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I live in San Francisco and a few days ago an earthquake hit the Napa Valley area. The aftershocks woke me up and luckily nothing happened. But I realized that I do not have an emergency kit prepared, nor does anyone in my family. I searched for a few guides online and looked up some "pre-made" kits and they all look like junk (cheap flashlights, tons of band-aids). So I've decided that I want buy my items individually. I prefer to use Amazon, but I don't know what is considered to be "good" quality products. I don't want to simply go off of looks. Does anyone here have any suggestions as to what to put into my kit? I'm thinking of a backpack with enough stuff for two people.
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Aug 26, 2014 06:07
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 12:11 |
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http://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit The government has plenty of suggestions for just this sort of thing. Pick your favorite affordable warehouse retailer and you'll be able to pick up most of it. As long as you're buying items individually, I wouldn't worry too much about quality. Your average emergency radio or first aid kit is going to be fine. The advantage of a premade kit is that everything is together and they do manage to cram a lot in there, and while it's cheap it also tends to be lightweight and compact. Personally I just dropped by a surplus store and was able to get most everything I needed. My only addition to these lists is putting together the essential items into a backpack. Apparently whomever wrote it sort of forgot the idea that you might want to carry your poo poo. Make sure your bug-out bag isn't absurdly heavy though. And remember that the idea is that you find somewhere safe, and then shelter there until help arrives - not recreate civilization. If America falls apart you're hosed either way. edit: Oh also, set up a basic emergency plan with your family. Like how to get out, where to meet, whom to call, that sort of thing. The site talks about this as well. Those things are really helpful, particularly for earthquakes. Kaal fucked around with this message at 16:50 on Aug 26, 2014 |
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Aug 26, 2014 07:01
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Kaal posted:edit: Oh also, set up a basic emergency plan with your family. Like how to get out, where to meet, whom to call, that sort of thing. Those things are really helpful, particularly for earthquakes. Also get a map. Mark important things like designated emergency evacuation routes and shelters.
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Aug 26, 2014 08:10
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It's mentioned in the link Kaal listed, but I just want to emphasize: cash. During the first Christchurch quake EFTPOS and credit card networks were down for a long time. I didn't realize just how much I relied on plastic until I was completely unable to buy things.
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Aug 26, 2014 09:12
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They eat up batteries like loving crazy, but a battery-powered cell phone charger would absolutely come in handy if you didn't have electricity. I've seen photos of emergency areas, where there's like fifty people waiting to use the available working outlets to charge their phones so they can call out. Unless of course you want to shell big money for the better solar chargers. Also consider your pets when keeping aside water and food for an emergency.
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Aug 26, 2014 12:21
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It may be easier to text than to call during an emergency. Phones will be used a lot more, but text messages use much less bandwidth. Here are some helpful emergency preparedness links that aren't too  http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster http://www.windsofchange.net/archives/003006.html http://windsofchange.net/archives/003051.html http://www.windsofchange.net/archives/005071.html#c6 http://www.windsofchange.net/archives/007441.html http://www.lesjones.com/2005/09/08/emergency-supplies/ http://www.quakekare.com/ http://www.camelbak.com/ http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/survival/ http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=as_acpost?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=ur2&node=7437575011&tag=wwwviolentkicom http://www.costco.com/all-emergency-food.html
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Aug 26, 2014 15:53
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put bandaids in it
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Aug 26, 2014 16:22
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Take a look at this for some ideas. I found the first one to be the most useful. But I think the other lists have items worth considering, depending on what you think you will need. And then the real basics like water and food storage, at least for a few days. http://www.amazon.com/FEMA-All-Hazard-Preparedness-Supplies/lm/R5RN08S5NML6W http://www.amazon.com/When-it-all-starts-goin-down/lm/R19HTBZT06L5GS/ref=cm_ http://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Survival-Kit/lm/R1F5KSBBF1DBZA/ref=cm_lmt_srch_
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Sep 28, 2014 04:06
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Also think about area-specific needs, like bug spray, winter jacket, warm boots, extra socks, sun screen, etc. You may not need a heavy jacket if something goes to poo poo and you live somewhere with nice weather year-round, but if it's winter in the Midwest and you need to bug out, you sure as hell better have gloves, a jacket, a hat, etc. And if you have a car, you'll want to have some sort of emergency kit in there as well; jumper cables, first-aid kit, water, blanket, flashlight, etc.
