Preparedness in 2024

[Ironhold]

As I've mentioned before, I'm a part of a group known as GWES, the Global Weather & Emergency Alert Society. It's a group that's focused on the STEM fields, particularly meteorology and telecommunications. 

As I type this, it's been 2+ weeks of rain and storms across the United States, including flooding and tornadoes. This has, as you can imagine, once more put the focus on emergency preparedness. In fact, the stake actually had to tell members in certain cities not to come to stake conference yesterday because roads were flooding out. 

So the question... what is everyone here doing, as of 2024, to prepare? 

What sort of food storage is everyone here getting together?

Do you have your 72 hour kit?

Do you have a weather radio tuned into the National Weather Service's radio stations to keep you aware of emergency alerts? 

Et cetra. 

[NeuroTypical]

My wife and I are entering the phase of our lives that will be increasingly governed by health issues.  For decades, we've had a bug out kit in our house, and get home bags in our cars, and food storage, and all that.  Thrilled to live out in the middle of nowhere.  3 sources of power for our flashlights and radios and whatnot.   But now it's more and more trying to build up a rotating stock of medicines and medical equipment.  And decisions about where to live and what to drive are increasingly about local culture and crime rates, closeness to emergency services, and wanting more mild climates.  Driving around in Colorado snow is less cool every year.

 

[zil2]

On 5/7/2024 at 12:18 PM, NeuroTypical said:

Driving around in Colorado snow is less cool every year.

:nods sagely: Ah, global warming.

 

 

ETA days later: "less cool" = "warmer"; you people should be rolling in the aisles!

Edited May 12, 2024 by zil2

[pam]

On 5/7/2024 at 1:18 PM, NeuroTypical said:

 Driving around in Colorado snow is less cool every year.

 

The main reason why I left Utah. The older I got the less I liked snow.

[Carborendum]

On 5/6/2024 at 3:59 PM, Ironhold said:

So the question... what is everyone here doing, as of 2024, to prepare? 

We have everything we need.  But we've never needed them through a laundry list of disasters.

• Winter Storm of 2013
• The Tax Day Flood 2016
• Hurricane Harvey 2017
• COVID 2020
• The Great Texas Freeze 2021 -- well, ok, we broke out the big camp stove for this one.  But that was all.  Everything else was simple repairs that took a lot of effort.  But no emergency supplies besides the camp stove.
• Snowmageddon 2022
• "Non-stop" rain for months 2024

We have a good home that has sheltered us well.  A couple of weeks ago, a part of our roof leaked.  We're still figuring out the best fix for it.  The damage was small enough to be below our deductible.  So, we have to do it ourselves instead of hiring someone.  And I'm lazy, so...

We've got the emergency supplies if we need them.  But so far, we have not needed them.  We've had power out.  We used the wood burning stove that we use every year.

We had two floods that affected us.  But it was basically just a huge inconvenience, not a disaster.  I feel sorry for people who don't have a house that is properly designed for flooding.

[Carborendum]

What would be needed if there were a great famine today?  What would it look like?  How long would it have to last to be called "a famine"?

What special preparations would we need?

For my purposes, I'm not considering the COVID shutdown a famine.

Edited September 12, 2024 by Carborendum

[NeuroTypical]

2 hours ago, Carborendum said:

For my purposes, I'm not considering the COVID shutdown a famine.

Fair enough, but if you had lived through it in nations that forced you to remain indoors under the threat of arrest during quarantine, I bet you would be considering it in that light.  Story I heard from Japan from a US exchange student: His apartment building was on lockdown, and the government delivered all supplies.  For one week, his supplies amounted to a bag full of shampoo and conditioner - no food.  

Anyway, I figure there are valid lessons to learn from COVID and the human reaction to it, whether it was a famine or not.  Even if all we Americans saw was a few months of toilet paper shortages, and the price of oil briefly dropping into negative value.

