Disaster Preparedness

[Leg End]

Do you do it? You one of those folk that has stockpiles of food, water, backup power sources and possibly a large supply of gun juice? Or do you just say screw it and say "Let it happen!"? Somewhere in between?

I live in California, and not that far off from the San Andreas Fault. Quakes hit pretty hard recently back to back, and now everyone is thinking The Big One might hit and just tear the whole state down. I'm not far from a major red zone, but I'm far enough away that my house probably isn't going to fall apart like a house of cards. Yet with the chance in mind, I have almost no supplies or such in the event it hit in the next five seconds. Hoping to rectify that, but I'd be screwed if it happened before then.

 

[Marik2]

You should probably move farther up north or to a better state in general.

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

I have supplies sufficient to protect me if there's somehow a breakdown of law and order for several days to a few weeks. The usual stuff: clean water, non-perishable food, firearms, etc.

But that's about if.

 

[Worgen]

Not really. I mean the biggest danger here is flooding, which would pretty much wipe out any prep we could do.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

One's desire to be disaster prepared tends to depend on where you live. I'm rather lucky that where I'm am there aren't big natural risks like earthquakes or cyclones. So outside of the usual stuff like a first aid kit, torches, batteries and such there's not a lot more I can do.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I have enough food and water to last about a week. Flashlights, some battery chargers, propane hotplate and a charcoal bbq for cooking. Guns and ammo in case of looters, and an SUV that can go off-road in case streets are destroyed or just too jammed up. I've been meaning to get some emergency water filters but I keep forgetting.

In the event that a disaster hits that's big enough that my pretty basic supplies aren't enough to survive in the area I'm in or travel to a safer area, it's probably a disaster I wouldn't want to survive.

 

[EvilRoy]

I grew up in a town where there was a very real possibility that the highway into town could be buried in snow or otherwise made impassable, so we always had a stockpile of canned food, water, and kerosine/sterno/white gas camp stoves. These days I live in a city where the chances of such a thing happening is significantly lower, but after having a water main blow in the coldest winter in a long time and being stuck without water in my home for nearly a week I started the habit up again. Can't really have a generator in an apartment, but I keep canned food to last me a while, a case or two of water and some candles and shit just in case.

Theres nothing like braving sub -40 weather to get water so you can take a dump in the night instead of waiting for the coffee shop to open. God I got to know those guys. Of course I worked a 60 min commute at that time too so I couldn't even blast into work to use their shitter.

 

[Baffle]

Mountains of bogroll and a dry pair of shoes (the Co-op is only about a 15 minute walk away).

 

[Agema]

I've no particular preparations of any sort.

We generally keep enough stuff (tinned food, etc.) in the house that'd be able to last a week, plus outdoor cooking gizmos with fuel for a similar period. We don't have stored water, although we have plenty of sodas, beer, etc. and being in the UK, rain is frequent. No weapons except basic improvised stuff (kitchen knives, etc.) We've a few torches but not many spare batteries, and we've plenty of candles.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

The greatest disaster locally here to anticipate is really just other humans being shits, and even those are embellished by some of the locals that seem convinced it's a rough area. I suppose the local store can and has run out of cat food, meaning an extra 15 mins added to an uneventful walk to the next buzzing consumer nest and a very agitated, vocal cat. Self-preservation isn't really a strong point though, so it's only through pure luck (or unluck perhaps) that am still obliviously bumbling about, wasting perfectly good oxygen and tap water. Any other country would've finished the job already.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

I'm kinda fatalistic about these things. If the universe wants you dead you will die no matter how much you prepare. Might as well enjoy your life and not bother worrying during the time you could be having fun. The only thing worse than being unprepared for a disaster is spending your life preparing for a disaster and STILL being unable to endure since you'll feel like you wasted all that time you could have been doing other things during.

 

[Catfood220]

Mountains of bogroll and a dry pair of shoes (the Co-op is only about a 15 minute walk away).

What if the Co-op is destroyed or closed during this disaster? You are doomed. DOOMED!!!!!!!!!

 

[Baffle]

What if the Co-op is destroyed or closed during this disaster? You are doomed. DOOMED!!!!!!!!!

Sainsbury's is about 20 minutes in the other direction.

 

[Saint of M]

I need to stock up. I have a 72hr kit. Need to work up a month than three month supply

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

Just buy a fuckload of non perishable food whenever theres a sale, which is smart even without disaster prepardness thinking because longterm you save more money(if you can pace your eating) Loads of canned veggies for that fibre, cheap homebrand bags of oats for the carbs, and UHT milk cartons for protein/fat all good. Buying food that doesn't rot in bulk is always smart.

And keep your ears to the news, my philosophy is if something might happen that cuts off your water, should probably go fill the bathtub full of water or some buckets, so bottled water may not be such a big deal, unless you live somewhere where surprise disasters are regular.

But I do live in an area that rarely sees disasters, well ones that effect us anyway. The flooding is only a problem if you live low and usually amounts to fucked carpets, dead farm animals and maybe having to sleep in government owned buildings like the hall if something traps you on the wrong side of a river. I cant imagine living in a place where hurricanes that knock down buildings are a regular thing like parts of America or why you would at all besides being unable to move due to poverty. But hey you probably have a lot less asbestos ridden buildings considering they get flattened every ten years so you can rebuild to modern standards lol.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

Although I have a bit to last a few weeks here, I would load what I have and head out to my parent's farm in case of a real disaster where I could last indefinitely. The farm has everything from solar power to it's own generators and underground shelter as well as a stock pond, water purification system, farm animals, orchard, and a good variety of crops and food stored and is pretty much self sustaining so I can't imagine why I would want to go anywhere else. Since we get hit with pretty severe weather I think people here are likely a bit more prepared than many other areas whether it is straight winds, tornadoes or hurricanes we see out fair share of crazy weather here to keep people aware that there could be problems. There were parts of Texas that had power out and stores closed for months after previous hurricanes so it is something people have to think about.

 

[McElroy]

I keep my phone charge over 40%. So yeah, I'm the first one to start looting.

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

I keep a flock of mongolian slave children just incase. I'm pretty prepared, just assisted in the salvation by throwing them basket weaving supplies last night.