Transportation for Disasters

 My favorite pair of Matterhorn boots for all around living. I will do a write-up on boots in a future entry.

A couple days after Sandy hit, someone sent me a message suggesting everyone should get mountain bikes. The knee jerk reaction was “that makes sense.” After pondering further, I am saying NO! I do believe mountain bikes are good around transportation for people who are used to riding them. Living at a trailhead in the Cleveland National Forest, I get to see lots of mountain bikers coming back from the local trails. Not surprisingly, I get to see a fair number of injured people hobbling by too.

Here is my thought: People who are not experienced riders (and will not become experienced riders in spite of best intents when buying a mountain bike for disaster use) will become hazards on their bikes – especially after they try to tie belongings on for escape or carry a heavy backpack filled with groceries. Disaster scenes have broken glass, road debris, and all matter of other obstructions. You are definitely going to be dealing with flat tires and the odds of serious injury compounded with infection are greatly increased. If you want to buy a mountain bike because you want to use one on a regular basis for transportation – excellent idea. You will then have it available during a disaster also. Do not get one for disaster.

So what should we have for transportation? This topic was casually discussed a little at a recent prepper dinner party and we must concur there is no single best answer.

Most of the group had a Jeep or some type of aggressive off road pick-up truck. The latter provides space to haul more gear than a typical Jeep. Either one would be a good solution to travel wilderness roads out of a disaster area – and circumnavigate problems on the highway. Generally very sound solutions for pre-disaster evacuation and some types of post disaster escape.

One of the families had quads set up and had explored various routes including following alongside train tracks to avoid most of the traffic. Carrying capacity is somewhat limited and long distance travel may not be comfortable – but it is a functional option for many scenarios.

Living in Southern California, my primary concerns are wildfire and major earthquakes. Wildfires are much like most other natural disasters in that you usually know they are coming. It could start right beside your home and overcome you immediately – but this is rare. I have seen several wildfires in this region and you normally have several hours notice that the fire is heading your way. Time for a somewhat orderly evacuation under an eerie orange sky. The main vehicle concern at this point is one that you can shove stuff into. Of course, having your stuff prepacked for evacuation can help – but many of the new small cars just don’t have much cargo space or what they have is oddly shaped which hinders loading boxes and crates. My actual preference for planned evacuation is a plain, full-size cargo van. These can be parked discreetly just about anywhere, have a good amount of cargo space (especially if configured with shelves and your gear is prepacked in crates that fit the shelves), and they can be effective mini campers when outfitted with cots, sleeping mats or hammocks. If you can set it up with four wheel drive and oversize fuel tanks – so much the better! Since there are so many of these on the road, and several models share components with pick-up trucks, spare parts should be relatively easy to scavenge.

Full size dual sport motorcycles are the pack mules of modern transportation.

Earthquakes are a different and arguable answer. Since there is no advance warning of earthquakes, we must shift our thoughts from pre-event evacuation to post-event escape. Earthquakes can range anywhere from minor nuisance to complete destruction. Somewhere short of complete destruction, there will be major regional collapse with hoards of people trying to get out of the destroyed areas. Traffic will be a major concern. With this in mind I set up my dual sport motorcycle with a narrow wheel base trailer which can split lanes and travel on fire roads. The bike is designed to carry fairly significant loads as it did on a recent cross country trip. Even so, the total chaos on the highway will probably mean there are limited paths through the traffic. Also, anyone utilizing any successful means of escape when everyone else is trapped will automatically become a target. Someone told me their first response in seeing me riding by would be to grab a broom or hiking staff and knock me over to take my cycle. Hmm, that was the same someone who recently made the suggestion to use mountain bikes…

That brings us back to boots. They will allow you to wade, climb, walk, run, and clamber through all sorts of debris. You will have some ankle support and protection from bumps, clunks – perhaps even snake bites! Get a good pair. Then get out and walk/hike in them. Get comfortable wearing the boots for long periods of time. During any kind of disaster (even if you are driving a truck!) a good pair of solid boots will get you further, safer.

Guess there may be a clear best all around answer for survival transportation after all!

