What to do in a natural disaster in the US ?

Forgive me for starting such a thread agn. Well, this one is different. Not focusing on emergency flashlights but on disasters in general.
Where I live, disasters are rare. For years I experienced no blackout. Quakes are so weak that most people just don't notice them. All the disasters that are big on our news are not really big compared to the ones we see in US. So I'd say I'm ill prepared.

Now I imagine that I'm on a business trip to the US. While I am at our California office, an earthquake strikes and messes up all the infrastructure. No power, phone service down, badly hampered transport options, damaged structures everywhere, no restaurants operating, injured people around.

What should one do ? Try to walk to a place that wasn't that badly impacted and where there is food, working transport, accommodation, healthcare ? Stay at the office, try to clean it up and wait for help to restore the infrastructure ? Will there be aggressive gangs in the streets right after the incident / the day after ? How long before diseases become a risk ? Will some traders set up makeshift outlets to sell essentials to the people ? What to expect in general ?

My mother-in-law thinks that a pair of boots and a little cash are all it needs to be prepared. Maybe she's right. One of her customers was on a business trip in Banda Aceh when the Tsunami flooded the place. He survived on a tree and had to walk out thru the muddy rubble (good to have the boots) to a nearby village where the road was intact. He bought a ticket for the public bus to Medan. There he had his wounds treated.

I think a Simple 'bail out bag' type of emergency kit could make your life a lot easier in a situation like that. Nothing too extensive, but a basic first aid kit, 2 or 3 days of emergency food, a pack of water sanitizing tablets, and a long running flashlight with some spare batteries would make a nice addition to your boots & cash.

accept whats coming,
If you live, your lucky...If you die, its just your time

Earthquakes in a city is probably the worst scenario anyone can go through...after I saw the pics of 921 earthquake in Taiwan my entire prespective of deep faultline tremors changed...
If you survive, might want to have a weapon cuz the law would like be nonexistant in the even of an emergency of that magnitude.

Flood is another thing...

Resistance is futile, mother nature will always win

Illum_the_nation said:

If you survive, might want to have a weapon cuz the law would like be nonexistant in the even of an emergency of that magnitude.

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That might be hard as the weapon would have to comply with weapons laws of multiple countries.

Always have a stash of dry food, medicine and water on hand. Not only can you eat and survive you can also trade them for other stuff. Money will be worthless in those situations and barter system will be the norm of the day.

one thing is for sure though, you can always count on the police confiscating people's means of protection like what happened in Katrina. The guns are still rusting in storage trailers somewhere with no end in sight.

The concept of self-protect in emergencies has been eroded so far in modern democracies, I think for most people in the US, and almost everyone in Europe, it means a whistle and a cell phone for calling the police. the state of being prepared in the past is called paranoid by most pampered citizens of the west. GO figure.

Then again Any mentioing of being prepared in terms of weapons is sure to draw some weird looks on CPF, especially the international folks. "why would you need a gun/knive if you are not military/LEO" is something I have seen a lot here.

270winchester said:

Any mentioing of being prepared in terms of weapons is sure to draw some weird looks on CPF, especially the international folks. "why would you need a gun/knive if you are not military/LEO" is something I have seen a lot here.

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He was talking about international travel.

It will attract a lot more than wierd looks if you try to bring your weapon
onto an aircraft, and customs & immigration may have a wierd look or two
and you and your belongings as well.

It's tough for a visitor to be truely prepared, and most residents just plainly are not either. Fortunately disasters are not as frequent as they may seem in the news, at least not in any specific area.

One thing that you will want to do before you even arrive in California is to ask your company about their emergency contingency plans. The most common and most popularized threat in California are, of course earthquakes. Perhaps the various tip sheets from the California Office of Emergency Services may be of some assistance. Though it is understandably difficult for a business visitor to be fully prepared and these days, they may not let you transport everything in such a kit on an airplane, some of the information on those sheets may be helpful, as well as knowing what resources you may have with your employer on site. Their facilities or security departments should be able to provide you with that information.

That said, there are items that every traveller should probably have as part of their normal travel kit, and that would include emergency items such as a mask or something to use over your face in the event of fire to minimalize smoke inhalation, comfortable shoes for walking, maybe even some emergency food in your luggage, and of course the one assumed item that you will have since you're here, is of course a flashlight If you're visiting a country other than your own, it is often a good idea to get some of the local currency for minor expenses before you leave home. I often do that either through a local bank if there is time, or in the worse case scenario at the airport before boarding the flight (the commissions will be higher.)

Martin said:

Where I live, disasters are rare. For years I experienced no blackout. Quakes are so weak that most people just don't notice them. All the disasters that are big on our news are not really big compared to the ones we see in US. So I'd say I'm ill prepared.

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Hey Andy and Win270,

Well I'm not sure Nick is old enough to remember, but you guys might have real valuable first hand experience that you can share. If either of you were in the same area as you're in now, during the Loma Prieta Earthquake, sharing your experiences during the days that followed, might be real helpful.

My experiences are a bit jaded, not what the average person encountered, and would give someone the wrong impression, including the paranoia that you referenced.

AndyTiedye said:

He was talking about international travel.

