Being Prepared - not about $

[SnoopyCool]

Just wondering how many people on this board are preparing for disasters. Do you keep an adequate supply of water, food, clothes, cash on hand, etc. just in case of natural disasters or otherwise? We are striving for a year's supply of food and water, but we really only have about a week or so. That's a beginning, though!

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Nope, we're totally unprepared.

[disneysteve]

We have no specific plans but fortunately live in an area that isn't prone to natural disasters. We do keep a stash of cash on hand in case of an extended blackout when ATMs and credit cards wouldn't be of any value. And we have a good size pantry of canned fruits and veggies, cereal and other items that we could live on for at least a week or so if necessary.

[boefixepa]

I have quite a supply of food, a 72 hour kit in backpacks for incase we have to leave the house, and a decent supply of water. I do have the goal to have a years supply and I think if push came to shove my husband and I could make it for a year on the food we have, though it would get interesting. Water would last for a week, if we didn't wash clothes or our selves, but just used it for drinking and cooking. I do have a water filtration system so that would help. The draw backs of a water softener is that you could not drink the water in the water heater or toilet tanks. I need to replenish the cash in my 72 hour kit and repack it now that there are two of us....thanks for the reminder.

[DebbieL]

I always have quite a bit of food, etc. at home, but what if disaster strikes when you're not at home? I think it is pretty hard to be fully prepared. I'm talking about earthquakes here, because that's what they say will happen where I live someday. No warning for those.

[Pupart]

Would the cash on hand even be able to be spent?
I used to work at a grocery store and on the rare occasions when the electronic cash registers went down we had to wait to do any transactions!
Maybe the stores need to be prepared too with manual equipment to allow people to purchase with cash if the need ever asires.

[lgslgs]

We're set up for a broad range of likely risks. We're quite lucky in that our land is high enough to avoid flood risk, and nestled between hills that break up tornado risk.

Realistically, our most likely risk is fire (but we have a good fire break thanks to the livestock), extended power outage, and meth head burglary. We've prepared and done assorted risk management.

As for food, we could go a month without making any changes at all to our current lifestyle. Then we'd run out of cheese and cook differently for the next 3 - 6 months if we had to. We could stretch stores out for a year if need be, but I wouldn't win any recipe contests in the final 6 months.

We're pretty good for water and very well set for wood cooking. Long power outages in the winter get cold but we get by with bundling up and having an outdoor fire for warm ups.

We don't stockpile cash - but in an emergency we wouldn't have much need or much place to spend.

Lynda

[disneysteve]

Would the cash on hand even be able to be spent?

Based on post-9/11 and the summer blackout in '04 the answer is yes. Cash was the only way to buy anything.

[Cassandra]

Where we live the only natural diaster we have to worry about are fires-and half the time they are man made. This past month I think about 6,000 acres were burned-and over 3,000 of them were in the hills behind our house.

We've had to evacuate once before. We keep a box in the safe with all the important papers we need and in everyone's bedroom there is a suitcase so that we can quickly pack up and leave. Since we live in the hills we head downtown to my grandma's house when we need to evacuate.



Cassandra

[Scanner]

I would like to have 3 months. Food - no problem. Water would be a problem as it goes more quick than you may think.

I have also asked my father for his 12 gauge shotgun for the possibility of civil unrest as per Los Angeles riots, hurricane, etc. I would keep the shells locked away seperate and the whole unavailable in the case of a break-in.

I'm blind as a bat without my contacts anyway.