Interstellar is a great movie about sort of a super-famine that would eventually exterminate all human life on earth.  It's at the far end of the famine spectrum. 

Edited September 12, 2024 by NeuroTypical

[zil2]

My biggest struggle is not being able to imagine the practical - in some areas.  For example, in addition to my regular overstock of food and other consumables (TP, shampoo, clothing, etc.), next week I'll have about 8 months of emergency food storage.  This is easy to figure out - even if there's no famine, even if food is available, there may be other reasons why having this stuff is a good idea (some other necessity is crazy expensive, for example).

Water turned out to be harder.  I have a short-term supply of drinking water, and water that could be used to flush the toilet (for example).  I have one of these emergency water storage things that would turn my spare bathtub into water storage (assumes I'll have notice and time to fill it).  I was going to get storage containers sufficient to give me about 450gallons, but just before submitting the order, I had a ridiculously strong impression not to - no idea why, but I aborted that effort.  I'm supposing my water prep is enough, or that the 450 gallons was overkill, no idea, but I've put (more) water on hold for now.

What I'm entirely unsure of is power.  Power outages for more than hours aren't really a thing here (as yet).  If I were trying to prepare for simple "the power is out but will be back" scenarios, then a Generac would be sufficient.  But what if the power's not coming back?  In such a scenario, is the gas gonna keep flowing to my (as yet theoretical) Generac?  Am I going to be able to get gas, the other gas, or propane for the other sort of generator (were I to have one installed)?  (Cuz you can only store so much of those fuels.)

A stove like this seems like a pretty good idea, along with a variety of fuel.  (Anyone know why it isn't?)

A solar power generator might be a good idea.  Or is it?  I don't know how to figure this out.  Advice welcome.

Then there's the fact that we have winter here.  Seems almost like a wood-burning stove would be the best option (I don't have a fireplace), but I'm not sure if this is realistic or not...

I've even considered solar panels on the roof, but I don't know if those would provide me power were the electrical company no longer a thing (no idea how those are connected, etc.).  This would be a very painful option for me (given the expense).

Anywho, these are the things I think about as far as what I still need to do, and I'm entirely unsure which of these things I should pursue.

[Carborendum]

48 minutes ago, zil2 said:

Water turned out to be harder.  I have a short-term supply of drinking water, and water that could be used to flush the toilet (for example).  I have one of these emergency water storage things that would turn my spare bathtub into water storage (assumes I'll have notice and time to fill it).  I was going to get storage containers sufficient to give me about 450gallons, but just before submitting the order, I had a ridiculously strong impression not to - no idea why, but I aborted that effort.  I'm supposing my water prep is enough, or that the 450 gallons was overkill, no idea, but I've put (more) water on hold for now.

For toilet use, you don't need the tub liner.  It's just a gimmick.  Why does the toilet care if there is some dust or soap residue on the tub?  How effective is that pump to get stuff out of the liner?  I just use a large pitcher to get the water out of the tub and dump it into the toilet tank.  Then I have to have another one ready before flushing.  It takes that extra amount to fully flush.

For short term drinking, just gather a whole bunch of 2-liter bottles.  If you don't drink much soda, just ask friends if they'd be willing to save theirs and you'll come pick them up.  We have probably 100 2-liter bottles full of water with a drop of chlorine in them.

48 minutes ago, zil2 said:

What I'm entirely unsure of is power.  Power outages for more than hours aren't really a thing here (as yet).  If I were trying to prepare for simple "the power is out but will be back" scenarios, then a Generac would be sufficient.  But what if the power's not coming back?  In such a scenario, is the gas gonna keep flowing to my (as yet theoretical) Generac?  Am I going to be able to get gas, the other gas, or propane for the other sort of generator (were I to have one installed)?  (Cuz you can only store so much of those fuels.)

A generator is only good to carry you through a short term event like a flood or major storm.  But in my previous post, I'm talking about something that is a long term issue.

