Warnings – There were several days warnings. Given the choice of whether to leave or stay, I cant say what I’d have done. I need more information to make an informed decision. If I was certain that my house was going to be flooded out, I’d probably pack as much gear as possible and head for a friends or alternate location. But, I’d have done it at least 24 hrs beforehand
Police – These guys were more dangerous than the looters. I’d have avoided them and stayed out of their way. However, if one came to my doorstep demanding gasoline for his police car and wouldnt take ‘no’ for an answer…well, theres going to be alot of unsolved shootings down there I suspect. This confirmed my belief that while the cops and other government officals may mean well, the individual officers/agents can have their own ideas. Avoid these people if at all possible. Low profile would seem best. I was wary of these people before all of this, after reading how things have just spun out of control down there Im even more convinced that, if they arent your enemy, cops certainly arent your friends.
Power – No intelligent human could have figured the power was goingt o stay on or even be back on within a few days once the storm hit. Flashlights are great but for hot water, heat and area lighting you need something more substantial. Right now just about anything would work..Coleman propane stove, Volcano charcoal stove, kerosene heater and lamps, Coleman lanterns, etc, etc. For running electrical devices a small generator would sure be nice if you could keep it quiet and hidden. And for crying out loud, get something with good fuel possibilities….a gas or diesel generator would probably work best since your 500-gallon propane tank is probably floating adown the street.
Food – Portable. Long term. Single serving. Reasonably nutritious. In this situation I think the MRE is top of the heap. Freeze drieds would be nice but require clean water. Canned food would work but its heavy and you may have to beat feet in a hurry. A case of MRE’s holds 12 meals. At two per day per person you could go almost a week on a case of MRE’s. If youre house didnt get destroyed, staying put would be alot easier with food on hand. This supports my belief that you should spread your egss into several baskets….canned (for static positions), MRE (for mobility and minimal prep), freeze-drieds (for extended long term and mobility).
Refrigeration – No power means no fridge unless you have a kerosene or propane powered fridge. While I keep alot of stuff in the freezer, I am quite aware that as far as my disaster planning is concerened it may as well not exist since once the power goes out its pretty much garbage after a couple days. Thus, my emphasis on long-term, shelf-stable foods. A generator would be great for keeping the freezer going if youre going to remain in place.
Sanitation – Dysentary is already suspected at one refugee center. I know the hows and whys of dysentary, cholera and typhoid and universally they are 100% avoidable if you’ll just wash your hands, keep yourself clean, keep your food and eating utensils clean, and exercise good toilet management. Having a small kit of toiletries to last a week or two makes an immeasurabel difference in morale and hygiene. It probably also helps to keep you from being shot as a looter if you look presentable.
Evacuating – If theres ever been an example of planning your escape and being ready for it, this is it. Bridges down, roads impassable and gas unavailable. Knowing where the bridges are, where the chokepoints are, the range of your vehicles gas tank in relation to safe areas…this is all stuff you need to know. Gear has to be in man-portable, watertight containers so you can grab it and go, go , go.
Firearms – Only an idiot would have chosen to sit this one out without a gun. I’d go with the handgun and a good military rifle. Some would go with the shorgun and thats a good choice, but I can carry more ammo for a rifle and I want the high-cpactiy and the car-punching ability of a rifle caliber. Im leaning towards the .223 for a couple reasons…if I have to go mobile, ammo is alot lighter. Also the profile of an AR might be a little less intimidating to a triggerhappy cop than an AK….he might think Im ‘one of them’ or something. For a static position (like staying home) I like the AK. For handguns, the Glock 9mm seems the way to go. i want capacity over caliber in this situation.
Ammo – Lots of it in portable containers. Ammo cans work well. I’d probably keep my .223 in bandoleers in an ammo can. If I had to leave in a hurry I’d try to grab 2 boxes (100 rds) of 9mm, some shotgun shells, and at least 300 rounds for my AR. This is where the lighter weight of the .223 comes in handy. This event shows the obvious reason to store plenty of ammo and store it in watertight containers.