Get Home - Yours or a Friend's

The news coming from the aftermath of Sandy the Terrible is pretty much what we have heard after every other major disaster: People are dangerous! As a result, I have recommitted to one belief and am rethinking another.

(1) I continue to believe the single most important item to develop is a good Get Home kit.

(2)  I no longer believe I would be very helpful to strangers in need. Sorry.

I have stated before that everyone should properly prepare to Shelter in Place. Let’s expand that a little. You should prepare your home so you, family members, and a few select friends, can shelter together safely after a major disaster. Some other family members and friends should do the same. In this manner, you and your family will have at least one alternative escape location prepared and available if your primary home/shelter is destroyed or unreachable.

A few days ago I mentioned the concept that the first 24 hours after any disaster is usually relatively safe as the crooks and creeps get their act together. We saw this again on the East Coast where people began pretending to be aid workers or inspectors in order to gain entry to homes to commit crimes against the disaster victims. In addition, people set up dummy “need help” scenarios on the roads to get good Samaritans to stop – and be attacked. I have always prided myself on being the kind of “good” person who would stop to offer aid to a stranger. That practice is now being rethought.

Make note - there have been very few instances reported of neighbors attacking neighbors. It is good to work with your neighbors prior to disasters to build a stronger community which will come together to support each other. This also provides a larger number of bodies in order to stand watch if needed. But beware of those from outside!

Here is what you need to do:

(1) Adequately prepare your home to shelter in place – for your family and a few others.

(2)  Identify a partner family that will do exactly the same. Their home should be accessible from your region but not in the same neighborhood so it will not be destroyed by the same regional disaster.

(3) Set up Get Home Kits for every family member that includes maps and supplies to reach either of the two designated destinations. Some people may want to designate a tertiary destination.

(4)  Develop a Communication Plan to help coordinate information on which destination the family members should be heading for after a disaster. This will also help determine if individuals in your group need help.

(5) EVERY ONE must commit to reaching the destination within one day (even if on foot). After that time frame, the roads will simply be too dangerous for most people to safely travel.

(6) While a coworker  or child’s visiting playmate may tag along, no one should pick up strays along the route!

Remember, after the first 24 hours, humanity can get you killed. Sorry – it is just the nature of desperate people.

I Can't Afford to Stock Up

So you say you understand the need to prepare for emergencies and stock up. “But I just can’t afford it! I barely have enough money to buy groceries now.”

I am going to ask just 2 questions:

(1)  Do you expect food prices to continue increasing over the next year?

(2) Do you believe your personal income is going to increase faster next year than food prices?

No one has answered Yes to the second question yet.

 This chart shows that food prices continue an upward trend – always! There are some peaks and valleys as prices go up 15 cents then drop 10 cents. The trend is always up. Income is not following the same kind of trend.

 Here we see similar information for fuel prices. Put simply, if you can barely afford to buy required food and gas right now, you will NOT be able to buy food and gas in another year. Simple math.

We must address what I call “Choices and Consequences” before we can make any real change in our situation. The premise is that every choice we make has real consequences – often a combination of good and bad stuff. Just as boaters are taught that they are responsible for their wake, and any damage that occurs from it, we must accept responsibility for any bad consequences that result from our personal choices. If you choose to drive too fast, you must accept the consequence that you may get a ticket/fine, or you may even cause an accident. There used to be a saying – don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.

This issue hit me a couple years ago when a young woman I worked with made the statement about not being able to afford to save or stock up on food. This was a woman who smoked at least a pack of cigarettes a day and stopped for a big breakfast burrito on most mornings before work. Multiple sodas and snacks were consumed through the day. Oh, she enjoyed going out to bars at night and was able to save up for new tattoos and piercings. She is the extreme example of someone who could easily afford to begin building some reserves IF she was willing to make a change or two in her lifestyle. Changing just one of the practices I listed above would free up a little income to buy an extra case of canned goods each week. She could fully stock up for her entire family – if she was willing to make the choice. Her conscious choice was to prioritize all of the other activities. In so doing, she has chosen the consequence I described in yesterday’s blog: After a disaster they will find themselves huddled together in the dark; cold, hungry and scared. Choice / Consequence. And yes, they will be whining that the government and other groups are not trying hard enough to save them. End consequence: more victims and sheep.

