Short Term Disaster Response

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Since I believe the short term disaster senerio is infinately more likely and thus practical to prepare for than the long-term "SHTF" complete breakdown of organizational system senerio, I think it would be useful to discuss preparations and plans for short term disaster response: _____________
I would like to propose 2 possibilities: 1) Short term (2 weeks) loss of public services - Phone, Power, Water, Mail and local supply deliveries. 2) An event occurs that will terminate public services (as above) but prevents an enviornmen that prevents you from staying at your home (The second would be similar to Katrina)_____ What do you have prepared? What is packed? What do you take? What are your biggest concerns?
 
Since I believe the short term disaster senerio is infinately more likely and thus practical to prepare for than the long-term "SHTF" complete breakdown of organizational system senerio, I think it would be useful to discuss preparations and plans for short term disaster response: _____________
I would like to propose 2 possibilities: 1) Short term (2 weeks) loss of public services - Phone, Power, Water, Mail and local supply deliveries. 2) An event occurs that will terminate public services (as above) but prevents an enviornmen that prevents you from staying at your home (The second would be similar to Katrina)_____ What do you have prepared? What is packed? What do you take? What are your biggest concerns?

Short term loss of public services, two weeks long:
Heat:propane fireplace which does not require electricity for heat plus woodstove.
Water: use what pressure is in the well and fill bottles, filter/boil water from the lake 1/2 mile away if needed.
Food: use what dried and canned food we have plus whatever we got from last trip to the store.

If we had to leave home, go to family in CT, NH, or further.

Nothing packed but we go on camping trips often enough with our 13 month old to know what to grab fast for a trip.
 
To shelter in place you are going to need food, water and shelter.

Food – This can just be canned and assorted dry goods. Basically the stuff you eat now. Just buy double what you normally buy in the grocery store and you will have it very quickly. You will also need a means to cook the food and fuel. A Coleman 2 burner camp stove is great. You can pick them up at yard sales for next to nothing.

Water – I figure 2 gallons a day per person. This includes washing, drinking and cooking. You can get by with less for a couple days but I like the extra water. I store it on a couple of 60 gallon drums. Don’t overlook local sources of water like streams, ponds, rain water or even snow melt. I good water filter to filter any water for drinking is important as well.

Shelter – In the Northeast you need a way to heat your house. It can be a wood stove, propane or kero heater etc. You can block off all but a couple rooms and live in there to save fuel. Fuel storage can be a challenge as 2 weeks is a fair amount of kero or propane. Make sure you have good sleeping bags and clothes. With a sock hat and appropriate clothes even a 55 degree house is perfectly fine.

If you look on the web there are tons of sites that talk about this. Some of the govt sites are pretty good with specific lists. They don’t talk about firearms and self defense but they cover most of the basics.

Evacuation – You need the same food and clothing anyway. You cant bring the same amount of water but at least a few gallons will get you started. Have a list of valuables and keepsakes that you want to take as well as any important papers. Keep some cash on hand and always have your gas tank half full at least. Make sure you have a place to go. A relatives a couple hundred miles away or even a list of hotels with phone numbers in an area a couple hundred miles away. Do a dry run to make sure it all fits in your vehicle. Also if you have to evacuate make sure you do it early. Don’t wait until the last minute. If you search on line there are a number of Katrina stories out there as well as more detailed recommendations.
 
Since I believe the short term disaster senerio is infinately more likely and thus practical to prepare for than the long-term "SHTF" complete breakdown of organizational system senerio, I think it would be useful to discuss preparations and plans for short term disaster

i agree. im interested to hear feedback also. i have been looking into shtf planning, but have been overwhelmed thinking about learning everything about 12 month planning, and would think to start, a month maybe two would be more practical
 
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