Communication – If there was ever a reason to learn ham radio this is it. Short range communications like FRS radios or CB’s woud be handy. Especailly if, like interdictor, youre trying to run an office building. Cellphone towers are without power so theyre pretty useless until someone sets up some mobile towers.
Mobility – A decent vehicle would have made the difference for alot of people in New Orleans. Even if they didnt have a car, a fella on a bicycle with a backpack probably could have gotten to safety in a day. Maybe two.
Fuel – What I read said that if you had gasoline you could name your price on anything you wanted in the disaster area. This is so true that Im formulating a fuel storage plan and rotation schedule. Fuel for generators, fuel for vehicles, fuel for cooking, fuel for lighting. Diesel or gasoline would do all that.
Commerce – Gasoline and cigarettes are the big barter items in New Orleans, I read. It made me think that maybe a couple of those small 1 and 2 gallon plastic gas cans at WalMart might be a good idea for when you need small change (1 – 2 gallons) and all you have are large bills (5-gallon jugs). It wasnt mentioned, but Id bet a pistol and 50 rounds of ammo would go pretty far as well. Gold coins are handy, but sometimes its the goods that deliver.
Planning – More than anyting else, this event shows that you must plan for these sorts of things and follow your plan. Make a list of gear, and get it. Make a list of skills, and learn them. Make a list of routes out of the area and drive them.
looters – Reports were of looted Kmart gun counters providing arms for gangs of looters. Police looted gun safes. The idea that you may someday have to face an armed group of a half dozen men isnt as far-fetched as people might think. The news reported a couple of guys with knives and machetes appeared at a citizens property and demanded his generator. He loosed a couple rounds from a pistol over their head and they ran. Good for him. I’d probably have done the same but I might just as easily have shot them both where they stood once they made clear their intentions. This event shows beyond a doubt that a firearm has a place in disaster planning. Given the numbers involved in this event, a high-capacity semi-auto seems the way to go.
Water – This situation proves that once municipal supplies are contaminated, the average citizen is screwed. For static use, stored water in 5-gallon (or bigger) containers makes sense. The 5-gallon ones are the upper limit of portability. As we can see on the news, the ubiquitous plastic water bottle is everywhere and theyre a great thing…theyre incredibly tough and very handy if you have a couple cases of them. They can be distributed in gear, pockets, vehicles, etc. A good quality water filter would be incredibly useful down there right now too. I’d leave the water filter in my bag so I can have it handy if I had to evacuate. All the troops and alot of the rescue personnel showing up on the news have Camelbak-type hydration packs. Great for roaming around. Some people, it seems, still havent learned that you can tap the water in your hot water heater and you can drain the standing water in your plumbing by opening the tap at the highest point in the building and then opening the tap at the lowest.
First aid – I bet anti-diarheal meds are a hot commodity right now. Antiobiotics are going to be pretty important what with all that conatminated water and filth going around. Lesson learned: first aid gear, stored in waterproof containers.
Man, theres so much to think about and to weigh my current preperations against………..
This highroad thread is pretty interesting, since it brings up possibilities most of us haven’t considered, like having 30 friends/friends-of-friends descending on you and eating up all your supplies. Some good food for thought there.
This is why it’s good that John is in charge for these hypothetical events and not me. I’m too compassionate. I’d want to take everybody in. John would either (a) take no one, period (after all, all the local LMIs have their own setups) or (b) take a select few, but only those who brought their own supplies and armament and who could be trusted to pull their weight.
I’ve thought about it, but I tend to be a loner and I live in the city, a direction I don’t imagine most people will be heading, so I figured I was safe…then one day my students were talking about the state of the country and how quickly it’s going downhill, and as I walked into the classroom, one said, “Just so you know, if anything bad ever happens, we’re all coming to your place.” Uh oh.
Don’t forget documents (insurance, social security cards, birth certificates, etc.) and a list of important information (bank account numbers, credit card accounts/numbers, gun serial numbers, doctor and pharmacy contacts, phone numbers of family and friends, etc.). I keep a second list at my parents’ house, just in case.
