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Hurricane tips for survival
A day late and a dollar short for everyone affected by Sandy.
But you know, this season comes around every year, and it never ceases to amaze me how many people end up caught short when the chips are down. There are many people in the Asylum who have weathered BIG STORMS. Many of us have never evacuated...not once. Some of us have evacuated many times. I started this thread two weeks late to provide a place where people can post solid survival tips gained over many hard years of tolerating tropical weather. I only have two to start with, but I will think of other things that have saved me before. And there are many here that know other things that have been learned the hard way. Post em up. Next time a hurricane threatens, maybe we can top it so folks can read it. |
Re: Hurricane tips for survival
1.) When a storm is coming, freeze gallon jugs of water for a few days. The longer they sit in the freezer,
the harder they freeze, up to a point. This provides large ice blocks that resist melting in an ice chest, much longer than cubes. Once the inevitable happens and they melt, you have fresh water in bulk. You can also use rock salt and ice cubes to keep them from melting as fast, since they are sealed jugs. 2.) Fill your bathtub with water....take a square of plastic sheeting or some saran wrap and place it under your stopper for a better seal. This provides flush water, boilable water for drinking and cooking, and water to spit bathe with. You never know whether your local water system will be compromised, or how long it will take to clean out. This water CAN save your butt. |
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Have Cash On hand for the times when Stores Credit Card systems will be down but will accept cash, and have back up of Gas for cars (which should be topped off)
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Re: Hurricane tips for survival
3) Water can become contaminated, even sitting in your bath tub or your hot water heater (you did know that's a reservoir, right?). Have a water filter that can remove such as this one: http://www.rei.com/product/695265/ms...x-water-filter. Know to use it and also how to use iodine tablets for further purification.
4) Have a Red Cross (or equivalent) 72 or 96 hour emergency kit at your home and in all vehicles. 5) One of the best manuals for family emergency preparedness is the LDS Manual. http://www.green-trust.org/freebooks/Preparedness.pdf 6) Consider getting your amateur radio license. In an emergency, it can be your only contact with the outside world. http://www.arrl.org/ is a great place to start gathering information. 7) I have a Honda EU2000i generator that can run sensitive electronics (the "i" is inverter) for emergencies. I test it often. Do you? It can also be slaved to another EU generator to double capacity. We and our in-laws have the same generators and also have the slave cables. 8) put your home safe, with your important documents like insurance policies and several hundred dollars in cash, on the second floor of the house in case of flooding. Make sure it is fire rated. 9) http://www.citizencorps.gov/ is a great place to see about resources and training for all types of emergencies. |
Re: Hurricane tips for survival
I lived on Topsail Island, NC for a few years and from experience I can give these brief words of advice...
-Never hurts to have a full tank of gas or at least enough to get a few towns away... A car charger for cell phone also can be a lifesaver. -Canned food is always a good thing to have on hand for obvious reasons (no need to keep cold,long shelf life) -Boards for windows provide both protection from flying debris and security from possible looting after the storm and go up easily if already cut to fit openings. -Having an evacuation route is good. Knowing the approved evacuation route for high water situations is a MUST. -Know your location. General topography, Other bodies of water, flood planes and rivers can render roads impassable. -Never drive in more then 1 foot of water unless the situation is dire. Electrical systems can short circuit and vehicles can stall. -taking pictures both before and after the event are often important when dealing with insurance agencies. |
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The Gas thing is huge. It is insane what is going on up here for gas now.
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We were all excited that subways were back up. Well they aren't. Some are, but in my case I can't get to where I have to go, so I sat in 3 hours of traffic to get to work today. And all we are doing is delaying the process if repair. We really just needed to shut down for the week as a whole and give ConEd and whomever a chance to fix things... |
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Might be headed down there this weekend as relief for other FireFighters...they are asking some of us to do 72 hrs for the weekend. I voted in!
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If you're in an area where flooding is a possibility - buy an axe and store it your attic. Hang it DIRECTLY in front of your entry so that you see it every time you go up to the attic (this way you'll never forget that it is there). When the water levels are rising and you keep going up you need to have a way out.