You say you can’t afford to prepare for emergencies right now? Stop and ask what you can change – what conscious CHOICES you can make – to change the potential CONSEQUENCES. Either make those changes now, or sit down with your family tonight and tell them, “I am choosing to maintain my current activities instead of preparing for our family’s safety. In so doing, I am consciously accepting that we will all suffer the potential consequences of huddling together in the dark; cold, hungry and scared.”

Are you willing to actually say that to your family? 

You Can Only Tell People So Many Times!

Photo from Fox News showing people lined up to get gas in New Jersey.

We are just halfway through day 3 of the Sandy aftermath and people are getting stupid. There are actually state police posted at every functioning gas station along the NJ Turnpike because people are fighting over the gas lines – lines NO ONE should be in to begin with!

Here is what Fox News said today:

“Residents jockeyed for fuel at the few stations still pumping, searched store shelves in vain for batteries, struggled with sporadic cell phone service and found themselves unable to buy necessities at supermarkets.”

One last time: Always have enough food, water, fuel, batteries – everything you actually need to live! – to last at least 3 days. 5 to 10 days is much more appropriate. The idea of 3 days is that the Red Cross and government can usually get their shelters in place and operating in about 3 days. If your plan is not to go to a shelter, then your supply needs to be much larger.

I have heard often that real problems happen after the span of 3 to 6 meals. That is when people realize the problem has not gone away and their pantries are empty. They get desperate and stupid. OK, if you saw any of the thousands of images people posted Monday night of their pantries that consisted of a bottle of booze, a bag of chips and an old can of beans, you may understand that many of the people around you think a disaster will be a party. Yes, those people are whining that there is no food in the stores that don’t even have electricity to run a register if food was there.

Take another look at the photo above. Most of these fools are buying gas for their generators. Fools! I am calling them fools because they bought the generators thinking they were properly prepared for the emergency – then failed to properly store adequate fuel. All they bought was an expensive paperweight to hold down false hope. Some certainly had a couple gallons stashed but did not give proper thought to how much gas would be needed to keep running for 3 to 10 days. Planning to survive a disaster that lasts only a day or so is not planning for any real disaster.

Your family will pay the price for your failure to properly prepare.

Read that again and let it really sink in. Monday night you may have thought it was cute to post photos of an empty cupboard. Now you and your family are huddled together in the dark; scared, cold and hungry.

Let’s start over.

Water – buy several cases of drinking water and stash it in closets around your home. The minimum is always 1 gallon per person per day. If a family of 4 is planning for 2 weeks you need 56 gallons (1 gallon x 4 people x 14 days). Note, this does not allow for bathing!

Food – stock up with stuff you already eat. Get a 2 week supply in right away – then build from there (and do not let it dwindle). You can supplement with MREs or freeze dried food if you want.

Cooking – get some type of cooking device that can prepare your food. A grill or camp stove is great. Make sure you have lots of extra fuel for these devices.

Light – you really don’t need as much as you think. Get several good flashlights (I say a minimum of 1 in each room and 2 for each family member.) Try to make sure your entire collection uses only 1 type of battery and keep lots on hand. Solar rechargers are a good supplement but only if it is sunny! DO NOT let your kids raid your emergency battery supply to power their toys and games. Achieving the next level in their electronic game is not an emergency!

Hygiene –water pumps are not working because the electricity is out. You get one flush from each of your toilets and hope it does not back up because the sewers are already flooded. Human waste and personal hygiene are grossly neglected in emergency plans. Get a 5 gallon bucket (or several) with potty lids. I keep these emergency pots stashed with a supply of related bags, chemicals and toilet paper inside each. These inexpensive items will help protect your family from a host of bacteriological problems. Get some of those antiseptic hand cleansers too to keep with these supplies.

I did not address shelter because most of the people in the current disaster did not lose their homes and the supply of clothing and blankets that was inside.

No need to wait in gas lines because few of these people had any reason to go anywhere. Bet many with little in their tank wasted their fuel driving around gawking at the destruction.

