Sheltering at Home or on Your own Property

(Excerpt from the "PRESENTATION: Three Response Strategies and Networking" post.)

Many of us would strongly elect to remain in our home, or at least on our own property in the event of a disaster. The key point: Is it safe?

A natural disaster or man-caused event could make us feel it is unsafe to leave our home unattended.  If it comes to a choice between safe-guarding your life or well-being, or protecting your home, please protect yourself. 

Evacuation by Auto

(Excerpt from the "PRESENTATION: Three Response Strategies and Networking" post.)

The most likely emergency that will prompt auto evacuation is a wildfire or quickly out of control series of house fires near you.  I saw that happen in Tooele just a few years ago.  

You must consider that flames could reach your home before firefighters could extinguish them. Your focus in such circumstance it to GET OUT IMMEDIATELY.

Sometimes, entire parts of cities get consumed so quickly, residents cannot safely exit with any belongings.  

PRESENTATION: Three Response Strategies and Networking

The information herein is useful to all ages, but is directed toward seniors -- because our age group suffers disproportionately more injuries and fatalities in disasters.

I can attest to this from personal experience in 3 Earthquakes and 3 Civil Riots AND from searching out Lessons Learned from each national disaster. 

In all disasters I have studied, missteps -- primarily, communication breakdowns -- were made among the professionals that cost senior lives. The most dramatic is the final report about the Maui fire, made public in October 2024, revealing that 75% of fatalities were age 64 or older.  It is heartbreaking.

However, the primary reasons our age group suffers disproportionately comes down to US.  First, many of us older people are often NOT prepared at all; or, second, if we have of a kit, it is likely insufficient and inappropriate for our aging needs; and third, most seniors are not networked with younger, stronger neighbors who care, living on their same street, or connected to community or religious groups committed to include them.

Short-Term Food Storage Makes Sense

Had you even heard of Supply Chain Disruption before 2019?  Shortages of items we want/need for our household, along with steadily rising prices are a new reality. Because the USA imports so many of our consumer and medical products, it introduces a greater chance for supply interruption.  

Whether the food on your table is USA grown and packaged, or comes from outside our country, transporting it to your local stores is a link in the supply chain.  Home storage of an emergency supply of essential items is sensible for COVID times and other emergencies/disasters. 

This article is about simple, short-term pantry storage from which you could create meals, without relying upon grocery store supplies or the benefit of refrigerated foods -- for several weeks 

Strategies for Long-term Food Storage

Long-Term Food Storage:  There are three approaches:  1) Store larger quantities of short-term canned/packaged items; 2) No. 10 cans or 5-gallon buckets of bulk ingredients; or 3) Freeze-dried or dehydrated foods; or a combination. 

For canned and packaged long-term storage, you will need some way to organize the food so that you can rotate it into your regular meal planning.  Use organizers designed for a FIFO system (first in, first out) to aid rotation.  Put in the newest can(a) at the top and take out the oldest at the bottom.  A browser search for “canned food organizers” will net you lots of choices.  Mine are cardboard and arrive flat, requiring some easy folding assembly.    

Essential Preparation can Save Lives and Property

Neighborly Network:  How vulnerable were you in our recent power outage? Was it because of your age, disability, physical limitation, living alone, or because you were unprepared that you felt vulnerable?  

To those in the Intermountain West: Were you suddenly, starkly aware that you were ill-prepared for the sustained loss of power and unseasonably cold temps?  Did your home/yard sustain damage?  Were you dependent upon others near-by?  

Avoid the Pain & Inconvenience of Power Outages

While You and I can’t prevent sustained electrical outages, we can Prepare to limit our pain/Inconvenience the next time it happens. 

For the most part, the three days my household was w/o power were not extremely “painful” because of preparation. This emergency was my opportunity to test gear and know-how and see if I could stand up to this challenge with my physical limitations.  I’m including my Lessons Learned in the topics below.   

Sensible Preparation and Response

Refrigeration:  We kept fridge and freezers closed to conserve cold.  I waited too long to save many refrigerator items, (foodsafety.gov says 4 hours) but acted quickly enough (48 hours) to save frozen meats/fish, etc., with bags of ice in well-insulated coolers.  This was a high stress item for me.  I’ll do better next time.  

I now keep 10 bags of ice in my freezer units, along with pre-frozen packs, that I can transfer to coolers early enough to save refrigerator items as well as frozen food.