[Warning]
No-brainer to me: the track stabilized on Thursday. [Then again, I have a pure telecommuting job; I can work from a hotel.] 9-5 job would have a very tight evacuation window (Friday evening). There was a ridesharing program in place post-Ivan, so it was perfectly reasonable for the New Orleans government to rely on that…and it seemed to have worked. [But not reasonable to turn away buses.]
I might make an exception if I had verified that:
[Mobility/Bike]
Have to know which way to go (Texas!), and avoid interstates, but yes. A cargo bike (three wheels, basket) even lets you take minimal supplies, and has much better balance. But they’re as pricey as a moped, if not more so.
I probably would want nightsight gear for that. Red full-coverage sunglasses are the cheapest I can think of.
[First aid/anti-diarhreal]
Or try to kill the infection, rather than suppress symptoms. Several different approaches here.
Also, don’t forget pure cough suppressants. [If you have water covered, you have cough expectorants covered.]
I was surprised at some of the responses to my post in because several people said their preparedness consists of going to so-n-so’s house.
So much for personal responsibility.
A hurricane can turn at any moment. If we in the Gulf states evacuated every time there was a hurricane threat, we’d have to leave several times each year. And after years of living here, and preparing to leave each time a hurricane threatens, it’s too easy to become complacent and think, “It won’t hit us; they never do.”
Mobility becomes a bit more complicated when you have several children to take with you, as I do. I think about this quite a bit and haven’t come up with the perfect solution, yet. I guess a lot would depend on traffic conditions and other things. I’m not too close to the Gulf, so I’d probably only evacuate in the case of a hurricane that came up from the Gulf and was headed directly for me.
I’m glad you mentioned that. I’m currently working to get all of that stuff together. I already had some of those things in a zippered pouch, but there were some I didn’t think of. And I’m planning to keep a copy of each item at my mom’s house. 🙂
“Just so you know, if anything bad ever happens, we’re all coming to your place.” Uh oh.
Response: “Good. I’ll need the meat.”
i would say that this is a perfect example of a situation where solar power would be a really good alternative to a fuel powered generator.
one of the big keys to survival in this situation is “keep a low profile” with a generator running everybody knows where you are and that you’ve got power and fuel for at least a 2 block radius. with solar its completely quiet requires no outside fuel source other than the sun. in this situation you dont really need a lot of power just enough to run a lunch box food warmer (they work great i lived off of one for over a year)a car radio and maybe a couple of floresent lights at night. One or two solar panels from advancedpower.net with a 4 or 6 battery, battery bank would provide more than enough power for your purposes and you wouldnt have to worry about “will i have enough fuel to make it through the emergency”.
just something to consider.
Yes, mobility is complicated by children, etc. I have to agree with you on the best solution depending on traffic conditions, etc.
[evacuation]
If I moved to the Gulf states, I would choose a location that wouldn’t automatically flood out (includes Category V storm surge, with safety factor), then verify the house was constructed to structurally ride out Category II or Category III. This includes a hip roof, and no airfoil porch overhangs. I wouldn’t have to bother with evacuating for anything less than III or IV (one category higher than design).
While this is problematic in New Orleans, it’s not impossible. (The Garden Hills district, for instance.)
This is a Category IV-V, with a tight cluster of forecast tracks (which I maintain a non-NHC link to monitor directly), and a very low probability of downgrade. It’s public information that the levee system is supposed to fail if hit by Category IV, and it’s coming directly for New Orleans. Swerving at the last minute isn’t going to suddenly make the situation reasonable. [Which it would if there was also a significant chance of downgrade to a Category III.]
Assuming means to get out, and no job obligations for the weekend: I’d have scrambled no later than when the normal-media announced that a voluntary evacuation would be announced Saturday (Friday evening news).
Which would not have prevented me from being surprised by the truly bungled handling of the 17th St. canal failure.
Government
The people at the civic center were directed there and left three days without power/food/water, according to reports (some of which may be fallacious).
The lesson of this (the best kind, learned at someone else’s expense) is that representatives of government may or may not be there to help and may or may not be competent, even if their intentions are pure.
Commander Zero (I just know there’s a promotion due) has the wisest choice: if you avoid them — preferably by being out of the area before the disaster hits — you won’t have to trust someone who may not be trustworthy.