Was this discussion a bit harsh? Perhaps. But you can only tell people so many times. Are you properly prepared for your family to weather a disaster like Sandy? If not, I will look for you in the photos of fools staring at empty grocery shelves and standing in a long line at the gas station.

Bug Out Bags for Sandy the Freak?

Typical photo pulled from the AP. Here a National Guard truck drives through a flooded area. Take a good look at the trailers - every one of them are sitting higher than the water line. Power and plumbing will need to be addressed, but these units will remain intact and in place.

As sunlight creeps across the land, the actual damage and devastation from the Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Freaky Weather known as Sandy is becoming apparent. Current news reports are showing at least 35 people dead and up to 8,200,000 people without power. The damage is spread over 2/3 of the East Coast. Certainly this must make me rethink my earlier post that Bug Out Bags are folly?

NO! In fact, this disaster reinforces the issue of a good Get Home Bag, Evacuation Plan, and Shelter In Place kit.

Let’s look at the actual damage. The homes that were actually destroyed were generally right on the coast or in low lying areas that are naturally prone to flooding. Let’s note here that I grew up in the North East. Multiple times a year I had to make adjustments to my daily commute because seasonal heavy rains caused localized flooding of creeks. During a larger storm you just knew to take a different route. The same understanding applied to underpasses and lower sections of highway. The news delights in showing some dippy reporter standing in water up to his calves to build the drama of the disaster. Yet, when the camera pulls back, you can see curbs and dry land within a few feet of where the reporter is standing. Yes, the impact from this storm is large in scale, but don’t fall prey to the media display.

With widespread pockets of localized damage, there are much larger areas that remain intact. Adjacent areas. This is not like the tsunami that hit Japan! A good Evacuation Plan remains the most critical element to have in place for a disaster of this type. Have your hard drives, important documents, photo albums, etc, very accessible and ready to pack quickly if any type of disaster is heading your way. Hurricanes and wild fires are the perfect disasters to build your Evacuation Plan around as you generally have a few hours, if not several days, to get packed and out.

Aside from basic needs for your family, you will want to have a couple destinations preset. The destination may be the homes of family and friends or perhaps a hotel. If you are in a fire zone you will want to choose a location that is less susceptible to fire. If you live in a low lying area that is subject to flooding, choose an evacuation site that is higher. Common sense is really important here. Take 60 seconds to note what dangers your home is most subject to and find a site that does not share those qualities!

Now about your Get Home Bag. I am thinking a slight revision is merited. While I have not addressed these kits in detail yet, I do believe you need to have good maps – street and topographical – to connect your work, home and school locations. The new revision is to add a map to a designated evacuation location with some means of communicating to family members that the secondary location is the new primary. This type of issue really doesn’t apply to the Sandy situation since there was so much information available ahead of time. Sorry, but if you were not where you needed to be when Sandy struck, the best kit in the world would not have helped. Sometimes we just have to accept Darwin at work. That said, the maps I am suggesting for your Get Home Bags would be valuable during evacuation also.

Above all else, the current storm aftermath reinforces the need for a good Shelter in Place plan. If your home was not in an area that was actually destroyed, you are probably sitting there without power right now. And we did see the shelves in the food stores cleared of critical supplies within a few hours yesterday morning. Get your goods in place – both at your home (primary shelter) and at your secondary location if possible. This is actually a great time to open dialogue with friends and family who may have a residence that is geographically different enough from yours that they would be perfect reciprocal escape locations. For example, someone near the shore that is subject to flooding may be a great partner for someone whose home is in the mountains where they are subject to forest fires. Each of you build a good Shelter in Place plan with adequate supplies for both families.

You can choose to sit there and feel sorry for the folks whose lives were forever impacted by this current storm. Or, you can use this as the impetus you need to get your family positioned so they will not be victims of the next storm. Either way, you still don’t need to start with a Bug Out Bag!

Any Kids in Your Family?