48 minutes ago, zil2 said:

A stove like this seems like a pretty good idea, along with a variety of fuel.  (Anyone know why it isn't?)

Think of it as a high-end foil-dinner maker.  It really is no different.  But it is cleaner, and you can use it as an oven as well as a frying pan.

48 minutes ago, zil2 said:

A solar power generator might be a good idea.  Or is it?  I don't know how to figure this out.  Advice welcome.

Solar is only good if you're planning on living there for a VERY long time.   Depending on a bunch of variables, that may be anywhere from 15 to 25 years.

48 minutes ago, zil2 said:

Then there's the fact that we have winter here.  Seems almost like a wood-burning stove would be the best option (I don't have a fireplace), but I'm not sure if this is realistic or not...

In the city, it is usually not the best option.  Wood costs a LOT of money.  But there are some indoor propane stoves.  I just don't know how long you can use them without ventilation. But if it is just for cooking, you could just have a propane barbeque on a covered back porch.

Edited September 12, 2024 by Carborendum

[Carborendum]

1 hour ago, NeuroTypical said:

Fair enough, but if you had lived through it in nations that forced you to remain indoors under the threat of arrest during quarantine, I bet you would be considering it in that light.  Story I heard from Japan from a US exchange student: His apartment building was on lockdown, and the government delivered all supplies.  For one week, his supplies amounted to a bag full of shampoo and conditioner - no food.  

OK, then let's just look at that.  People were forbidden to go out and get food.  They could not eat anything more than they had in their house at the beginning of the shutdown.  Knowing Japanese culture (as little as I do) they probably only had enough food for two or three days on a scant diet.  A week of food storage is the high end for most Japanese.  Did they just starve for weeks?  What actually happened?  Did many die?

What did it actually look like?  I suppose the biggest question in my mind is that if it lasts for over 6 months, how do people survive?

Edited September 12, 2024 by Carborendum

[zil2]

24 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

For toilet use, you don't need the tub liner. 

I know.  I have other water stored in containers that aren't ideal (such as milk jugs).  Those won't keep the water good for drinking, and water will evaporate out of them, but I basically add about 1/2 gallon per week and can refill as needed.  The tub liner is for drinking water (again, assuming I had notice enough to fill it; and yes, I'd have to treat the water to keep it from going bad).

26 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

For short term drinking, just gather a whole bunch of 2-liter bottles.  If you don't drink much soda, just ask friends if they'd be willing to save theirs and you'll come pick them up.  We have probably 100 2-liter bottles full of water with a drop of chlorine in them.

I have juice bottles (thicker than soda bottle plastic), and commercial bottled water.  I rotate these.

27 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

A generator is only good to carry you through a short term event like a flood or major storm.  But in my previous post, I'm talking about something that is a long term issue.

That's what I figured.

27 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

Think of it as a high-end foil-dinner maker.  It really is no different.  But it is cleaner, and you can use it as an oven as well as a frying pan.

Am I understanding correctly that you agree this is a good idea?  This sort of thing was next on my list of things to get as I'll need to at least be able to boil water to cook the emergency food supplies.  And as you say, the addition of an oven is nice, as is the fact that with the right fuel, I can use it indoors.

29 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

Solar is only good if you're planning on living there for a VERY long time.   Depending on a bunch of variables, that may be anywhere from 15 to 25 years.

For the roof panels, that's what I've heard, although, if it would work, and if there ever came a time when the electric company wasn't going to restore power, then who cares about the normal return on investment - the point would be electricity to help you survive.

But mostly, I was thinking about these smaller somewhat portable things, such as this site sells.  They're more for emergency or "power in the middle of nowhere".

32 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

In the city, it is usually not the best option.  Wood costs a LOT of money.  But there are some indoor propane stoves.  I just don't know how long you can use them without ventilation. But if it is just for cooking, you could just have a propane barbeque on a covered back porch.

