Disaster kits in place everyone?

[uppityperson]

Having been hit hard by the windstorm in Nov (not so much by this week's), I have been thinking about people in hurricane country. I have been thinking of them a lot. Sounds like much of W.WA has been hit by high winds the last month. Trees crashing down, roads blocked, powerlines down and power out, debris all over the roads. It is a mess.

And it is not yet Winter. November is typically the windy month, IMO, and Jan/Feb the months for snow, and I know that these are generalities. But still, Being stuck at home for nearly a week due to the ice, and these windstorms? Scary and nasty stuff.

So, my disaster kit is getting a going over now. What food needs changing out, is more bottled water needed, need to get more tea-light candles, have enough bottled gas for the lamp, flashlights work, etc. And a note needs to be sent to my friends living still in FEMA mansions, camping in tents, crowded in cabins in LA and MS because they are still living like that.

Peace to all.

[SeattleGirl]

1. Just did a quick mental rundown of what we have here.

When the power went out here on Thursday night, I went to the store to get more candles and batteries, so we're good on that. Have lots of canned stuff, and we have a wood burning stove (and wood), so we have a heat and cooking source. Lots of bottled water -- our tap water tastes awful, so we always have the bottled stuff.

I was thinking about my friends still displaced by Katrina when my power went out. Didn't do any complaining; that was minor compared to what my friends have been going through for way too long.

[Papillon]

2. This storm is really motivating me to set up a better disaster kit.

Since I didn't have any heat, I'm going to check in some kind of kerosene heater. Anyone know anything about them? I live alone and don't know the first thing about them or setting up and starting a generator, and probably don't have the strength to move a generator around.

Whenever I've thought about having to be on my own for a week or two at a time because of a natural disaster, I always pictured warm weather and only worried about having enough food and water on hand. Not any more. I also need to look into having something that will heat a small amount of food at a time.

I also had trouble getting my garage door open and once I did, it wouldn't stay up. I finally was able to prop it up with a mop wedged against a box to keep the door high enough so that I could back out. I did bang the antenna against the door as I drove out. (Note to self, unscrew the antenna before moving car.)

[uppityperson]

3. make sure you have the area ventilated.

Kerosene burns off water, meaning it adds moisture to the air also as opposed to woodstoves that dry air out. Make sure you have wherever ventilated. Home Depot type stores have them. Talk with whomever wherever you look for one for advice also. We have a 2 burner propane stove, with small detachable bottles, like for car camping. This works well for cooking and is easy and safer than white gas stoves, easier than the old Coleman ones also. Think of car camping and have on hand what you would need for that (warmer sleeping things, bag or blankets, light source, cooking source, water, etc).

Good luck with that antenna.

[Papillon]

4. Thank you for the information about kerosene stoves.

I'm going to go slow and investigate before buying anything for emergency heating. The propane cooking stove sounds like something I can handle. I haven't been "camping" since I was little and went with my parents. I remember my dad pumping the fuel container for our Coleman camp stove. He could cook up a mean meal on that green puppy. The antenna seems fine, they apparently have a lot of spring to them.

Edit, typo.

[Norrin Radd]

5. Those huge, heavy acrylic "mink" blankets are also good to have.

They are usually ugly as sin, but will keep you warm (the double thickness variety, which weigh about 12 lbs).