So, with the recent news out of Japan, I've been doing a little risk assessment. A little reading. Ok, a lot of reading. And planning.
And so far I've come to the conclusion that for the most part, we need to be ready to shelter in-place. As a family, we need to be able to see our way through a week or two without power. More than that and we'll be leaving anyway or forming a primitive culture in the backyard complete with conch shells and sharpened sticks because we live in the central city and that would be obnoxiously long to go without power. But ice storms and summer storms and tornadoes happen. Floods too, which could take out our water supply, although I don't worry about actual water here. Seriously--the whole city would be underwater by the time we had water in the house.
What I'm having a harder time with is earthquake and evacuation (more on that another time). For the most part, unless the entire city slipped beneath the earth in a New Madrid or Wabash earthquake, we would stick it out here as best we could. We live in a masonry foundation house (gulp) but even if we lost the whole thing, I feel like we have the network of friends and family to make it through until we rebuilt. Plus, if St. Louis was devastated in a New Madrid earthquake, Memphis would disappear from the map. Not to mention most of the family I've married into. New Madrid has been quiet for over 100 years. Yeah, perhaps we're due. Or perhaps we're safe. Or perhaps I can talk this around and around in a circle and get nowhere because I have decided this is where I live.
For the most part, though, any disaster would keep us home. Literally in the case of an earthquake--we are surrounded by bridges and not just the ones across the rivers. Viaducts and train tracks and even though they are slowly being improved, it is slow.
So I'm getting some things ready. More ready. I cleaned out the public area of the basement this week, and the storage area is coming soon. I've got our tub of girl toys and blankets and sleeping bags because otherwise they sit down there with us during the sirens and cry, which is never good but especially when you're already tense and hail is falling and the lights are out and the wind picks up. I'm trying to make it a less scary place, not exactly inviting but at least you can get around and find a place to sit for a moment. It will never be completely pleasant down there, after all.
And food: we've been in the CSA so long, I find that most of our food is fresh. Yes, I have ingredients like flour and sugar and all that, but I don't have any canned fruit. Or vegetables: bleah. I have dry beans, but if you're working without electricity (our stove is a lovely 1965 electric stove), that's a lot of firewood, charcoal, or propane to cook beans all the way from soaked to done.
I have found a great resource in Just in Case: How to be Self-Sufficient when the Unexpected Happens by Kathy Harrison. Mike got it for Christmas but of course I was the one voted most likely to join a militia back in high school. Speaking of that, don't even bother looking up disaster preparedness online unless you want to learn about the fall of the government and training your 4 year old how to use a handgun. I am not that. I just don't want to wind up at a shelter if I can stay in my house (but of course if I have to leave, ahem, nuclear disaster/toxic spill/etc, I WILL LEAVE).
More later. Just starting this process and finding I'm not as far behind as I feared.
I should see if I can get a copy of the "Just In Case" resource too. Portland is all about bridges. I think your plan to have toys available is smart. For myself, I've added those Starbucks VIA packets to my kit. It's not my favorite cup of coffee -- but if we were dealing with an earthquake, I KNOW I would not want to be dealing with caffeine withdrawal too.
ReplyDeleteJan
I have been thinking about getting supplies ready for us, too - things like bottled water (I haven't had a bottled water in years) and canned goods, stuff like that.
ReplyDeleteIt's been in the back of my head since I read Mike's terrifying book at Christmas. It was...awful and something to think about at the same time.
My friend from Christchurch reminded me of the following:
ReplyDeleteA telephone that doesn't require power to charge(ie one of the old landlines).
Plenty of water.
Torches - and plenty of batteries.
A battery or wind-up radio (the worst hit of the Chch suburbs felt very isolated after the earthquake - no power these days means no information)
I was pleased to note we had all of the above.
We also have a stock of canned food, but need to get more other food that can be stored. But don't forget the can openers. Do forget food that needs water (ie rice or pasta) to cook.
People are also buying chemical toilets. We may do this when there is no rush on them from Chch. The other option is having lots of large rubbish bags.
Also - large pieces of furniture strapped to the wall (cabinets, bookshelves, hot water cylinders, etc). A baby died in Chch when the TV fell on him.
And a means of cooking that doesn't rely on electricity, (ie a barbecue, or kerosene camping cooker). In Chch neighbours have been having barbecues together - both to help those who don't have them, but also because the solidarity and companionship helps emotionally.
Those are all so good. My second biggest worry about earthquakes, after complete devastation in my masonry foundation home, is falling objects/furniture with high centers of gravity.
ReplyDeleteI have most everything on your list except the old fashioned land line. I have one, but now we have digital phone. It took me a lot to make that change. A LOT. We both have cell phones and car chargers. Last resort...
AFter the big "storm of the century" (yeah right) in 2006, we had 3 days without power in the middle of the summer. On day 4 we all had a barbecue in Zelda and Travis' yard because enough is enough. We needed to see each other and eat good food (food that was going to go bad in our defrosted freezers).