I shall continue to ponder and pray on this one.  I was thinking heating if the power goes out long-term (or permanently).

Thank you for your comments!

[NeuroTypical]

38 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

What did it actually look like?  I suppose the biggest question in my mind is that if it lasts for over 6 months, how do people survive?

Well, the exchange student's social media post was after the fact, so he survived.  He related stories of people sneaking out, and an immediate black market that cropped up.

Disasters like famines place stress on governments.  Severe or long enough, it can overwhelm them.   Here's a massive story out of Hurricane Katrina that has stuck with me over the years, from some preparadness forum in 2006.  Happy reading!  (sorry for the formatting, it's kept in an outdated version of Word.)

Quote

I feel like I'm rarely in a position to contribute here, so I just thought I'd make this post as a place where folks can ask questions regarding what conditions were like during/after the disaster.

Some background into my experience: I stayed with my parents and sister at the stakecenter for the actual hurricane +1 day, went home for a couple of days, and then went to a family friend's place way out in the country while my family left the state. I'll refer to this family friend as 'Joe' hereafter.

I packed all of my clothing, flashlights, comfort items, etc, minus weapons, ammo, and food, into an old duffel bag (all I had at the time). All the rest were stored in vehicles while at the stake center and then in Joe's home. This is what I lived out of until late October.

Joe's home in the country was of a different type construction and did not sustain any damage during the storm. The house is also located about 30 miles north of the beach at Pass Christian.

Electricity was needed at this location in order to get water as there was no provision for manually retrieving water from the well and no nearby alternate sources of water. Electricity was available only from a gasoline generator.

Almost immediately after the storm, temperatures at night begain to reach 90+/-*F at 90%+/- humidity. This continued, with maybe one or two breaks (below 80*F at midnight) until either late Sept. or early Oct. Biting insects would have become a problem had no bug proof shelter been available (the house, a good tent, covered hammock, etc). Sleep was difficult to sustain on the hottest nights. Sweating was constant and my prefered sleeping spot was on a beach chair (the cheap aluminum frame, plastic tube wrapped, type that can recline or lay flat) over a hard floor in a room with an open window (with screen!).

The days were almost always busy between maintenance around the house and filling work orders back at the stake center.

Gas and diesel for vehicles and the generator was always in short supply. We routinely siphoned gas from farm vehicles (Joe was friends with many of his neighbors- the vehicles we siphoned from belonged to neighbors who had left before the storm- abandoned vehicles, etc. We would have run out if one of my friend's relatives had not risked his life by bringing in 250 gal. of gas on a truck from a neighboring state.

An older friend of mine ('nam vet) lost control and almost shot my sister and mother, shortly before they left the state, after an argument over something silly. The guidance of the spirit in that situation was the only thing that prevented bloodshed- either his or ours- as he had his carbine cocked, shouldered, unsafed, and nearly pointed at my sister and I had my hand on my pistol about half a step away from him and to his left front. My actions and words were not entirely my own, but I remember placing my left hand on my friend's chest and saying some things to him (what it was I said I don't remember), after which the situation deescalated enough to allow my family to leave.

Joe's good relationship with one of his neighbors turned out to be a critical advantage that eased our burdens considerably. Good neighborhood (if you can call it that out in the country) relations are essential in the event of a disaster.

I can't remember everything that happened all at once, but If any of you have any questions about conditions, events, or anything else regarding what it was like living in coastal Mississippi during or after hurricane Katrina, just let me know.

Take care guys,
Andrew B.
P.S. Joe's wife had kept a good food storage including water that made living infinitely more comfortable than it would have been without it.

EDIT: I wanted to differentiate between the Friend that I stayed with ('Joe') and the older friend ('nam vet) who was involved in the 'incident'. 

Some other things that come to mind:

We had a well, but there was no way to get water from it without electricity. This meant gas to run a generator- something that was nearly impossible to get (and had it been a national emergency, we wouldn't have gotten that gas delivery from 'Joe's' relative). Once you run out, you're out.

