Disaster Preparedness, I Need What?

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planewalker
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Disaster Preparedness, I Need What?

Post by planewalker »

We are going to take the path to preparedness. Why is this important to reverse the feeling of hopelessness about today's world. You will feel better if you are not being a passive victim. This is good for a bunch of situations. It's not complicated. What do you need for basic survival for three days. Some say seven days. Some people have an empty closet. This is for a family of four.

First water - one gallon/4L per person per day, that should be reserved for drinking. You can make your own survival kit water by using empty plastic soda bottles with screw tops. If you're using this method you should empty and refill the bottles every 2-3 months to avoid plastic taste in the water. Using 24 - 2L bottles(personal favorite) this gives you a first layer on a closet floor of 2'x3'x2'. This provides a stable platform for the next layer. Now the handy survival tote. Get a plastic sealable container of about 2'x3'x2' into which you should pack -Small radio & compact led light or lights with batteries in their original package(keep radio & light empty of batteries,have enough to change twice) hammer, pliers or adjustable wrench(utility turn off) tin-snip/wire cutters, cheap screwdriver set, manual can opener, 4 survival blankets, 4 rolls duck tape, plastic sheeting, dust masks, 4 nylon core/cotton cover cloths lines(may be twisted into rope heavy enough to lift a car), scissors, self-strike matches in water-proof container, basic first-aid kit, 2 cheap white cotton sheets (they should be well washed, placed in zip-lock plastic bags and be put with first -aid kit for bandages, slings and whatever),ring note book(s) & pens, 2 decks of playing cards.

Next, the things you'll want to keep in use. Any prescription medications and canned, smoked, freeze-dried, etcetera food stuffs. Just keep enough rotating through your kitchen for a 3 day buffer. There you have it. For a minimal amount of time, cash, and closet space you should be able to feel confident that you're well prepared for the emergencies life can throw at you.

Now the graduate course. I'm by no means one of these wild-eyed preppers. I do think my peace of mind is worth one closet. I keep a fire extinguisher, long handle spade, long & short handle axe, 2 long pry bars, 2 crow bars, 2 scissors jacks, 2 boxes garbage bags, 2boxes moist toweletts, paper cups & plates, 6 roll paper towel, 6roll toilet paper, plastic eating ware and one set of cloths (sealed in heavy plastic garment storage bags) per family member, advanced First-aid kit. This leaves room that we can store winter jackets in the hanging space.

Some of the items just show that I'm not going to wash dishes or be bored (cards). Other items show I'm not waiting around to move my neighbor's house off him. Some of the items may be puzzling. If so PM me because I don't want to be to real for those who just don't want to know.
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SpiritTalker
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Re: I NEED WHAT?

Post by SpiritTalker »

I have kept a tornado-kit hanging on a hook on the basement stairs for years. It has a change of clothes, a radio, water proof matches and candles plus flash light. Also a case of bottled H2O is on the landing. It's not much but better than nothing.
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Re: Disaster Preparedness, I Need What?

Post by moonraingirl »

It's good to review first aid from time to time. There's also an app for smartphone which shows you everything step by step in case you forget in in stress.
I've heard about a woman who carries gloves and a protective cloth (sorry can't find the proper word) for resuscitation ALL the time. She's got them in her handbag together with her purse, lisptick etc :) And no, she's not even a doctor, just a random person who wants to be prepared for any situation. She lives in Prague where quite many people have hepatitis and stuff like that (drug addicts).
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Re: Disaster Preparedness, I Need What?

Post by SnowCat »

CPR face shield. I has a one way membrane so rescue breaths can be given without the rescuer being exposed to whatever the victim might be carrying in their saliva or vomit.

Snow
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Re: Disaster Preparedness, I Need What?

Post by moonraingirl »

SnowCat wrote:CPR face shield. I has a one way membrane so rescue breaths can be given without the rescuer being exposed to whatever the victim might be carrying in their saliva or vomit.

Snow
yep, that's it! Thanks Snow :)
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Re: Disaster Preparedness, I Need What?

Post by Xiao Rong »

I'm not a diehard prepper, but I did grow up in the hurricane alley, so there are some things that I always have lying around the house -- a first aid kit, firestarting materials, flashlights, tools, canned food, emergency blankets, etc. (I need to work on the water, part, actually -- thanks, Planewalker!). Because I live in New England, I always make sure I have a car repair kit, a first aid kit, a little bit of food, and an emergency blanket in the trunk of my car, in case I ever get caught in a blizzard. Hasn't happened yet, but you never know!

In my purse, I usually carry a knife (which also has a seatbelt cutter and a window punch), a multitool, a stun gun, hand sanitizer, a tiny first-aid kit, some matches and a firestarter, and a flashlight. I also keep on my keychain a little gadget that has a compass and an emergency whistle. (I once heard a story about a guy who fell through the ice into some freezing water, and the thing that saved him was his whistle, which he used to summon help.)

