The government advises us all to have three days of supplies, so that we can be self sustaining until the cavalry arrives. From my personal experiences during my responses to various disasters, I can tell you that three days is a minimum. If you are further away from a distribution point than average, it may be more like 4 or 5 days. More if the disaster is more serious.
So, I have put together a bunch of supplies to get me through a disaster. Here is what I have come up with:
Food: I have 8 cases of MREs, and 2 cases of Mountain House freeze dried meals. I also have 3 cases of freeze dried meats and eggs. Round that out with a couple of cases of canned goods (tuna, soup, veggies) and I have enough non perishable food for 172 people meals. That is enough food for 6 people for 9 days. Two weeks if I stretch it.
Food prep: I have propane cooking equipment and enough propane to cook 3 meals a day for a week.
Shelter: Other than the house, I have 3 two man tents, and tarps to make more lean-tos.
Communications: In addition to cell phones, I have 4 FRS radios and 2 HAM radios in the 2 meter band.
Power: I need to work on this. I am thinking about solar chargers for the radios and flashlight batteries. I don't need to run the whole house just yet.
Water: I have 30 gallons (at one gallon per person/day, this will last 6 people for 5 days) of water containers, and we can and will fill 2 bathtubs for non drinking water. We can boil that water for cooking if needed.
I have ample firearms for security, and plenty of ammo.
There are also medical supplies, lights, and other supplies.
Even though there are only two of us here, I have enough to supply 6 people for two weeks. Longer if I want to cut it down to subsistence rations. Living in hurricane country, it is just prudent.
2 comments:
Nice set up so far. I would be interested in knowing what besides power you plan on getting next.
We have not nearly as much food but we aren't in hurricane country either.
We have propane and coleman fuel for lanterns and stoves
I did notice you didn't mention lighting in your post though.
One of the items I have found very useful is a propane tree with the top mount.
We used them in Scouting to put a lantern next to the stove. Makes cooking considerably easier in the early morning or late evening.
Have you thought about harvesting rain water?
I have set up 5 -50 Gallon barrels that are completely filled. While we plan to use these mostly for watering the lawn, in a survival situation we could treat and boil the water.
Nice to know that there are others who have stuff 'just in case'.
For lighting, we have disposable, rechargeable, and other various flashlights, chem lights, and several propane lanterns. I also have a propane tree that will allow me to simultaneously run a propane camp stove, BBQ grill, and propane lantern.
New post coming.
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