 chickens. Or something close to that. Was quite some time ago.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Was quite some time ago.

I don't think chickens and eggs are subject to inflation so it's probably still 122.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

I don't think chickens and eggs are subject to inflation so it's probably still 122.

Haha I meant I couldn't quite remember..

[Locke]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

I don't think chickens and eggs are subject to inflation so it's probably still 122.

You dont know that!

[Huntingwhale]

I don't need anything. God will protect me.