Yep, I guess I'm more paranoid than I thought!
~ Xiao Rong ~ 小蓉 ~ Little Lotus ~
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Re: Disaster Preparedness, I Need What?

Post by moonraingirl »

I really like that xiao. This thread is so inspiring. I think I'm going to at least store some water and cans at home and start carrying a swiss knife and a small first aid kit. Luckily I live in a very calm area with low risk of either violence or natural disaster. I don't even have a car. But as you say, one never knows.
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Re: Disaster Preparedness, I Need What?

Post by planewalker »

Not paranoid - SMART! You can always not use something you have. I've yet to hear of anyone using stuff they didn't have. Your right, old habits stay with you. There are always a couple knives floating around my person and I carry a 9-volt battery and a piece of steel wool tightly waded in a plastic bag. It will even light a fuse underwater. Now when the heck am I going to use that ever again.
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Re: Disaster Preparedness, I Need What?

Post by moonraingirl »

what is the best type of knife for emergency that is practical to carry?
Is something like this good? https://www.amazon.de/Victorinox-Rescue ... oding=UTF8
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Re: Disaster Preparedness, I Need What?

Post by Xiao Rong »

This is the closest that I can find to the rescue knife that I carry with me. My brother gave it to me right after I got certified as an EMT (that certification has LONG since lapsed!). The nice part is that it has a window punch at the end, and also a seatbelt cutter. It'd be good for getting out of a car quickly after an accident, which fortunately I have never had to do! I'm sure there are knife enthusiasts out there who would tell me all about how that's not a good knife / not worth carrying around, but that's what I have.
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Re: Disaster Preparedness, I Need What?

Post by planewalker »

Some people are just snobs. Lets get real. Which are you going to handle more effectively, a knife you've become used to and are comfortable with, and confident it will act in a way you can predict, or some other tool you are unfamiliar with? I didn't think that would be hard to answer. And yes that's an excellent knife. If your going to order by mail you've got a winner. If there is a store that carries knives you might want to go and try them to see the size and comfort of grip. You can always order direct if that's a better deal after you've tried them out. Lapsed or not you might want to have a more robust First-aid kit than the average person might. In a large disaster triage can be brutal, especially since your going to be doing it with Tylenol not MS. It's better than letting more of the wounded die than would have without your intervention. You could be it for the first 24. If you plan for the worst you may have a chance to save not only youself but more people around you than would have made it without you. Even if it is the emergency of a car accident you come upon, that knife could be the difference between life and death for some innocent victim.
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Re: Disaster Preparedness, I Need What?

Post by moonraingirl »

I'm now encouraged to get those few inevitable items. I'm always the caring and healing one. And surprisingly, I was able to react fast and effective in those few "critical" situations that I encountered (except for the little boy with seizure that I wrote about here). I always felt the need to be prepared but I thought people would consider me silly so I never took it seriously. The one good thing though is that I attended Red Cross first aid course.
I'll have to study what to do in case of flood- there was one in my town about 6-7 years ago but I wasn't here when it happened. Flood is the most common natural disaster in my area, repeating almost every year in certain parts of the country.
Also I 'll review what to do in case of fire or gas explosion.
I'm not particularly concerned about war or a terrorist attack at this moment. Although I'm never as sure that it won't happen as other people here. I lived during civil war in Yugoslavia (my mum had to take me to the psychologist as it affected me so much even at the age of 4. I understood what was going on. I only used black crayon for drawing and everyone in my pictures cried). Then, when we already were in Slovakia, my family still lived in Serbia which was bombed by the US. A bomb fell about 200 metres from my granddads house and another bomb destroyed his vineyard as they used some ugly stuff that made leaves on plants black. My then 12yo cousin had to hide in shelter because the US was bombing her city Novi Sad. They also bombed the hospital in Belgrade where I was born while mothers were giving birth. Newborns in incubators had to be transported into shelter.
So yeah, other people in my area are very sure that the possibility of war in Slovakia is practically 0%. But because of my experiences, I don't believe it. There always is some possibility that it will happen. And I'm afraid of BOTH East and West.
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Re: Disaster Preparedness, I Need What?

Post by planewalker »

It's not east or west that I worry about. I worry about anyone forgetting that we have a duty to our fellow man. Trust me, no one wants peace more than a soldier. We feel we are there to stop the insanity as fast as possible. We also hope that , like the policeman, our presence will keep the crime that is war from happening.
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Re: Disaster Preparedness, I Need What?

Post by moonraingirl »

Perhaps that's what individual soldiers believe.
However, since weapons are one of the best tools for economic growth, there will always be countries that will find any pretext to invade others. And they will call killing innocent civilians humanitarian bombing and collateral damage.
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Re: Disaster Preparedness, I Need What?

Post by Firebird »

The other real problem is people going all rogue. As it is the 25th anniversary, our local stations are revisiting the LA Riots. It didn't take much for serious trouble to break out. Crazy unrest and people taking full advantage of a bad situation, it was just horrible.
One will need to know how to defend life as well as property?
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