Mobility and preparation
I had two sisters living in Mississippi. One got out prior (smart girl): that family is now homeless and the primary job is gone. The other I don’t have a report on yet.
Neither sister was a preparedness type.
This has made me a believer in my ’62 Airstream. We keep it ready (and now we’ll stock it for two weeks, at least. It cost $3,500. Even if it were just a hollow shell, it would have been worth it as a first stage.
That’s the problem with homes: you can’t take them with you. So carry a spare.
And, oh yes: the wisdom of trusting government for everything including your mobility (“Hey, you don’t need a car: we got public transit!”) and defense (“Good citizens don’t buy guns! That’s what the police are for!”). Now all can observe the wisdom of believing what you’re told and following the company line into dependence.
Yes 🙂
Incidentally, what size batteries are you thinking of for the battery bank?
the easiest would probably be wal-mart 115amp hour 12volt deep cycle battery they have them for about 55 each. if you have a source for 6volt golf cart batteries they would be good also.
figure if you get 6 of the wal-mart batteries you have 4 kilowatts on tap before you get to the batteries half life.
What about communication with the outside world ? HAM radio is your best bet for a large-scale outage, unless you actually have the cash for a satellite ground station.
In a smaller case, the ISP’s will tend to stay up as they have generators. In that case, if you have power, you can keep your internet connnection up.
CB radios still work also.
I’m not as familiar with CB radios as I am with HAM and the Internets in general. Don’t they qualify as a more short-range system ? What is their average range ?
like with ham it can vary greatly with antenna and terrain and if you have a linear or not. yes its more of an around town information source but thats exactly what you need to know about.
I told them they could be my militia, then we all had a good laugh at the image of our all-women militia made up of a bunch of middle-aged, black (except for me) medical transcriptionists. When I reminded them I live with 9 reptiles, the largest being well over 4′ long, they decided they’d take their chances elsewhere. (If you want to cut down on unwanted guests, large reptiles are the way to do it . My mother-in-law hasn’t visited in years!).
I was born in New Orleans. I assume the vital records survived, but I’m glad I already have an official copy of mine. Their vital records office is, of course, currently closed, and I imagine it would be quite a wait to get a copy if I needed it and didn’t already have it. I think I’ll move mine to the fireproof safe.
DUde, I have some serious reservations about that food warmer. Keep in mind I havent read the stats, but I know that any electrical heating element is incredibly hoggish when it comes to power usage. If youre limited to running off your battery bank and relying on the variable-reliability of solar recharging I think that for generating heat you’d be far better served with a non-electric source…just a thought.
i understand your reservations however this thing draws 180 watts an hour it takes about 30 min to cook rice in it. it gets up to about 300 degrees or so and its sealed so the heat doesnt go anywhere. you can cook a reasonable meal in about half an hour in it. also its 12 volts so you dont need to have a power eating inverter to run it
if you got one of the 125 watt solar panels you can probably get at least 3 or 4 charging hours on a clear day that mean 375 – 500 watts with a single panel.
also the great thing about solar panels is in order to get more power out of them all you need to do is shine more sun on them. just get some plywood or something and cover it in foil and angle it so that the light reflects onto the panel instant boost in efficiency.
http://www.i4at.org/surv/panplus.htm
Commerce – I still don’t think precious metals would be any good at all in this environment. Yes, in a quasi-rebuilding phase, alternate barter currency might be of value but Gold & silver serve no immediate survival function. Unless you find someone willing to trade large values of non-practical use materials for small quantities of immediate survival supplies, I see you dieing quickly with a pocket full of shiny coin.
Uhm…thats kinda my point, as evidenced by ‘sometimes its the goods that deliver’. For those stagnant gradual-descent-into-SOviet-style-entropy economic situations I like the metals, for the immediate disasters I like the goods.
Sorry – kneejerk.
I’ve heard that CB is a dying format, what with cellular phones, is that true?
while certanly not as popular as it once was the police still monitor channel 9. channel 19 still has a lot of talk (truck drivers). some companys that do local deliverys usually have a channel that they use as well.
while it may not be as popular as it was its still very useful simply because it runs off of a car battery and dosent require cell phone towers to be intact.