Today's entry is going to be a little different. I stumbled across a link at the bottom of a news article referencing survival skills every kid should know. That story follows. But first a couple comments:

In 2009 I had the pleasure of attending Dirt Time. One of the sessions was led by trackers who provided what I believe to be the best tip ever for parents.Since so many kids all seem to wear the same brand shoe, it is often challenging to pick your child's prints out of a group if they need to be found. Trackers sometimes find themselves tracking the wrong prints! The solution is simple -- cut a small chunk out of one lug of the sole. This will make your child's print totally unique. Then, take a photo of the shoe sole with your smart phone and keep it on there. If your child is ever lost and professional help arrives, show them the photo and point out the unique identifier. This simple step can save considerable time in locating your child. AND, why not do the same to YOUR outdoor shoes? It can be just as helpful if you get lost!

Now for the article. It was from a site called The Survival Mom. A link is at the end of the article. The initial tips when lost and concept that every kid should have their own emergency kit is exactly on track. Plus, the ending tip about situational awareness is something I have never seen addressed for kids. Yes, we all complain that kids seem to spend their life consumed in the video games and phone apps. Truth be, most parents encourage that as a way of quieting the commute. Time to put away the electronics and turn situational awareness into a family game.

FYI, I went to The Survival Mom site with the intent of providing a direct link to this article. I got so sidetracked reading other articles I stumbled across on her site that I never got to this article, so I will just paste it here and you can follow the link at the bottom to explore her site further.

The 4 Survival Skills Every Kid Should Know

Tuesday, June, 26th, 2012 at 9:25 am

Some of outdoor adventurer Bear Grylls’ biggest fans are kids. Their eyes widen at his derring-do, and boys and girls alike admire his survival skills and savvy. But the survival skills that are more likely to keep our kids safe and sound are actually far more mundane! Here are four survival skills that every kid should know, along with a few tips for parents.

What to do if lost

A lost child is a scared child, and usually their first instinct is to begin searching for their family. Train your children to stop and sit as soon as they realize they are lost. Assure them that, no matter how scared they might be, you are searching for them at that very moment; but also that, if they keep moving around, it will take longer to find them. Consider equipping your children with an inexpensive cell phone and when venturing outdoors, a few survival items tucked in a backpack or their pockets. Items such as a whistle, a bright bandana and a bottle of water are the makings of a kids’ survival kit that will go a long way to helping them be found more quickly.

How to answer the door when home alone

Usually the best strategy is to not answer the door! Yes, the person knocking could be a burglar scoping out the neighborhood. But once the door is opened, it’s that much easier for an intruder to enter. And children are easily overpowered. Train your child to enforce home security: Keep doors and windows locked and blinds and curtains closed. Noise from a TV or radio is fine. Someone with questionable motives will think twice about entering a home if they hear noises inside, even if the house is closed up and no one answers the door.

What to do in a medical emergency

From a young age, kids can learn how to dial 911 and report an emergency, but this takes practice. Spend some time rehearsing phone calls, teaching your children to relay detailed information to an operator, follow his or her instructions, and then stay on the line until help arrives. If possible, children should also get the home ready for the arrival of EMTs by putting pets in closed areas and, if it’s nighttime, turning on both indoor and outdoor lights. Summer is an ideal time for children to take first aid and CPR classes, that are typically suitable for kids age 9 and up.

How to maintain situational awareness

When driving in the car, for instance, ask your kids to describe a building or vehicle you just passed. Teach them to pay attention to the route home by asking them to give you driving directions!

This one skill can help your child avoid many dangerous situations. The concept is simply for children to be aware of the people and events around them. Parents can help their children become more observant and aware—not by scaring them, but by playing games to teach and practice this skill.

When driving in the car, for instance, ask your kids to describe a building or vehicle you just passed. Teach them to pay attention to the route home by asking them to give you driving directions! Tell them to close their eyes and describe what someone in the room is wearing. Encourage them to check out the license plates of passing cars: Which states are they from? What is the sum of the numbers on the license plate?

Being aware of their surroundings will help them avoid predatory people and other dangerous scenarios. Simple to teach. Fun to practice. And, quite possibly, a life saver.

Lisa Bedford is the author of Survival Mom: How to Prepare Your Family for Everyday Disasters and Worst Case Scenarios and editor of www.thesurvivalmom.com blog.

