Posted on 10/28/2017 7:13:31 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion
There is a parallel between the core basics of survival and those things that nature takes from us in one of these powerful hurricanes. When I think of survival and the very basics, there is shelter, water, food and fire. As the powerful winds and punishing rains of Hurricane Harvey approached Texas people were most concerned with these survival basics.
It was immediately apparent that there were many people unprepared to deal with the aftermath of this storm. Most resources were gobbled up in storm prep and no one really knew when trucks would return to Houston to restock shelves.
The struggle to find resources immediately after Harvey was no surprise to many. Al Green, a Texas congressman, made these comments about the state of Houston from information he gleaned from constituents.
QUOTE:"The thing that people most need is security. And when people are not being rescued people are still waiting to be rescued that is an immediate need. Just having security. We also have people who have been out in the weather for some time and they need to get themselves properly warmed in a place so that they can have food and proper clothing. So, when people go to shelters, were trying to make sure that they get the food and the clothing that they need. People also need to know that at some point well start a recovery, and when that recovery starts, that there will be resources available to help them get housed immediately. I remember going through this with other storms, and sometimes the housing can become difficult to acquire. But housing is important, short-term and long-term housing. Those who have had their property damaged, they need to know that there will be the resources available to them to get repairs."
#1: Food
Whether people were evacuated from their homes and forced to leave their pantrys behind or if they were hoping to fill their pantry after the storm, the hurricane cleared shelves of most basic food staples. Many supermarkets were left bare by those preparing for the storm.
The trucks could not traverse the flooded streets of Houston and some stores were suffering from flood water damage. This meant the shelves would not fill anytime soon.
IIRC calcium hypochlorite needs to be stored carefully....
I know a guy with family in Puerto Rico, so I get a pretty good accounting of what’s happening, at least with his family.
Bottom line: TOTALLY UNPREPARED. It wasn’t that they couldn’t prepare - as they do have plenty of money (and being ready is not very expensive)...it’s just that there was no reason to prepare - since it never happened before (you know, like an EMP from the Norks - we’ll take it seriously once they prove how destructive it is to this country).
One thing that was funny was his crazy mother-in-law. You know, the type of person who doesn’t trust banks and kept her money under the mattress. She is VERY POPULAR with her family, as pretty much everything there is still cash and ATMs which do work will only give you something like $40 per day...and with very long lines.
But other stuff, it’s just sad. Virtually everything they’re doing now (water collection and purification, running around trying to find food and fuel, obtaining generators and solar panels, and other stuff)...capabilities that I’ve had for years, and, again, not very expensive if you don’t want it to be (but yes, very expensive if you choose to go that way).
Thanks for posting. Good stuff.
Thanks. I liked it too.
“IIRC calcium hypochlorite needs to be stored carefully....”
Correct. Figured it was ok in its rubbering packaging...chewed right through it in my attic. Pain to clean up, but thankfully no major damage. Maybe the stuff will do better stored in glass jars, but not sure.
“Powdered bleach lasts a long time”
The containers it comes in are not made for long term storage. Seal it in additional containment.
Thanks
And putting your electronics along with corrosion inhibitors in plastic bags into metal file cabinets is a plus
You forgot ‘workboots’.
Just say’n...
Sure, that’ll supply enough water for 3 or 4 gerbils. Just kidding, I keep one on my motorcycle to use streamside. But you need to be able to disinfect also.
I’d rather see better disaster prep by our cities than throwing money away on NFL stadiums for the billionaires and their multimillionaire pets...
In a flood situation, I would be worried about chemicals in the water as much as microbes. I would think the best solution would be some kind of a solar still but even that might not remove all chemicals. In a true survival situation, I would look to scrounge for sealed beverages as I removed myself from the contaminated waters and use my filter only if I had to and even then, I would be looking to filter relatively clean water if possible.
A whole lot of Houstonians became instant preppers as Harvey approached. Having your ducks in a row well in advance of any event isn’t a bad thing.
We had a day long power outage due to Irma. Because I have a small gas generator that I maintain and test regularly, that I bought fuel for (4 X 6 gallon cans) 4 days before it hit, I had lights, heat (gas furnace, just have to run the fan and controls), Internet and TV as long as AT&T held out (the batteries in their VRAD lasted about 8 hours), and was able to run my refrigerator and the neighbor’s ($XXX worth of food).
They should have taped employment aplications over the doors!
They should have taped employment aplications over the doors!
Pool Shock....Chlorine
Thank God we have a cesspool system, as much as that pisses off tree-huggers. No contamination worries.
Sewers make sense in dense urban areas, I love this semi-rural living.
Gallon freezer bags are really useful for everyday use.
It will be fine in glass. However, be cautious of those jars with metal lids - the metal will rust, even behind the plastic seal on the inside of the lid.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.