That brings up another thought: You need to plan out, as well as you can, living without gasoline and electricity long-term. You need to plan on becoming as self-sufficient as you can so you can spend your free time doing your duty under the direction of the priesthood and not running around all the time taking care of your own needs because you failed to prepare.

The friend I stayed with, 'Joe', is the kind of guy that looks at anyone who does anything more to prepare than food storage as kind of nutty (especially with regards to firearms- he was a Seabee, wth?!), thus, he wasn't as well prepared as he could have been. Unfortunately, he has failed to learn from the experience as he still feels the same way. (French-Canadians… )

Be sure and only put things in your food storage that you like to eat. Also, food that can be prepared without a lot of work is worth its weight in gold. Believe me, there will be enough work to do without having to assign people to grind up wheat, make things from scratch, etc.

Be prepared to have varied entertainment that doesn't require electricity! Entertainment without electricity will, for the most part, require other people, so the more people you know around you, the better. Believe me, after the initial shock subsides and things fall into routine, you're going to want things to do to relax.

Entertainment for me was as follows: I had brought along a complicated tactical board game (Battletech) that I played with my friend's son and my friend's grandson. This helped pass the time and was fun as it allowed for a lot of creativity. I did some work on an M91/30 that I owned with basic hand tools. (It needed a taller front sight, which I fabricated by modifying a finish nail.) The thing we probably did the most for entertainment though, was just talk. We would go out on the front slab after dark, maybe with a little desert that my friend’s daughter would sometimes make, sit in lawn chairs with tiki torches burning to keep away the bugs, and just talk about everything.

Some more notes:
After dark, work stops unless it's absolutely vital. You can't see unless you build a fire (and fire light isn't that bright, btw) or use a flashlight and burn precious batteries.

Those solar lights with stakes that people buy to put along side their driveways work great for bathroom/other dim lighting at night! Just put them outside every morning to recharge.

LED flashlights rock! I had one of those silver Brinkman flashlights that runs on 2 AA batteries that would probably still be using the same two batteries had I not taken them out to use them for my CD player (well after order had been restored!). I used this light for everything, expecially for waste management late at night.

I wish I had brought a .22 or pellet/BB gun and lots of ammo. Why? Entertainment! I was afraid to shoot any of my stash, other than the ten or so rounds spent re-zeroing my Mosin Nagant, for fear that I wouldn't have enough should the need arise. I also wish I would have been one of those people who had 10,000+ rounds stored somewhere. I only had a little over 500 5.56, about 400 7.62x54r, and 30 rounds of 9mm. A gun with no ammo is worthless.

I wish I would have had a portable hiking-type water filter, as well as a permanent, at base, means to get/make potable water indefinitely.

I never really had to go any distance on foot, but a portable water filter, backpack- basically just about everything recommended by Tire Iron in his 3-line gear approach- would have made it possible to go anywhere I needed to on-foot. What if things had stayed bad for a long time? At some point I’m sure we would have needed to at least travel a couple of days on foot.

 

I was tired late one day riding in the bed of my friend's pickup (my prefered method of travel- high speed in a truck bed = air conditioning! ) as we were going through a station set up by the Nat. Guard that was loading people up with MREs and bags of ice. I called a lady Corporal 'sir' and then turned right around and did the same thing to a male Staff Sergeant, right after he gave me the honor of quickly shaking my hand as we drove by and calling me 'soldier' too! ARGH, I know better!

For Christmas, my mother bought me a MAV, pouches, and assault pack from Tactical Tailor, hah! I'm almost finished filling out my 1st and 2nd line gear, with a modified 3rd line (as I only have a 3-day pack).