Hell - I live on a steep hill far away from anywhere that floods and I STILL have one stored up there. I don't wanna get trapped in an attic ever - that's the stuff nightmares are made of. Posted via Mobile Device |
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http://lds.about.com/library/bl/prep...2_hour_kit.pdf
Mormons have been preaching Emergency Preparedness, food storage, and 72 hour kits for years. They kind of have it down to a science. The link above is for a standard 72 hour kit, although if you have several of them (one bug out bag per person) several of the items can easily be distributed. Obviously, some of the items at the bottom of the list are Mormon (LDS) specific. My 72 hour kit has 5 tubos of Cohibas sealed in SealaMeal with an oxygen absorber instead of Genealogy records etc. Additionally, something like this http://www.target.com/p/wagan-900-am...i_sku=10895110 can be a lifesaver. Not a generator, but will work for limited lengths as a power source and has the ability to charge phones as well (you provide the car adapter) In a tough situation, the ability to have communication is vital. Lastly, in any disaster, the cell system gets overwhelmed with calls. Focus your communication on text messages. They get through even when the calls can't because they can wait for tiny openings in the communication system. They also don't kill your battery trying to call over and over again. |
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Jeez, this thread devolved quickly into a Sandy thread.....
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72 Hour Emergency Kit
By Rachel Woods, About LDS Guide, Notes: • Update your kit every six months (put a note in your calendar/planner) to make sure that: all food, water, and medication are fresh (not expired), clothing fits, personal documents and credit cards are up to date, and batteries are charged. • Small toys/games are important too as they will provide some comfort and entertainment during a stressful time. • Older children can be responsible for their own pack of items/clothes too. • You can include any other items you feel are necessary for your family's survival. • Some items and/or flavors might leak, melt, “flavor” other items, or break open. Dividing groups of items into individual Ziploc bags might help prevent this. Food and Water (3 day supply of food & water per person when no refrigeration/cooking is available) Protein/Granola Bars Trail Mix/Dried Fruit Crackers/Cereals (for munching) Canned Tuna, Beans, Meat, Vienna Sausages, etc (“pop-top” cans might leak/ explode & Jerky can “flavor” other items) Canned Juice Candy/Gum (Jolly ranchers can melt & mint gum might “flavor” other items) Water (1 Gallon/4 Liters per person) Bedding and Clothing Change of Clothing (short and long sleeve shirts, pants, socks, jackets, etc.) Undergarments Rain Coat /Poncho Blankets and Emergency Heat Blankets Cloth Sheet Plastic Sheet Fuel & Light Battery Lighting (Flashlights, Lamps) Extra Batteries Flares Candles Lighter Water-Proof Matches Miscellaneous Bag or Bags to put 72 hour kit items in (such as duffel bags or hiking back packs, which work great) Infant Needs (if applicable) Equipment Can Opener Dishes/Utensils Shovel Radio (with batteries!) Pen and Paper Axe Pocket Knife Rope Duct Tape Personal Supplies & Medication First Aid Supplies Toiletries (roll of toilet paper—remove center tube to easily flatten into a zip-lock bag, feminine hygiene, folding brush, etc) Cleaning Supplies (mini hand sanitizer, soap, shampoo, dish soap, etc. Warning: Scented soap might “flavor” food items.) Immunizations Up-to Date Medication (Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, children’s medication, etc.) Prescription Medication (for 3 days) Personal Documents and Money (Place these items in a water-proof container!) Scriptures (miniature ones are lighter) Genealogy Records Patriarchal Blessing Legal Documents (Birth/Marriage Certificates, Wills, Passports, Contracts) Vaccination Papers Insurance Policies Cash Credit Card Pre-Paid Phone Cards For those that can't open the link, here is the text |
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The one thing I have learned is you can do it a little at a time $5 - $20 when you grocery shop or just go out. It will add up to a nice little pile that you can rely on. Also it's great to have "emergency" food or that type of thing but sometimes a little comfort food during an emergency can take you a long way, example a nice cup of instant coffee or a piece of chocolate.
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