How prepared are we?

By Rennie Phillips

It's been a couple weeks now since the hurricane plowed through Puerto Rico and things still are not back to normal. And the way it looks it will be a long time till things even come back to some semblance of normal. It's sad not only for the people in Puerto Rico but also for those who are giving their best to help down there.

We will never see a hurricane here in Missouri, but since we live on a rather major fault line we may see an earthquake that could cause severe damage. I wonder how prepared we are if this should happen? Probably not as prepared as we should be. I'm guessing, but I think we need to be able to exist several days to a week without outside assistance. Let's just say four days to a week.

Now I'm not a dyed-in-the-wool survivalist. I don't have a year of freeze-dried food stored away in case of an emergency. We don't have a fallout shelter in case of an all-out nuclear war. But I think there are some simple things all of us need to keep in mind.

The most important need is water. That old rule of thumb is we are supposed to drink at least eight cups -- 64 ounces -- of water a day. That might work in the winter, but it's not enough in the summer. Most of us could get make it by having a case of water in storage per person per week. Most of the bottled water will last for years, so check the date on them. I'd also have some way of purifying water, that is turning unsafe water into safe drinking water. This could be some type of chlorination pills or a filtration system. Check around. I know most sporting goods stores will have both the pills and a filtration system of some kind.

Probably second on the need list would be some type of shelter. A major earthquake could pretty much destroy most shelters here in our neighborhood. A simple shelter is a tent. It might not be the most comfortable, but they work. I've been reading a story about the homesteading days in Nebraska and the sod-house culture. Many of these homesteaders lived months in a wall tent both in the summer and the winter. I've seen some decent small tents on sale for $30 or $40 that can be effective. You may want to check out a way to heat it. I heat my ground deer hunting blind with a 20-pound jug of propane and a single burner stove that fits on it. One needs to be careful with these and not run them in an enclosed space.

Next on our need list is food. Most likely the electricity will go out and we'll be on our own. Generators can and will offer temporary service. I'd probably have some food on hand in cans. This would include meat, like spam, and veggies, like corn, green beans and potatoes, Make sure you have a manual can opener. I've used my pocket knife, but it's not the safest thing. I'd also have some candy on hand. I'd probably add a jar of honey, which virtually will last forever. Add some salt and pepper and some cooking oil, like olive oil. You should rotate your on-hand supplies to keep it fresh. I'd scatter it around as well, keeping some in the house, some in an unattached garage, etc.

Next on my list would be health and first-aid supplies. These would include flashlights and batteries, matches, or something like flint and steel, gauze and tape, band aids, some type of pain reliever, antacids, maybe bug spray, etc. If you are on some type of medication, it might be wise to keep a week or two ahead. I'm diabetic and require daily medication, so most of the time I have several weeks on hand. A great place to store these supplies is 5-gallon plastic buckets with a lid. I'd make a couple of them and store them in separate locations. One other storage container is 55-gallon plastic barrels with removable lids.

Clothing and bedding would be next. During the winter I usually carry an extra pair of clothes in my pickup. These aren't my best pair of bibs or my best T-shirt, but they would work in an emergency. Add a pair or two of socks and a pair of pack boots. I could make it with these. A great addition is one of those plastic tarps. Most smaller ones can be bought for less then $10. Add some gloves, and a couple blankets might feel good in cold weather.

Back when I hunted in western Missouri I was a mile or more from my pickup most of the time. Many times this was during the winter with the temperature hovering down toward zero. So I'd carry what I needed to stay safe if I had to camp overnight. I always had a survival blanket or two. I always had matches, or flint and steel. I always carried a camp knife and many times my hatchet. I usually carried some snacks, and I always had something to drink as well as chlorine pills to purify water. I carried all these in a leather bag that I called my "possibles bag." I think it's smart to have a packed bag or backpack ready to pick up at a moments notice. One thing that I always carried was a multi-tool. It had a compass, whistle and water-proof matches. I even wondered about putting a copy of my passport in this bag.

A little preparation can and will make a difference if a national emergency should happen. We don't need to get carried away, but doing nothing, I think, is foolish.

Have a good one.