It's humid down here, and I noticed that my rifles rusted even though they were indoors and well-oiled. This bothered me since my AR-180B doesn't have a chrome-lined bore and chamber. I have since bought and fixed up an SAR-3, so I'm selling my AR-180B. If any of you know anyone that wants it, let me know ($500 with 4 USGI mags w/magpull followers, RRA two-stage trigger, bayonet lug, and about 2500 rounds through it's current upper.)

Sorry if I didn’t answer your question Alma. I tried to include everything I can think of, but it's difficult to organize my thoughts. If you can think of anything more specific, let me know. I’m pretty tired and very specific questions are easier to answer when you can't think.

EDIT: Oh, good footwear! If you don't have good footwear, get it now!

EDIT 2: don't forget lots of soap, shampoo, dental care, and womens needs! Soap is essential! You will get sick if you don't maintain proper hygene! Toilet paper is also a very good thing to have. You'll be using leaves or your hands if you don't!

I had baby wipes, floss, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, and deodorant in a ziplock bag.

Also, trashbags, ziplock bags, paracord, and zip ties are VERY useful!

I am GETTING one of those Hennesy hamock/tents! They are only $120 and weigh around a pound!

EDIT 3: I wish I had had a boonie hat/other wide-brimmed hat and good sunglasses. My skin got dark from all the sun. I remember getting headaches from squinting all the time.

 

 

I remember feeling very strongly that this disaster was meant to wake me up.

This experience has also given me tremendous faith in the Lord's organization of the church. I know that only God could have created such a perfect organization that the people that make it up are its only limiting factor.

You asked what organizations I found helpful/will be supporting in the future- Honestly, the organizations that helped me the most were 1. the church, 2. the military (there were many folks here besides just the MS Nat. Guard), 3. FEMA, 4. Red Cross.

The church was there first to help me and was there for me the whole time.

The military gave away MREs, ice, and hot food.

Fema got me a trailer to live in.

The red cross gave me $300 to help buy food and gas and also had a truck that brought hot food at lunch time to those working south of the tracks in the destroyed beach areas.

Registered User
Posts: 7
(1/31/06 12:58)

 

 

Andrew,

I have several questions I would like to ask you, since you were kind enough to solicit them.  Please forgive all the questions, but I am the emergency preparedness leader for my church, and we need to develop our own ward emergency response plan. On top of that, I was born, baptized and raised in Louisiana -- most of that time in the New Orleans area (though I left 20 years ago), so admittedly some of my curiousity stems from the fact that I am curious how my old friends might have fared in all of this.

1, Was it the stake center right by Lake Ponchartrain, in or near the Maned Downs subdivision, where you hunkered down during the storm?
 

No. I went to the Gulfport, MS stake building. The Gulfport Stake extends west to Pearl River, east to Pascagoula, and north to Lucedale.

My home is in the country in a small area in Harrison County called Delisle. This small community is located between the city of Pass Christian and I-10, and is located between Diamondhead and Gulfport.

The stake center I stayed in is located in Gulfport, just north of I-10.

I'll try to answer the rest of your questions as best I can, seeing as how I not at the stake center you mentioned.

(I'm afraid I also am not well acquainted with any of the members in the Lake Ponchartrain area.)

2, How many people were at the stake center, besides yourself? Where did you sleep? What about bathroom facilities? Did you have complete families there? How did you all handle food? How did you handle the loss of power, when it came?
 

I'd guess about 250.

My family was assigned one of the 12'x8' classrooms near the primary room, though I actually took a blanket, pillow, and cdplayer and slept in one of the locker closets next to the stage (my father suffers from sleep apnea and snores loudly enough to be heard down the hallway through insulation and two closed doors).

The only bathroom facility available was one ladies room (4 stalls, two sinks) and one men’s room (two urinals, two stalls, two sinks).

Complete families were present, including many less-active members.

Food available was whatever each individual family brought with them. Members were asked to bring enough food for 3 days. Most families brought more than enough food for 3 days to a week, depending on the family.