Power to the People

Like it or not, electricity provides a tremendous amount of support to our daily lives. One of the keys to maintaining your sanity during/after a disaster is having the comfort of light, communication, even music.

One option is to fit your home with a nice generator (and plenty of fuel). Another option may be solar or wind electrical generators. Perhaps a small water turbine? We can discuss some of these options in the future. The choice I made was to remain transportable and simple.

The basic element of my energy preparation is the humble AA battery. I originally went this direction just because I noticed the myriad of devices I had on hand were using AA, AAA, C, D, and CR123 batteries. Sitting down one day to determine how many of each I should keep on hand to provide for emergency needs was somewhat mind boggling. Historical use was meaningless because it would not be indicative of emergency use. Gave up and bought a box or two of each.

“Honey, the batteries ran down on this again!”

“No problem, I’ll grab new ones out of the drawer. What kind does it take?”

“I don’t remember.”

Sound familiar? Looking at the array of products I was using, it seemed the majority of devices were either running AA or CR123 batteries. OK, let’s consolidate. I made the final selection between these two based on the fact that, at the time, CR123’s were not as easy to get as the AA and I found no reputable sources of a rechargeable CR123. Thinking rechargeable batteries made a lot of sense if I were consolidating types, the AA became an easy choice. The choice may be a little more difficult today as sources and rechargeable options are now common for CR123s.

Decision made.

Step 1 – Identify and replace all critical devices in my supplies which were not currently set up for AA.

Step 2 – Establish decision process for future purchases where AA batteries were the initial sort unless there were pre-identified critical features that were not available with AAs.

Step 3 – Establish more substantial inventory of AA batteries, mostly Alkalines.

Step 4 – Begin building a supply of rechargeable AA batteries with a variety of charging options.

Step 5 – For key items that are not available in AA formats (cell phones) acquire quick charge options that are AA based.

The photo at the top of today’s blog entry shows my emergency weather radio, portable CB radio, a FRS/GMRS handheld radio, a variety of lights, in-line headphone amplifier, charger for my iPod, portable alarm clock and label maker. My GPS and several other devices are also set up for AAs. OK, I may have abused Step 2 a little by restating it as: “This thing uses AA batteries. Perhaps I should get it!”

Charging was originally accomplished with a basic wall plug in unit shown to the right of this photo. The other items are from Goal Zero. The key to this system is the foldable solar panel which was actually designed to hang off a back pack or similar item. Hey, it comes with rechargeable AA packs that plug right in. Better get that! In fact, this system has proven its value during my motorcycle trips as it is strapped to the tank of my BMW! It concurrently charges batteries for my phone WHILE it is powering my iPod. Very convenient. In fact, I am tempted to get a slightly more powerful panel and mount to my back case or to the top of my trailer – it really does work that well! When at home, I have laid it out on a chair and even hung it up inside a window to recharge batteries. I like this simple unit.

So I have charged batteries and a bunch of electronics – a few of which still don’t work on AA. Enter iGO adapters  I first picked up the basic set of adapters several years ago while traveling on business. I needed to charge phones, pda’s, gps, camera, etc. Instead of carrying wall and vehicle chargers for each and every device, I could carry one set with multiple tips to charge units as needed. Get a new phone or some other device? Just get a new iGO tip. Yes, that center item is a plug in power supply for any of the devices which is powered by 2 AA batteries.

Here you see my entire Goal Zero + iGO kit that powers virtually all of my electronics when traveling (still need to resolve my laptop). This combination provides an incredible amount of versatility in a very small space.

Your personal plans should include a solid look at power. Do you want a full house system? Do you want something totally transportable? There are clear pros and cons to each choice – but do make a choice. Transportability was important to me. Your needs may be different. That said, do what you can to keep it simple. Simple solutions are almost always the best in challenging times.

Take a look around the house and determine what is critical and how many power sources you are currently needing to maintain. Make an initial decision right now. Then take a couple days to think through and revisit your commitment. Just make sure you start moving in some direction very soon – the best plans are useless if not implemented.

Now we have a selection of electronics that we consider key to future needs. Perhaps I should put together a Faraday Box?