How prepared are you for disaster?

[Lyric]

I was reading around tonight about influenza, and wound up at a preparedness website created by people who are trying to get ready for Bird Flu. I know our MSM has "bird flu fatigue", and doesn't really talk about it anymore. But I do think about it myself, and get rather sick when I realize just how ill-prepared we are here for a long-term seclusion in our home.

On one hand, I don't want to seem like a wacky survivalist. On the other--it takes a lot of food, supplies, and medications to get through when you can't safely leave your house.

So do you have "emergency supplies" socked away somewhere? How prepared are you for a pandemic, or a Katrina, or any other emergency situation?

[dropkickpa]

1. Nope

I live on an extremely limited income, have an apartment size fridge, and don't own a car. We'd have to eat the dog, then the guinea pig, and, by then, hopefully the goldfish will have grown to enormous size so we could eat them.

[Omphaloskepsis]

2. We have:

About two weeks of food, eating well -- we could stretch it out

A generator and about 500 gallons of gas -- Plus a fuckload of firewood

A couple hundred gallons of bottled water -- Our house uses a well too, which we can power if needed

We have a few guns and a lot of ammo


And all of it is locked up while we wait for that rainy day. Which I doubt will ever come.

[SPKrazy]

3. Yes, But We Need To Add To It

As a member of a mental health first responder team for catastrophic events, I've been told that if a pandemic (be it avian or some other influenza or illness) hits, it could easily be 2-3 months before the economy is moving again, including services and stores, etc.

I do think these are worst case scenarios, but there is no doubt that we are woefully unprepared as a nation for catastrohic events.

Fear and psychological terror of getting sick are also things that would hamper any relief efforts.
Just imagine it, if you will. Bushco has done us a disservice by trying to scare us with this.

There is the very real probability that there will be some kind of pandemic virus that will strike soon. It has always happened historically.

:shrug:

[Omphaloskepsis]

8. I'm not worried about illness..

I'm worried about the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_de_Fuca_Plate

The PNW has a big earthquake coming our way. I doubt it will happen in my lifetime, but it will happen.

[SPKrazy]

9. Many Things Are Inevitable

our mental health first responders are tasked for a major earthquake along the New Madrid fault as well as any type of bioterrorism, pandemic, etc.

I'm frightened of illness only in the chaos and suffering it is likely to create.

Our hospitals are overwhelmed often by regular influenza. Imagine a virus that was more deadly than the usual influenza is.

[Lyric]

10. It's that big old super-volcano underneath of Yellowstone

that worries me. I watched a movie about that a while back. Scary. As. Hell.

[billyskank]

4. Oh, I am so stuffed

Whatever. I'll just have to deal with it, or die or something.

[Writer]

5. Ummm...

stuffed = screwed?

[billyskank]

7. Indeedy

Up shit creek sans paddle, as they say. :hi:

[Writer]

12. I learn something new every day.

:7

:hi:

[Left Is Write]

6. I can tell you - I'm not prepared for a cold.

You've seen my post on the pseudoephedrine.

[flamingyouth]

11. We're mostly prepared.

After the big storm we had, we realized that we are missing a battery-operated radio. Other than that, we have lots of canned food, water, pet supplies, flashlights, batteries, etc. We were without power and heat for an extended period of time and it would have been nice to have a little link to the outside world.

[smtpgirl]

13. I have plenty

of plastic sheeting and duck tape

[femmocrat]

14. Totally unprepared and in a state of denial.

You know, it won't happen here.
But I sometimes wonder what I would grab if I had to evacuate in a hurry. If I can't take the dogs, I'm not leaving.

[achtung_circus]

15. Absolutely.

Since I saw my first tornado about 20 years ago.

I have a 72 hour (plus) kit.

Its contents vary depending on the season, mostly in the way of clothing packewd into it. It contains food, tools, water, a first aid kit, radio, flashlight, cooking, shelter, sleeping . equipment and on and on and on. It lives in a fairly small backpack in the back of my truck.

Oddly, one of the things I did today was repack it. I check contents and replace perishables.

[Redstone]

16. We are:

Redstone

[NMDemDist2]

17. i usually keep supplies on hand

i'm a bit low right now due to losing my job a month ago, but will stock up once I'm back to work

[TK421]

18. This person can help you with this problem.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B492yJzIog