Your Survival Blog
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Are you ready to shelter in place?
Emergency planners often urge you to prepare two plans, and sets of disaster supplies: one for evacuating your home or workplace (or children’s schools) in case of a disaster like fire or flood. And one for staying right where you are, in case of a long-term issue making it hard for you to leave your home (widespread earthquake devastation, massive ice storms or blackouts — or quarantine because of a pandemic.
Think about what it would mean to be asked to stay home, as Mexican citizens were this spring, for an extended period. No schools, no restaurants, possibly no work if you’re not considered “essential personnel.” Getting everyday supplies restocked might be a real challenge.
You know by now that you should have an emergency supply of food, at least enough to last your family a couple of weeks. But do you know what to have on hand so you don’t need to run out of essential household goods? Have you thought about food or supplies (kitty litter, aquarium chemicals, bedding) for your pets and other animals? What about soap? Toilet paper? Toothpaste? Dish detergent? Laundry detergent? Prescription meds? Do you have a stock of paper plates and disposable utensils, in case your family is too ill to manage dishes for a while?
Think for a moment about what you’d need for a trip to a residential hotel in another city. Your room is taken care of for the moment, but you’re going to feed yourself in-house, rather than in restaurants, and you have to supply all household goods and do all your own laundry. (A note on laundry: it’s a really good idea to have more than one extra set of bedding for everyone, so if someone is ill you don’t have to do laundry immediately to change the sheets. Most parents know this from experience.) What will you and your family members need to buy?
This is an excellent exercise to try around the dinner table. What does everyone in the family think is important to have? And what can you easily let go of, or do without? (Some families are happy to use soft toilet paper in place of Kleenex for blowing noses when they have the flu. Some, not so much.)
Another thing to think about: where will you store all these extra supplies? For many homeowners, it’s not a problem, but if you live in a tiny apartment or RV or group living situation or refurbished outhouse, it’ll be more of a challenge. Investment guru Andrew Tobias, in his classic The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need, suggests outside-the-box ideas like putting cases of tuna under your bed. Think about where you might have any extra storage space — not just closets, but under tables, behind couches, in garages (if you live in a warm, not too humid climate), and more. Having all that extra canned or boxed food and toilet paper will come in very handy someday, and you don’t want it to overwhelm you until it does.
Let us know what comes out of this planning process for you!
Posted by eks on 04/29 at 07:29 PM(8) Comments • Permalink