Basic kit : NWS radio, First Aid Kit, Lanterns, Water & Food & cash
#14,050
Six weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans I drove my brother into the French Quarter to try to retrieve what he could from his apartment. We found a city still without running water or electricity, and nearly every grocery store, pharmacy, and eating establishment was either damaged or closed.
Finding food, filling a prescription, and even getting potable water was a daily nightmare. While this may seem an extreme example, in 2017 Hurricane Maria did much worse, for much longer, to the people of Puerto Rico.Even though the storm may last only 12 hours, the impact on people's lives can extend for days, weeks, and even months. Outside assistance will eventually arrive, but it will be limited at first, and for some people it could take days to reach them.
Having the ability to fend for yourselves, your families, and hopefully helping your neighbors for a week or longer can go a long way towards reducing the mental and physical effects of any disaster.
Weather-Ready Nation
National Program
Assemble Disaster Supplies (Hurricane Preparedness)
Tuesday, May 7th
You’re going to need supplies not just to get through the storm but for the potentially lengthy and unpleasant aftermath. Have enough non-perishable food, water and medicine to last each person in your family a minimum of three days. Electricity and water could be out for at least that long. You’ll need extra cash, a battery-powered radio and flashlights. Many of us have cell phones, and they all run on batteries. You’re going to need a portable crank or solar powered USB charger.
While where you live, and your local threat environment, may dictate some changes, my general goals for personal and family preparedness include:
- A battery operated NWS Emergency Radio to find out what was going on, and to get vital instructions from emergency officials
- A decent first-aid kit, so that you can treat injuries
- Enough non-perishable food and water on hand to feed and hydrate your family (including pets) for the duration
- A way to provide light when the grid is down.
- A way to cook safely without electricity
- A way to purify or filter water
- A way to stay cool (fans) or warm when the power is out.
- A small supply of cash to use in case credit/debit machines are not working
- An emergency plan, including meeting places, emergency out-of-state contact numbers, a disaster buddy, and in case you must evacuate, a bug-out bag
- Spare supply of essential prescription medicines that you or your family may need
- A way to entertain yourself, or your kids, during a prolonged blackout
In addition to the standard food, water, Rx meds, and First Aid kit, I've expanded my disaster kit to include items that will hopefully make my next post-hurricane experience a little more comfortable.
As I've described previously in Rethinking Solar Power On A Budget, it is a relatively easy task to set up a simple solar charging system.
No, you won’t keep the A/C or refrigerator running on a budget system, but you can keep your LED lantern batteries, cell phone, iPod or iPad, or notebook computer running.In recent years I'm seeing reasonably priced `briefcase’ solar panels – often for between $50 and $80 – that, when unfolded, can charge a 12 volt storage battery with up to 13 watts of power. Add a $20 inverter (converts 12 volt battery power to 120v AC), and you can do a heck of a lot.
For cell phone charging, LED lights, and running mini-fans I've recently purchased several solar charging USB battery packs. I haven't tested the solar charging efficiency yet, but I expect these 10,000 mAh battery packs will recharge with 12 to 15 hours of direct sun.
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While far less powerful than my 12 volt solar panels and batteries, these are portable enough to go in my bug out bag, and a pair of them should keep my phone, MP3 player, LED light, and USB mini-fan (see below) going pretty much non-stop.
Disasters often boil down to unscheduled camping - for days, or sometimes weeks - in your home, in a community shelter, or possibly in your backyard. If you think of preparedness that way, it becomes far less daunting.
Admittedly, many of the items listed above are needed more for comfort and convenience, than for survival.But the physical and psychological impacts stemming from the hardships following a disaster are quite real (see Post-Disaster Sequelae), and a modicum of creature comforts can go a long ways towards mitigating their effects.
While I can’t predict what the new year will bring - if it turns out anything like the last couple - there's a pretty good chance that there are going to be a lot of people who will wish they had most – if not all – of these items on hand before the next disaster strikes.Because, no matter what the emergency, the advantage always goes to those who are best prepared.