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Sep 28, 2014 17:48
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Don't overdo it, but a small backpack with basics can be very useful. I would pack something like this: Getting Around * street plan of the city. Buy at any gas station. Bonus points for actually figuring out where you might want/need to go, and how to get there. * flashlight, headlamp, batteries. I would get aa-powered, LED lights. At least 8 AA batteries to go with them. Whether you want to spend $20-$30 on good lights or $5-10 on no-brand probably-fine is up to you. * extra socks, bandaids, comfortable sneakers if practical. There's a chance you'll have to walk a lot more than you're used to. Preventing and treating blisters makes a huge difference. * Cash. At least $100, in various denominations. Physical Needs * Water. Difficult to really prepare for, but an obvious necessity. You should at least have a good water bottle. Packing 1-2 liters of bottled water in the pack is probably the limit of what's practical. If you're more serious/ paranoid, disinfectant and filtering options exist in a bewildering range of options and costs. An eyedropper of bleach with instructions is the cheapest. * Food. Throw in some long-lasting energy bars. * Medkit. Should at the very least have: bandaids, aspirin, gauze, tape, sterilizing agent (iodine, betadine), tweezers. * emergency reflective blanket. Emergency poncho. Can keep you a little more warm and dry, and cost and weigh almost nothing. Communication * note to self: switch off cell phone. Your phone will last a day if you keep it on. It can last weeks if you turn it on for five minutes a day. It can last a week if you turn off data, wifi, bluetooth, etc. * write down a list of important phone numbers/ addresses. Friends, family, but also bank information. * emergency radio. This is a halfhearted recommendation, because most of them look like lovely worried-parent stocking stuffers. Random * Swiss army knife or multitool. Not so much for the knife as for the tools - pliers, tweezers, screwdrivers, and scissors are useful for fixing people and stuff. * Duct tape. * cigarette lighter/ box of matches * small candle There's not one exact guide to doing this right, but these are some essentials. Redundancy might be a good thing - if you need this, you're likely to run into people who didn't plan as well as you did. It's nice to be able to give away extras.
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Sep 28, 2014 20:33
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Go to your favorite pub or tavern have a nice cold pint and wait for all of this to blow over.
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Sep 29, 2014 09:55
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You should also inspect it periodically to make sure nothing has expired and everything's okay. It helps to make a checklist for it so you can fly through it pretty quickly. Things like making sure the batteries and other perishables haven't expired, seals are intact and so on.
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Sep 29, 2014 18:52
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I understand you are thinking more about a "bug-out bag" for if you need to get out of the city, but consider this... 1. You live in San Francisco, water is already an issue. 2. If an earthquake hits and somehow knocks out the local water-facility/pumps, you could be screwed for god knows how many days. 3. If a major earthquake/storm/EMP whatever hits, chances are driving to somewhere may not be an option due to road damage and congestion. As the saying goes, three weeks without food, three days without water, three minutes without air. So at the very least, do the following: Go to a local hardware/camping store and buy a few of those big camping water-jugs. They usually store 10-30 litres of water, and usually cost a mere $35 each. Fill them up and stash them in a closet or something. You want to keep at least 30 litres of water per-person in your household (1 litre of water per person, per day). Change the water every 3 months, the more often the better, but if it's clean and out of the sun it can last a fair while. Seriously, this is the #1 thing in most disaster situations - most people die of dehydration. If everyone simply did this (along with some food storage if you can) the death toll in most natural disasters would be significantly lower. Obviously people in 3rd world countries don't have this luxury. But we are talking about the US here.
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Oct 31, 2014 21:41
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Also learn how to get water from your hot water heater and toilet tank (not the bowl). There's probably 30 gallons between them in most apartments.
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Oct 31, 2014 23:48
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You can buy those five gallon water jugs they use in office coolers. Pumps are available for dispensing. If you're gonna keep stuff in your house/apartment, consider storing things in a Rubbermaid container with a tight fitting lid. Also, grab some smaller versions to keep your phone/money/wallet in to keep safe from the elements. In the event of flooding, they should float. If you need to cook, they make camp stoves that generate a small amount of electricity to charge your phone or other small devices. You can also get a solar USB charger.
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Nov 1, 2014 00:10
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Ask yourself how long you expect to be without the poo poo you need to not die if the worst happens. Add a few days to that, maybe a week if you're really ambitious, and make sure you have the poo poo you need to not die for that long available. Water will be your biggest concern. Make sure you have either drinkable water stored up or a way to make water drinkable. Candles also come in handy as batteries lose their charge over time. Candles just kind of...be candles. Non-perishable food is a must. Canned stuff you don't need to heat is probably a very good thing to have. Do you need medications to not die? Make sure you have enough. Also, make sure you have a way to not be bored. If the power goes out but the situation isn't dire enough that there is an evacuation happening you and your pals are suddenly going to have a lot of time on your hands. Even if you do end up evacuating you might end up sitting somewhere with nothing to do for days and days and days. If nobody you care about is injured or dying and your house isn't burning down you won't have much to fret over and are going to be very, very bored. Something as simple as a deck of cards can keep you at least occupied.
