Gail Simone on her experience prepping for disaster
Posted by
prayformojo (aka mayhem)
Sep 9 '20, 18:43
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It's an interesting thing. A couple years ago, the governor of Oregon did a radio address where she talked about living in Oregon, and how because of all our forestry and rural areas, and the high degree of bio-diversity we have, that we should all consider doing some basic preparedness for trouble that could come in the middle of the night.
It seemed pretty smart advice, particularly in times of climate change. So we started doing that...and it was easy, we mostly just bought more of what we thought might be useful and stocked it in our pantry and back room.
Not too long after that, we started watching some prepper how-to videos on Youtube, and I must admit, I had the typical lefty's stereotype about it, I thought most of the prepper community was hard core righties thinking Obama is coming to steal their babies or whatever. And those people are out there, they have their own code language, it's all a bit weird.
But that stuff is mainstream now. What surprised me is, lots of the preppers aren't that political, and quite a few skew left. There's a growing community of urban preppers, less concerned about political disaster than ecological ones, I think. Anyway, most of them seem to just want to keep their family safe and we really enjoyed watching how people use old world skills with new world technology to kind of have a protective buffer in bad times.
So we started doing some of the things they suggested. We bought and modified some bug-out bags (preparedness backpacks full of the stuff you need if you have to go NOW), lots of shelf-stable foods, camping stoves, extra propane, water purification, extended first aid and medical supplies, all that stuff.
It seemed a bit unnecessary at the time, maybe, but we did it.
And when the quarantine struck, our struggle was VASTLY easier than many. We had the toilet paper, the candles and flashlights, the flour, the yeast, we had all the stuff the stores couldn't stock. It was barely noticeable in some ways and we just replaced it as needed.
Now we are in the area that has the worst air in the world (next to isolated spots in China and India) and we have our bug-out bags and survival gear as needed. It's not like a bomb shelter, it's just living your life, but you take a bit of advance caution and if something happens, you aren't scrambling.
It's already paid off for us incredibly. And if we have to move, we have some gear to make it more comfortable and less stressful.
I can't recommend it enough. Here are some ways to start.
First, shop for bargains on stuff you already buy. And buy extra. Ten dollars a trip for a year would supply you for a good while if you can't get to a store or the store is out. Garage, pantry, attic, whatever. Look for things with a long shelf-stability and good nutrient value. If it goes bad in a week, it's no help at all.
I don't really suggest going with huge Costco-sized things, but if you do and it's worth the money, try to break them up so they can be used while the rest keeps fresh. For me it's better to have smaller portions and replace them as used.
I HIGHLY recommend this simple tip. Only buy stuff you could see yourself using. This makes prepping very easy. If you buy a certain tomato sauce, just buy extra next time. I have heard of a lot of preppers who buy things they think are 'survival' foods, and a little bit of that is okay, but most of the scenarios we are talking about are relatively short term deprivation and 400 cans of lima beans are not going to make life very pleasant. ALSO, you won't use them so they don't get rotated.
BUY WATER. Whenever we see water in gallon jugs or crates, we buy it. You will need water more than you think, you can't live without it. We live on a lake, but ashy discharge makes it unusable for drinking right now. BUY WATER.
Make a bug-out bag for each person in your home. It should contain some simple foods, some basic prep material, some water, a compass, a flashlight, a multi-tool, and some basic first aid at least. You may want sunscreen. There are tons of sites that talk about what to put in there, and there are good ones cheap on sale on line. Make sure it's sturdy, and KEEP IT PACKED. It's no good to you if you are having to stuff stuff in it while the alarm is going off.
Keep some of this stuff in your car. A bug out bag just for your vehicle is a good idea. We also keep a separate first aid kit.
Show your family where this stuff is. Rotate the items in your pantry through usage. At the early stages, you don't need to worry too much about freeze-dried or other shelf-stable foods, but if you decide to get into it, there's lots of great options. DEFINITELY shop around because the price on the same item varies widely.
As I said, we already have used this preparedness stuff during quarantine and it helped, it made life easier...one thing off the list of things to worry about. With the fires we are having in Oregon, I feel it's very possible that we might need this stuff again, but even if we don't, it's calming to know it's there.
That's it, stay safe!
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