Loss of power occurred approximately 0830. There was nothing to handle really. The only things that changed were that those who had brought TVs/video games could no longer play them. There were a few people who had brought battery-powered DVD players and radios.

3, Did the church building have ham radio? Did it have auxillary power to rely on when the power went out? Was the ham radio utilized at any time to relay information to church leaders elsewhere?
 

No. No ham radio was in storage or owned by any of the members of the ward, though I do remember seeing a member with one at the stake center one time when I came there to get a work order.

4, Did you have access to commercial radio/TV during and after the storm (e.g., WWL)? How informed were you of what was happening as it was happening?
 

During the storm, yes- until 0830 that Monday morning when power was lost. Past that point, I knew of no access to TV until well after I arrived at 'Joe's' house that Friday. I don't remember why we had no access right after the storm, but I think the broadcasting equipment may have been disabled. We did listen to radio starting about a day after the storm (Tuesday or Wednesday).

We were not very well informed. Everyone was very busy. News reports were sporadic, spotty, and it was difficult to form a mental picture of any information about the area. Most information was word-of-mouth. Even after we had access to TV and radio, rumors were rampant. I remember one rumor that went around for weeks that Jim Cantore, of the Weather Channel, had been killed at the coliseum in Biloxi.

5, Did the land line telephone system remain functional during your time in the stake center? If so, were you able to maintain contact with whomever you wanted to using the telephone system?
 

Land line telephones were lost the same time as power, 0830 Monday morning. Cell phones also did not function. Unless you had radios and a power source from them, the only method of communication was face-to-face.

Cell phone service was restored after about 1 1/2 weeks, though it was difficult to get a call through because all nets were busy most of the time. I also remember that people from out of state could not call in at first.

Power was restored to my area of the country after about 2-3 weeks. There were many areas that did not get power for a few weeks after that.

6, How many member families lost their food storage to flood, roof damage, mold, or looting? Or maybe I should ask the question a different way: Were many of the members able to salvage their food and emergency supplies after they returned to town? Was any of it lost specifically to looting?
 

I'm unsure about most of the members' food storage except for the Stake President, who I know lost his home and all of his belongings including food storage.

Most of our food storage survived the initial effects of the storm, as our house had only suffered damage from wind and the resulting rain through holes in our roof. Food that was removed right after the storm, and taken to 'Joe's' house, survived- everything else that wasn't in airtight packaging was lost to mold.

There was very little looting this early on in the country areas. The city of Gulfport saw some early attempts, but Gulfport PD was extremely aggressive, and effective, in preempting any attempts at looting.

Toxic mold was everywhere and began to become an airborne health hazard in affected structures about two days after the storm.

7, Did you all gather up food storage and move it to the stake center to supply yourselves during and immediately after the storm?
 

Not really. Everyone brought enough food for about three days. Some families brought quite a bit more, though it was because that particular family's average food intake was quite a bit higher than the rest of us, if you know what I mean.

After about 3-4 days, everyone had left the stake center to return to their homes, relatives' homes, or to stay with other members.

8, Was the church building open to non-members during and immediately after the storm, and if so, did any non-members show up looking for help?

 

Travel or movement outside of shelter was definitely the exception during the storm- not even emergency personnel were able to move.

There were non-members taken in before the storm, though I don't think any tried to come and stay after the storm.

Many people did come to the church to ask for help after the storm. Members were filling work orders for anyone in the community who came to church and filled out a work request form.

9, Did FEMA or local authorities (e.g., Jeff Parish Sheriff's Dept.) show up at any time (before or after you left) looking for supplies or emergency response expertise?

There were only two instances, to my knowledge, when local authorities showed up at the stake center for any reason.

First was immediately after the storm. A representative from Gulfport PD showed up to state that travel on the roads was prohibited and that the roads were mostly impassible anyway. (there were huge pine trees and power poles down everywhere- and when I say everywhere, I mean four or five across roads about every 200m or less.)