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Nov 1, 2014 00:22
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paperchaseguy posted:It may be easier to text than to call during an emergency. Phones will be used a lot more, but text messages use much less bandwidth. I was in NE Pennsylvania when there was a whole bunch of flooding in the area and people were trying to get in touch with family members for days. Cell service was so unreliable, people were getting text messages two or three days late and calls would not connect. That's why I always establish a location to met up if we lose contact with folks. The reality is that it will probably never happen, but if there's some localized disaster, it's much easier to know you have a place to meet rather than hoping and/or worrying if the person is missing, lost, or just can't get in touch. EDIT: Toxicslurpee mentioned Meds that you need to not-die. Keep in mind some meds can cause terrible withdrawal if you stop taking them abruptly (I'm looking at you, anti-depressants)
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Nov 1, 2014 01:49
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obi_ant posted:I live in San Francisco and a few days ago an earthquake hit the Napa Valley area. The aftershocks woke me up and luckily nothing happened. But I realized that I do not have an emergency kit prepared, nor does anyone in my family. I searched for a few guides online and looked up some "pre-made" kits and they all look like junk (cheap flashlights, tons of band-aids). So I've decided that I want buy my items individually. I prefer to use Amazon, but I don't know what is considered to be "good" quality products. I don't want to simply go off of looks. Does anyone here have any suggestions as to what to put into my kit? I'm thinking of a backpack with enough stuff for two people. More importantly, go learn to use that first aid kit : http://www.redcross.org/take-a-class I know too many guys with bug-out bags and absolutely no idea how to handle something as minor as a sprain or a moderate cut. Don't be that guy. A first aid kit that you don't know how to use just gives you false confidence in your safety.
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Nov 1, 2014 03:01
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Another overlooked point is not only to prepare with knowledge and use of your tools, but be prepared physically as well. Work on keeping yourself healthy from both physical and mental fitness standpoints. You'll see preppers brag about their camelbak, grandfathered full-auto AK-47 with 500 rounds of ammo, and tactical vest with multitools bulging from every pocket. None of them have any hope of carrying all that crap even a mile because they are fat sacks of poo poo. You don't have to be a hypermiler, but keep yourself in respectable shape. The life you save may be your own.
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Nov 1, 2014 03:14
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Yeah, none of your preparations do you any good if you're too fat and weak to get out from under your shelf of manga if an earthquake tips it over on you. 
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Nov 1, 2014 03:16
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We don't prioritize water storage specifically for a disaster situation (we live in an RV so we're sort of naturally prepared), but we do have a 50/50 camping/bugout bag that basically has enough stuff to keep 2 people alive, warm, watered and fed for 3 days. A Lifestraw will live in their sealed wrapper till you need them, and they'll make pond water drinkable just about. http://www.amazon.com/LifeStraw-LSPHF017-Personal-Water-Filter/dp/B006QF3TW4 Only downside is since you drink from them directly, they aren't useful for filtering water in advance, but there are products out there with the same tech with a little hand pump
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Nov 1, 2014 09:42
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My plan is shelter-in-place. Between the pantry and the chest freezer I could get by for a week or more. Costco has one gallon water bottles for a buck a piece, I have a couple dozen. I have three cars, one of which I seldom use, and I make sure that one is topped off every time I bring it home. I try and keep the other two at 50%, but if you've ever been married, you know how that goes. I used to keep an extra propane tank at home to power the BBQ grill so I could cook food, but then we built-in a natural gas grill, so now I got an attachment for the camp stove to use the big propane tanks and I keep a couple on hand. Flashlights, batteries, radio, etc. I plan to use the car to charge the cell phone, even without ever starting it I could charge the cell phone many times, and then just starting the car for a few minutes should charge the 12V battery back up (if I can't leave). I considered preparing for more, but I believe after 5-7 days it will come down to kill or be killed, and either you hide from moment one, or build the arsenal, and I'm not ready to do either of those things. California does the "Shake Out" where you're supposed to practice your emergency drill - it was a few weeks back and I made up a laminated sheet that I keep in strategic locations detailing the procedures for the above, plus how to turn off the gas man, the water main, and the electric main. It has some basic contact info as well.
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Nov 1, 2014 11:12
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 12:11 |
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Every hurricane season I buy a few cases of water and some fresh batteries. My pistol and relatively fragile neighbors can fit any shortcomings in that plan.
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Nov 1, 2014 11:20
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