Here’s a recap of what we have so far:
- Battery powered Carbon Monoxide detectors with noisy alarms. One in
the same room as any indoor fire (BBQ, gas stove, etc.) and one next to
where we sleep.
- Batteries for everything battery-driven: flashlights, clocks, smoke
detectors, blood-pressure monitors, etc.
- Battery powered emergency lights, with noisy alarms to wake us up if the
power goes out. This would be our tip-off to fill the bathtubs with water for
toilet flushing as mentioned earlier. Oh, I also made sure I have a caulking
gun to seal around the one bathtub plug that doesn't seal properly.
- We have regular candles of course, but we also have a couple little
battery-powered Christmas candles that would make a good night light -
especially for my 87 y/o Mom or for my kids. A couple AA batteries last
nearly a week. (I don't want candles burning if we could fall asleep...)
- Several old-fashioned kerosene lamps (with lots of extra fuel) for light in
the evening.
- Two large fire extinguishers and several smaller ones. If the fire department can't get fuel, water, or people to work....
- A two-burner camp stove with extra fuel - enough for several months of
cooking and (if absolutely necessary) even a bit of heat.
- We have firewood set aside for cooking outside over an open fire. (The
woodpile is next to the Rottweiler's house!
) We even have some
long-handled sandwich grill thingies (I don't know what they're called) that
we've always enjoyed while camping.
Put a slice of bread in each side, put your favorite filling (eg. cheese, meat
and cheese, cherry pie-filling or whatever) on one slice. Then put the two
sides of the "thingie" together and heat it over the fire. Makes "pop-overs".
As you gather, I don't know what to call the danged things but the
pop-overs are fun to make, taste good, and are good FOR you TOO! (Sounds
like a cereal commercial...)
- We've put up extra food, drinks, toilet articles (toothpaste, hair spray,
shaving supplies for everyone, etc.) and paper supplies (toilet paper, paper
towels, Kleenex, personal products, etc.) for use and for trading in case any
problem lasts for a while or the kids come home and need supplies. (Are
you ready to support/supply unexpected relatives or friends? In unity there
is strength!) We don’t have house cats so we don’t have to worry about
kitty litter (phew!) but we’re setting aside a couple 40 pound bags of dog
food for our 170+ lb Rotty. When that’s gone we’ll feed him neighbor kids,
er, venison. I mean venison.
- The drinks we've set aside include soft drinks, fruit juices, home-made
water jugs and just maybe a li'l ole jug of Wild Turkey! (Man does not live
by bread alone!) We’ve put up some chocolates and other candies as treats
for times when spirits might be low. Oh, and a couple of “treats” for the
puppy, too.
- We have stacks and boxes full of magazines and books to read during
daylight hours. We have cards and other games to play by candlelight. We
enjoy each other’s company and are not the frantic “gotta be doing
something” types. We’d enjoy going up on the roof and watch the sun set
in the evenings. (Good view of our perimeter.)
- If we can't go to work and earn money, then there probably would not be
any place to spend the money anyway. If the banks can't function, the
problem will be so wide-spread that the mortgage company will have a lot
more to worry about than our $284.43 each month!
- If the bank "loses track" of my money, I'll have my printed bank
statements to help them "recover" my records during “recovery”.
- One concern is adequate prescription medications - and we're taking
steps to maintain more than 2 months supply on hand. (Without her meds,
Mom wouldn’t last a week!) We already put aside extra heartworm pills and
flea medication for the puppy. After all, he’s family too!
- We’ve stockpiled emergency medical supplies. I’m an EMT so I’ve just
increased my “kits”. I've included some sutures that were, um, "liberated" from the Emegency Department. (Don't ask!
)
- We live in a semi-rural bedroom community. I don't expect civil unrest
on any notable scale (but I've set aside some things for that
). Barring
medical emergencies, I believe we could be self-sufficient (even if the kids
return home) for about two months with our current stockpile. If a
“blackout” lasts more than a couple days, we’ll begin “harvesting” some of
the local deer (over)population - then we can last for many months.
- Everybody in my family can handle firearms - even my mother. (grin)
Problem is she’s legally blind so we don’t let her practice much!
If “they”
come at us, they’d better be good.
- Some folks are setting aside a lot of fishing supplies. I’m not. I want to
keep us all here at the house rather than scattered and vulnerable.
Besides, if we want fish, we have supplies to trade.
- Extended severe cold (below freezing for more than three or four days)
could make us uncomfortable but we can cope with it. (We have quilts,
sleeping bags, and Yankee-style clothing for emergencies!
) We’ve set
aside an extra bale of hay for the dog’s house in case of extreme cold.
Frankly, we figure loss of utilities here in the relatively warm South would
be a lot like camping - only with a big, strong tent!
- I think that’s about it! If anyone sees gaps in my “plan”, I’d appreciate
any tips or suggestions! (Better now than when it’s too late!)