Second was after a Deseret gasoline truck had dropped off its tank. I believe we may have assisted local emergency crews with fuel for their vehicles.

I also remember, much later, but still before power had been restored, several campers in the parking lot belonging to Red Cross volunteers.

 

 

mirrorrorrim
Registered User
Posts: 12
(1/28/06 15:49)

 

This is priceless info, thanks very much for sharing.

On your comment about living without electricity, this is something I have been obsessed about for the last 2-3 years.

I highly recommend investment in a solar panel. I was finally able to get a 125 watt panel and feel much more ready for life without power. Without a generator, I can still have a few creature comforts. That size panel (3x5 and 80lbs) is not extremely mobile, but one can mount to a dolley and get it around pretty well. 5W, 15W, and 50W are all in the affordability range and are much more mobile. In a lockdown/stay at home situation, I am really in good shape. On the move, a smaller panel would be more appropriate.

Any size I think will have its place. I chose the high cost 125W because I will eventually put it on my house (and it was on sale). Right now it is stand alone with one deep cycle and can power the ham radio, tv, cd player, etc without much problem. Add a Coleman 200W inverter and you have AC power for small appliances for a short time. I switched many of my lights over to 12V and 12V LED and as AndrewB suggested, LEDs are the thing. Tons of light, zippo amperage, and longer battery life. Can also recharge NiMH and NiCD batteries with 12v DC adapter.

Although I am mechanically inclined, I knew zero about photovoltaic power before I jumped into it. Now I can comfortably install a sizable system.

 

 

[Carborendum]

1 hour ago, zil2 said:

Am I understanding correctly that you agree this is a good idea?  This sort of thing was next on my list of things to get as I'll need to at least be able to boil water to cook the emergency food supplies.  And as you say, the addition of an oven is nice, as is the fact that with the right fuel, I can use it indoors.

I think this is just an individual preference if it is worth it or not.  If it is a good brand and the construction is good, yadda yadda.

I personally wouldn't buy one because I'm extremely cheap.  And my wife even told me recently that it was one of the things that attracted her to me.  Go figure.  Most women want men to spend money on them.  She wanted me to be a miser.

1 hour ago, zil2 said:

For the roof panels, that's what I've heard, although, if it would work, and if there ever came a time when the electric company wasn't going to restore power, then who cares about the normal return on investment - the point would be electricity to help you survive.

Probabilities are always anyone's guess.   We all do the best we can.

1 hour ago, zil2 said:

But mostly, I was thinking about these smaller somewhat portable things, such as this site sells.  They're more for emergency or "power in the middle of nowhere".

Just be sure to do the math on it.  A device that small probably doesn't generate a whole lot of power.  And a battery that size doesn't hold nearly as much as one might think.  But if the numbers work out for what you want to use it for, just make your own judgment about the cost.  Is it worth it?

[zil2]

20 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

I think this is just an individual preference if it is worth it or not.  If it is a good brand and the construction is good, yadda yadda.

Gotcha!  Thanks.  I think for me, since I have no other way to cook or heat water should the power go out, something like this is a good idea.  I'll do more research - the one I linked was one I liked, but I haven't done enough research to know what else is available or how well any are built.

 

21 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

I personally wouldn't buy one because I'm extremely cheap.  And my wife even told me recently that it was one of the things that attracted her to me.  Go figure.  Most women want men to spend money on them.  She wanted me to be a miser.

Wise woman.

 

22 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

Just be sure to do the math on it.  A device that small probably doesn't generate a whole lot of power.  And a battery that size doesn't hold nearly as much as one might think.  But if the numbers work out for what you want to use it for, just make your own judgment about the cost.  Is it worth it?

Yeah, that's about where I was.  I need to figure out what it could run (or how big of one I'd need to run various appliances - or appliance alternates, perhaps...).  Thanks.  I'll continue research, but this one is for after the stove / cooking solution.