A few days ago, we had our second (and third) tornado
warning since being in our new home. It was the first, though, that was
actually a dangerous situation. Our town actually had several touchdowns and a
small amount of damage. We only ended up with a few small branches downed by
the wind on our own property.
The weather radio and our online warning went off and then
we got the ‘Reverse 911’ call and we proceeded into the basement. We already
had food and water down there (actually enough to feed about six people for
maybe a full week or even more) so we just grabbed a few things extra on the
way down. Once down there, we realized that even though we had a change of
clothing for each of us, we had forgotten our daughter’s shoes.
Back up the stairs I went. Once again back in the basement,
I realized that I had forgotten, of all things, my flashlight. Back up the
stairs I went. This process actually happened about six times or so. And here I
thought I was prepared. In all honesty, the things I had to run back up for
really were extras. We did have what was actually needed. Because of this, my
first two suggestions for you are to have a check list and to keep as much as
you can stored in your emergency/panic room.
This blog post, however, is not about the list and the
forgotten things. It’s about being comfortable and having a few of the ‘extras’.
Moral is very important in any emergency situation and being comfortable is a
big part of that. With this in mind, we have a few changes that we’ll be making
down in our little hidey hole.
Right off the bat, the first two changes will be a ‘potty’
and a futon. We have this shower curtain ring thing that was here when we moved
in that we’ll put up in a corner with a shower curtain on it and a 5/6 gallon
bucket with a toilet seat. That will eliminate half of our ‘run back upstairs’
trips.
One thing you should know is that our basement is a half
basement, unfinished, and a hundred years old. It’s all concrete and the floor
is actually very, very cold and there are no windows or any way to know what’s
going on outside. So, next is a ‘home made’ pallet futon to keep us up off the
floor along with a few more blankets or sleeping bags.
Now, luckily, our power only just blinked a few times and
stayed on, so we actually had internet the entire time and were able to watch
the storms pass over us via various websites. We also had phone service the
whole time and kept in touch with a few friends. There are a few more things
that we need to change around or add to what we have in addition to what we
have already covered.
We need to improve our ‘kitchen’ with a small camp or sterno
stove, making sure it is one that can be used indoors with very little
ventilation. The other kitchen items we need to add are: utensils, measuring
cup, paper plates, a pot or pan to cook in, a small table, and last but not
least, pet (cat and dog) food and water bowls.
We each already have our own separate backpacks, in addition
to our emergency bug-out-bag, with changes of clothes and assorted comfort
items. We will be adding a small shelf section with a few more books, games,
and multiple weather clothing. We also need to install a small safe that can
keep all of our document copies in one safe spot and easily grab-able in case
we need to get out. This will help us organize things a bit better as well.
Electrical outlets (for now) are very limited so we will
also be adding several extension cords and power strips. We have two
flashlights and a few candles and a liquid fuel lantern but we also want to add
a few more candles and at least one ‘auto on’, rechargeable, emergency light.
The last two things I would like to add to our “Family Cave”
are unneeded but handy devices. The first is a small, externally vented
generator. Like I said, it’s not really ‘needed’ but a little power helps us
feel like not so much is out of place in the event our local grid goes down.
I would also like to install is a sort of ‘periscope’. This
could be an actual periscope or some type of battery powered camera. The only
indications of what was going on outside of our house, besides having weather
maps available on the laptop, were the sounds coming down through our old chimney.
If we had lost power, all we would have had was the sounds. For me, personally,
that was the worst part of it. As a hubby and a daddy, I have the need to know
what’s going on in order to make sure the wife and kiddo are safe.
As for a check list, here is a nice simple one:
c
Water:
at least a 3 day supply; one gallon per person per day
c
Food:
at least a 3 day supply of nonperishable, easily prepared food
c
Flashlight,
candles, oil lantern
c
Lighter
AND matches
c
Battery
or hand crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
c
Extra
batteries
c
First
aid kit
c
Medications
(7-day supply) and medical items (hearing aids with extra batteries, glasses,
contact lenses, syringes, cane, etc.)
c
Multi-purpose
tool
c
Sanitation
and personal hygiene items
c
Copies
of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof
of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance
policies)
c
Cell
phone with chargers
c
Family
and emergency contact information
c
Baby
supplies (bottles, formula, baby food, diapers)
c
Pet
supplies (collar, leash, ID, food, carrier, bowl)
c
Tools/supplies
for securing your home
c
Sand,
rock salt or non-clumping kitty litter to make walkways and steps less slippery
c
Warm
coats, gloves or mittens, hats, boots and extra blankets and warm clothing for
all household members
c
Multiple
alternative sources of heat with proper ventilation
c
Extra
cash
Here are a few other resources for check lists:
Here are a few resources for supplies and food:
Please be safe and take the necessary steps to protect those
you love!
As always, here are my companion sites:
