Are you prepared to shelter in place?

bcabrobin
bcabrobin Posts: 251 ✭✭✭
edited May 2023 in Shelter-in-Place

We are hoping/planning that you can shelter in place (not leaving your home).

Do you have a way to keep your family warm? Have you thought of an other heat source? A way to cook your food. Has anyone checked out any of the solor heat, cooking and chargers?

Basic medical supplies and how to use them.

Make sure you have cash on hand, banks and ATMs may be closed or not working.

Have a plan to contact and know the #'s of out of state family and friends. Many times the local phones are down but long distance still work. You may want to think of having an other way to contact locals. Remember cell phones will most likely not work.

City water and sewage will not work when the power is down. Have a plan of what your going to do for water and if the sewage starts to back up, what can you do.

Try to keep your supplies together so you know where to find them when you need them. Do not keep batteries in flashlights etc. Make sure you have lots of everything.

Have a plan of what you need if you have to leave. Remember if you have babies, sick members, elderly. Have items ready and have Grab and Go bags packed and ready.

Remember to restock your supplies when the event is over so your ready for next time. Remember to look online and get much more info. Stay safe out there!

Comments

  • Linda Bittle
    Linda Bittle Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I think sheltering in place is almost always better than bugging out, if it's safe to do so. I even have my dog and cat covered for both instances.

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Hello @bcabrobin

    OToneH, it is Kind of you to CARE about other people, so much, that this past week you started no less THREE threads about Preparedness: on 11/9 https://community.thegrownetwork.com/discussion/842348/are-you-prepared#latest in which however you did not further participate. Then the very next day 11/10 https://community.thegrownetwork.com/discussion/842350/are-you-prepared-food#latest in which you also did not further participate. And now today 11/13, yet a 3rd. time https://community.thegrownetwork.com/discussion/842369/are-you-prepared-have-you-thought-of#latest Are you gonna participate in this thread? - or is EVERY single day gonna be yet another !!! "prepper" thread.

    Surely we all Agree... Preparedness (all bazillion facets of it) is wise.... - Yet you could be Combining... all these threads into the SAME topic.

    okay ?

    Please Think about it. Thank you !

    And have a Safe & wonderful Autumn... week with each day yet more Rewarding...


  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Hi @Mary Linda Bittle - Half of us want to "shelter in place", for obvious reasons: How do you GO anywhere else, when the only thing you can currently MOVE is your head+mouth+eye-lids. ??

    Me, otoh, at the 1st. sign of serious trouble: I have always "RUN-away...." iow (have changed addresses 140x+); iow the very thought of STAY freaks me out ! - And to cope with that, most of the time, I refuse to even think about it; because driving myself crazy! does no one in the family any good.

    So for PREP:

    1.in my heart is the Bible & Thank God I can chat with my Bestest-friend 100x daily & more.

    2.I have taught CPR & First Aid with the Red Cross since a teen.

    3.From nursing have a bazillion Supplies...

    4.Water & foods... to last like 1/2 year, or longer. And continually Add yet more.

    5.we have lots of ways to keep foods cold.

    6.we have a little outside Cookstove we could use, but I think I need some coals ?

    7.Sleeping bags, & Down-comforter, & a bazillion Warm clothes (to save $ in winter, only 1 room is heated).

    8.just last year, I paid for a Brand NEW roof.

    9.Money ?? - what is that?

    10.the car needs maintenance, (see# 9 )

    11.Cell-phone? - we've lived sans 1 for 66 years. Tho we could call 911. Don't even go there, as the last time that was used, they nearly killed me, & I'm still trying to heal from 2 acts of medical malpractices.

    12.obviously there are a bazillion more preparations going on, on a continuing basis.

    Here's the essential Relationship : God says: Do your part to the best of your abilities..., & then I will DO the rest. That is all that can be expected of any of us.

    So when someone merely posts like FOUR HUNDRED MORE ! things that MUST be done, I want to throw up !! Those LISTS are Totally overwhelming, especially to someone who already Daily faces Formidable... odds.

    Can anybody understand ?

  • OhiohillsLouise
    OhiohillsLouise Posts: 120 ✭✭✭

    Shelter in place at my house is definitely preferred. I have the necessities including an outhouse lol. If I need to leave I have a bug out bag for a quick get away. But I also have a bug out bucket for a not-as-quick get away. The bucket contains important but not as critical stuff that I can throw in the car. And the bucket itself can be handy as a seat, toilet, to keep things dry, etc.

  • bcabrobin
    bcabrobin Posts: 251 ✭✭✭

    I hope after the last 3 + months people see they need to think, be prepared, have a plan for "what would you do?" when this happens.

    Have more than 1 package of toilet paper (hidden if you have to)

    Have enough food put back that you do not have to go to the store for at least 2 weeks, 4 would be even better. I understand not having enough money to buy a lot, can you buy 1 extra can of soup or beans or better yet a bag of beans or rice, (store in a can or plastic container, so the bugs/mice can't get it) each time you shop and put it back. Start somewhere, may not be the food your family eats all the time but if their hungry enough they will eat it.

    We didn't have wide spread power outages during this time but what would you do if we did?

    Please have a bag ready to grab and leave. A bug out bag - leave in a minute, you don't have time to pack bag. a couple of great resources are: https://www.thebugoutbagguide.com/family-bug-out-bag/ or https://www.fatherly.com/gear/best-bug-out-bag-emergency-kit-go-bag-family/ or https://www.thebugoutbagguide.com/bug-out-bag-list/ to post a few.

    Do a internet search, look at the lists, but only put in the items that fit your area. If you live in Florida you probably don't need winter gear.

    Do think about you have to carry this bag, how far are you going to get with a 50# bag?

    Good luck stay safe!

  • flowerpower *
    flowerpower * Posts: 258 ✭✭✭
    edited November 2020

    I live in a home where I require electricity and natural gas to heat. The area also has little food production capacity in the winter except for hunting. The people in my small town are very focused just on their family group. I don't think I have a lot to work with here and wonder if I should move to a climate where it is warmer and easier to grow food, say by next winter.

    To survive here with the power out independently I could do winter camping in my home - pitching a tent or hyper insulating one small room, arrange a way to cook. I could possibly move into the home of someone with wood heat, but I do not have that arranged so far and I would find that very challenging.

    I would like to see a community solution. I can figure one out but getting buy in on that at the last minute seems a bit daunting. I can imagine a solution but getting miscellaneous people to join in is not one of my gifts so far.

  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    There's so much focus on the bug-out bag, and that's important in an evacuation situation. But we do need to think about what we'll do if we have to stay and the grid is down. Besides a food stash, I have a week's worth of water stored and a 5-gallon bucket to make an emergency composting toilet if the need arises. Because of being in an area where there is a water shortage, we also have a holding tank on the roof that holds enough water for two days.

  • Slippy
    Slippy Posts: 117 ✭✭✭

    Living on a "Homestead in Progress" 1 mile down a private gravel road, off of a small county road about 3 miles from a 1 stoplight town, 40 miles from the closest city...YES!!, we are prepared to stay at home should circumstances call for that.

    The sign on my gate says, "This Gate Is Locked For YOUR Protection Not Mine". I found that pretty sums up my situation! 😉

  • stephanie447
    stephanie447 Posts: 404 ✭✭✭

    We are on a septic system so don't have to worry about city sewage but if the power goes out for an extended period of time, that would be bad. Have a fireplace if things get cold though.

  • lewis.mary.e
    lewis.mary.e Posts: 225 ✭✭✭

    We are prepared to shelter in place for probably a month or two. We actually had a minor test run a couple of weeks ago, because my husband had a Covid scare. We all stayed home for a week.

    The one thing we don't have is Solar panels, but we are actively looking into making that happen.

  • karenjanicki
    karenjanicki Posts: 996 ✭✭✭✭

    I believe being prepared is very important.

  • flowerpower *
    flowerpower * Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    Prepare for how long is always the question. If the power goes out at night and its warm, most of us can just sleep through it. I would like to unplug from the grid as an option. A list & some thoughts follow. Heat. Cooking Food. Water. Water Sanitization. Food. Medicine herbal. Medicine for drug replacement. Lighting at night. Emergency Lighting. Consumer goods. Money & Barter. Communication. Safety. Clothing. Animal care supplies. Food production supplies like seeds.

  • Gail H
    Gail H Posts: 359 ✭✭✭✭

    I think we would be fine for a month food-wise. Our house is passive solar and we have a wood burning stove, so we wouldn't freeze.

    We actually prefer to lose power in the winter because we don't have to panic about the food in the freezer. I have finally learned to pressure can, so hopefully our food storage won't be so freezer dependent in the future.

  • dipat2005
    dipat2005 Posts: 1,290 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @flowerpower * sanitation would be an issue for me. I am allergic to bleach and most cleaning solutions. Any ideas?

  • Michelle D
    Michelle D Posts: 1,465 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @dipat2005 it can really depend on what you are trying to sanitize. Sunlight kills a lot of unwanted stuff. If you are talking about things that can't go outside like bathroom fixtures I recommend vinegar. That is what I use regularly in my bathroom. I'm told that lemon oil is good in the kitchen.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @dipat2005 I agree with @Michelle D . I use vinegar for almost every cleaning or disinfecting need. And if you have apple trees or even apple peelings you can make your own vinegar.

    As for being prepared to shelter. Yes, I am in pretty good shape. I need top work a bnit more on electrical power but all else is fine. My concern is property safety and theft. I need to secure the land and homestead better.

  • Michelle D
    Michelle D Posts: 1,465 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Monek Marie I think it is a forever journey. It seems to me that there will always be something more that I could do to be prepared.

    If it came down to it today we would be ok. There is still a lot that I would want to have better. If we were to have to shelter in place long term I wouldn't be able to maintain my freezer. That would be a huge loss for us. Security would also be a concern for me as we have lots of neighbors very close that are not prepared. I need to get more water storage. That's just a few of the things that I'm working on right now. Once I have those things under better control I will find the next thing. That will probably be quail... The list could go on forever.

  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    We are also in pretty good shape for staying in place. Since we live off grid we are doing pretty good there for lack of electric, lights, sanitation, and such. Have multiple generators. We are working on getting the things we need for a wood gasifier, and we heat with wood plus have a wood cook stove if we need it. And of course have the option for an open wood fire if needed. hat could even be done in a charcoal grill if you don't have a fire pit or safe place to build a fire.

    Living in Alaska we are pretty much always prepared, there are so many things that can shut things done here, There is one road basically from any major town to our village. A major accident, earthquake, heavy snow storm, even a lengthy period of high winds can shut down deliveries. We have a long open area along the highway where winds can and usually do blow over an empty semi trailer so they are not keen on deliveries when it's high winds for extended periods. Coming out isn't bad but getting back can be deadly. We also have rock slides, avalanches and such. So easy to shut down roads.

    There there are things like trucking strikes in the lower 48 or the ports and shipping yards or just the shipping issues that have been the norm for the last year or more can make it hard to get supplies and things up here.

    Securing our property and safety from theft and folks looking to cause trouble would be our biggest issue. Lots of woods and only two of us to protect it. Unless it gets real bad in the cities. Then we would likely have some family come out here as they don't do much preparing and the cities won't be very safe once folks start running out of food and stuff.

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin

    Yes, always - between hurricanes and ice storms, that is the way I grew up.

  • gardneto76
    gardneto76 Posts: 528 ✭✭✭✭

    I would be ok short term, but long term I might struggle keeping my garden alive. We have solar, but no battery to charge, so we would have power during the day. We have some water storage and a pool but eventually all of that runs out too. The hardest part both in the beginning and over time would be securing the house & yard from the neighbors, since we live in town.

  • Kuri and Kona
    Kuri and Kona Posts: 177 ✭✭✭

    @vickeym Hi, I would love to hear about how you access the internet with being off grid? This is something that I have thought about a lot. Do you use it at someone`s else`s house, or do you use it when you go into town at wireless hot spots? I don`t think that I could ever live truly off grid (being in a very urban area), but I would like to be less dependent on city water/ electricity, etc.

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @flowerpower * Living in a warmer climate with a longer growing season has benefits, but there are trade-offs.

    If the warm climate is also dry desert, it is very difficult to have a reliable water source.

    If the warm climate has poor soil, it may harder to grow significant quantities of food there than in a cooler, wet climate with good soil.

    If it's perfect all around, warm, good soil, good rainfall, etc. you will not be able to afford to purchase a reasonable amount of land there.

    I think your biggest challenge in your current situation is the lack of family and community support, rather than the climate. If you decide to move, I suggest you focus on going to an area where you already have either family or close friends.

    Times like this are difficult for "gyrovagues" without roots.

    Finally, if you do stay at your current location, I suggest looking at alternate heat sources. Depending on what is available, that might be a wood stove, coal stove or furnace, propane, or something else.

    Try to find an option where the ultimate source of fuel is not petroleum. Gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil, etc. could all be impacted at once. Bonus points if the fuel is available locally, such as firewood.

  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Kuri and Kona Our internet service is from our landline phone company. When we shut off the inverter or generator (so power down for the night or if we are going to be gone) all electricity is shut down. So internet is off. But if the inverter system is turned on we have electric and the internet We only have two solar panels and I think 6 batteries so it won't give a lot of power, but enough.

    Can't run things like a microwave unless I make sure everything else is off, but it is enough to run lights, computers and tv. We switched out our stove/oven to an older propane model with a pilot light so we don't need electric for the oven to run or to run pilot lights. Refirgerator is basically a huge ice chest, though at one time was a propane refrigerator but it died. Works ok for most things. When the generator is running and the batteries are charged we can run a chest freezer. I keep several gallon jugs of water in there which freeze and everyday I switch out the jugs in my ice chest/refrigerator.

    There are things I wish we had electric for sometimes. Our small honda generator can't really run my Vita Mix very well, Can't use my dehydrator. Have had it now for about 5 years or more and have only been able to use it twice. Would have to run the generator non stop for a couple days or more to dry a full load of veggies. Many power tools are hard to run unless we have the generator running, just for them.

    There is definitely a pro vs con issue to think about. But for us the internet isn't usually one of them.

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The Internet requires very little power. When our electricity goes off for some reason, I can easily keep the router running off of an AGM battery that can be charged with a small solar panel.

    The things that draw the most power are those that produce heat, like a stove or heater, followed by those that run motors with significant horsepower (like tools). Lights, radio receivers, and other electronics don't need much and are easily kept running off-grid.

    @vickeym I can see that running your dehydrator doesn't make sense under those circumstances, but running a generator for short periods when you need power tools seems like a reasonable compromise. I am assuming that you don't have a business that needs to run power tools 8 or more hours a day, just occasional homestead use.

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    I was reminded of this in another post; the importance of having a supply of your prescriptions on hand for sheltering in place. This can be difficult sometimes as docs might not want to prescribe extra, especially for things like opiates, sleeping meds, antidepressants, etc., and some meds won't keep for extended periods. But if you explain your reasons, your doc might be OK with giving you an extra months' supply. Then keep rotating it out.

    Same for any over-the-counter meds, vitamins, minerals or other supplements that you might take.

    I'm also going to move this discussion to the Emergency/Disaster Preparedness & Resiliency category under Sheltering in Place to make it easier to find.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @vickeym I'm posting in the discussion you are having trouble accessing to see if you can see it (which seems an odd thing to do). I'm doing it in response to your post:

    "I found a category called Emergency News when choosing a category for a post. But even that way, I do not see a category for Emergency/Disaster preparedness and resiliency. If there are any posts in that category, could someone tag me in it or send me a link. I still cannot access it."

    You will not be able to post directly to emergency/disaster preparedness & resiliency, but you can post to any of the subcategories that are under the category.

    This is the tree or path:

    Here are some of the subcategories under the categories:

    If you can read this, does that make sense?