In 2009, only 57% of Americans identified as having set aside any supplies for a disaster. Of that, a little over 70% of the time, those supplies were only food and/or water, and were often found to be inadequate on the whole. [1]That number's going to vary depending on where you live, but that means that roughly half of the households in your neighborhood are not at all equipped for a disaster. How many people per household does your neighborhood average? What are those people going to do hours to days after a large-scale disaster? Images of post-katrina New Orleans with looting and disorder, the superdome burgeoning with tens of thousands of people, all in need of food, water, and shelter come to my mind.
Of those surveyed, many people stated that they didn't prepare for a disaster because they felt that the established infrastructure with police, fire, and EMS, or a federal or state response will help them. As a paramedic who works in the emergency field, I can tell you from personal experience that EMS systems often operate at the verge of their capacity (and are often well below the NFPA recommendation of 1 emergency ambulance per 14,000 citizens), and even relatively small mass casualty incidents such as highway pileups can rapidly overwhelm available resources. While fire and police departments generally have more manpower and resources, they too can be readily stretched thin or overwhelmed by incidents that are much smaller than a disaster level event. Even neighboring systems may be too overwhelmed, or even unwilling to render aid, as was the case when an adjoining town blocked New Orleans residents entry at gunpoint. Federal and state level responses often take a day or more to mobilize, and may not be present if the disaster is ongoing. While public safety and government infrastructure are great resources, you have a responsibility to yourself and those around you to make sure that you can at least take care of yourself, so as not to suffer from the lack of those resources, and to avoid contributing to their scarcity.
Having a disaster kit ready isn't hard, or all that expensive. You don't have to buy a $300, 500-piece kit to be prepared, and you don't need a bunker in the mountains. In all likelihood, you already have most of the supplies on hand at your house. Ready.gov has a list of the most important items you'll need in the event of any disaster. The most important thing about these supplies is that they must be set aside just for a disaster, and you need them in one place, in a bag or two, stored so you can grab them and leave quickly if you need to.
The list goes like this:
-1 gallon (or 4 liters) of water per person per day. If you're sedentary, you'll need a little under 2 liters for drinking, and the rest for hygiene. Have at least a three day supply.
-3 day supply of non-perishable food. MREs are great, but they're far too bulky, and too expensive since the prepper fad, in my opinion. If you do use MREs, don't skip on the sugarless gum, it'll keep you regular. Dehydrated food requires that you pack extra water with which to rehydrate it. Canned or jarred goods, peanut butter and other nut products, and dehydrated or smoked meats such as jerky would be my recommendation. Don't forget salt, instant coffee or tea, some chocolate and hard candy. It'll be the little things like those that will help keep you feeling good. Also, you can trade these items in a pinch.
-A hand-crank or battery-op radio and a NOAA capable radio. This is so you can receive instruction on where to seek shelter, get food and water, and be notified of impending dangerous weather conditions.
- A flashlight with extra batteries. You get what you pay for. If you buy a cheap light and never change the batteries in it, expect a cheap light with dead batteries. You can use this as a weapon in a pinch, and to signal for help.
-First aid kit. Please, please, please do not buy a pre-assembled first aid kit, especially from your local department store. '100 piece' kits usually turn out to have 99 band-aids and a set of tweezers. I would ask a friend in the healthcare field to help put one together. FEMA also has a list of recommended first aid items here
http://m.fema.gov/first-aid-kit
The only things I'd add is that the sterile dressings they mention should be in the form of roll gauze, pack ibuprofen, pack female sanitary pads (even if you're male, they can be used to stop bleeding, or at least make some poor lady feel a little better), and pack ACE wraps.
-A dust mask, plastic sheeting, and duct tape. The idea is to seal off your shelter in the event of a chemical or biological incident, but these can also be used to construct a makeshift shelter in the field.
-A whistle, for signaling for help.
-Moist towelettes, garbage bags, and twist ties for personal sanitation. I can say from personal experience that you can use moist towelettes for a dry bath in a pinch.
-Can opener
-Local map
-Wrench or pliers
- Cell phone charger or solar charger.
My personal recommendations extend to include:
-A water procurement method. Iodine tablets, bleach solution, a life straw device, etc.
-A tool/weapon of some sort. A hatchet, axe, or sturdy blade of some kind would be best, in my opinion. Firearms are good for personal defense, but generally aren't great for general utility purposes. If you want a firearm to be part of your kit, do it. My advice is that you don't turn yourself into a target by looking like a walking arsenal.
-A good backpack in which to keep your kit. It's okay to assign extra backpacks to other family members.
-Games, like a pack of playing cards or a set of dice.
-Consider your region's conditions, terrain, and weather, adjust your kit as appropriate.
-Pet food for your animal. Bear in mind that a FEMA shelter may ask you to relinquish the animal.
Really, this stuff is all recommended to make your life easier, and keep you from becoming a victim. None of it's going to do you any good if you don't have a plan, don't know how to use it, or don't obey common sense or instruction. No amount of stuff can replace a little bit of good training and practice. No amount of post-event efforts can replace a little prevention. It really is easy to be ready for anything- if you can go camping, you can be prepared. Start getting organized today, check your house for leftover supplies that would go into your kit. Get your family and friends in on it. Go meet those neighbors you don't know yet, and learn you can rely on them for and vice-versa.
If you want to help disaster relief efforts, FEMA recommends starting with this site: http://www.nvoad.org/states
FEMA also recommends donating only cash, as it provides relief organizations with the flexibility they need to help those who need it. As always, you can help by supporting politicians who support disaster preparedness, by doing your own research, and by sharing what you've learned here.
As always, feel free to leave questions, comments, concerns, and suggestions on the blog, on my google + account, or on Facebook.
[3]http://m.fema.gov/first-aid-kit
[2]www.ready.gov
[1]https://s3-us-gov-west-1.amazonaws.com/dam-production/uploads/20130726-1859-25045-2081/2009_citizen_corps_national_survey_findings___full_report.pdf
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