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As a "paraniod" person with "OCD" I mostly agree with .270 as to having a stock of food water and other "stuff". I do not (respectfully) agree with the "trading" part.
In the event of a really bad thing I have no desire to allow "others" to know what I have and no desire to find out what they have to "trade". I looked at several options as to being prepared and the water needs are quite amazing if you have dried or dehydrated food stores set back. We are looking a barrels and barrels of water for that (only 3 folks in my house) so I have to go a little different route.
Topper

270winchester said:

....one thing is for sure though, you can always count on the police confiscating people's means of protection like what happened in Katrina. The guns are still rusting in storage trailers somewhere with no end in sight.......

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They will have to pry my weapons from my cold dead hands.:tsk:

270winchester said:

.....Then again Any mentioing of being prepared in terms of weapons is sure to draw some weird looks on CPF, especially the international folks. "why would you need a gun/knive if you are not military/LEO" is something I have seen a lot here.

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One look at the news in Anytown, USA. and they will soon see the need to possess weapons. :sigh:

Find a gallon or two of clean or bottled water or more if you can get it as fast as you can. Fill up the bath tub if possible. Stay in your hotel room for 3-5 days if habitable and wait for the calvary to arrive. Once the Red Cross or other aid group shoes up contact them and find a way to the embassy. This is assuming you are in a counrty that's not crazy about Germans in your case or whatever nationality you happen to be.

Some countries overseas will make the people in New Orleans after Katrina seem like Sunday shoppers. A lot will depend on which country you are in. In some countries you should go out and help with the rescue effort.

Compared to others here, I don't know that I really have the knowledge or experience to offer the best advice...but I do have a few common sense thoughts that may help.

I see people above talking of bail out bags and such, with emergency food, water, etc. Also the thought of a weapon if needed, flashlight, etc. All good ideas.

Couple things to think about...you're from Germany, but do business here in the states. Certainly any of the things others had mentioned could be assembled during your next stay here in the USA and then left here. There are then a couple options. I've heard of some people that have stated that "back in the day" hotels used to have services to hold over items for a frequent traveller. Likewise, do you have an office at your USA location? If you went the benign route, and did not have a deadly weapon, say only a pocket stick , a pocket knife, or a multi-tool, you might be able to leave at your USA office, or the office of a co-worker. For security (of your belongings), you could use a moderate size Pelican case with lock, which could probably hold everything you need minus the water (maybe even the water with a big enough case). Not a cheap option, but one that could work.

And for those that have mentioned the police confiscating weapons, I would offer the following. Desparate times require desparate measures. Do what is necessary (and you feel comfortable doing) to protect yourself. Though I would not advocate breaking any laws, particularly those concerning concealed carry of a deadly weapon (read: not necessarily a firearm), I would state that the police are probably only confiscating those weapons that they can see. Though I cannot be certain, I cannot believe that during Katrina with everything else going on that police were frisking down otherwise calm people walking down the street. They must have had much more important things to worry about. (All bets are off if you plan to go to a shelter, like they used the SuperDome in New Orleans, because they WILL frisk you there.)

Be prepared (appears you would like to be).
Be calm.
Stay alive.

I think Maglites are legal just about everywhere.

Another though w.r.t. Maglites (and some other largeish flashlights).
Often people cut them down because they don't need so many batteries.

Instead, one could have dummy "batteries" that provide storage for
emergency supplies. You could fit a lot in a 6D Mag if you only needed
3D's to run the LED (you can't get a LED upgrade for the 6D anyway).
All you would need is a metal screw-top can the size of 1 or 2 or 3 D cells.
Does anybody make something like this already?

Illum_the_nation said:

accept whats coming,
If you live, your lucky...If you die, its just your time

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Like hell. I can give up any time; I'm going to keep my options for survival open as long as possible.

Regardless of where you live, it always makes sense to know first aid; either from a class or from a book.

If I was travelling to an area known for earthquakes, I would carry a flashlight (obvious), high quality whistle, breathing filter, and swim goggles (to keep dust out of my eyes). None of that would take up too much space. You might also consider a tiny air horn, a robust first aid/trauma kit, bicycle helmet, strobe light, and gloves.

Good luck.

Martin said:

Forgive me for starting such a thread agn. Well, this one is different. Not focusing on emergency flashlights but on disasters in general.
Where I live, disasters are rare. For years I experienced no blackout. Quakes are so weak that most people just don't notice them. All the disasters that are big on our news are not really big compared to the ones we see in US. So I'd say I'm ill prepared.

Now I imagine that I'm on a business trip to the US. While I am at our California office, an earthquake strikes and messes up all the infrastructure. No power, phone service down, badly hampered transport options, damaged structures everywhere, no restaurants operating, injured people around.

What should one do ? Try to walk to a place that wasn't that badly impacted and where there is food, working transport, accommodation, healthcare ? Stay at the office, try to clean it up and wait for help to restore the infrastructure ? Will there be aggressive gangs in the streets right after the incident / the day after ? How long before diseases become a risk ? Will some traders set up makeshift outlets to sell essentials to the people ? What to expect in general ?

My mother-in-law thinks that a pair of boots and a little cash are all it needs to be prepared. Maybe she's right. One of her customers was on a business trip in Banda Aceh when the Tsunami flooded the place. He survived on a tree and had to walk out thru the muddy rubble (good to have the boots) to a nearby village where the road was intact. He bought a ticket for the public bus to Medan. There he had his wounds treated.

Click to expand...

if you experience an earthquake near or above 7.0 and you're not trapped under debris, just be glad you're alive. after that, the rest will be easy. i would say the same things you might take on a normal trip would be all you really need. of course i don't know what you normally travel with but i'd recommend a first aid kit, flashlight, small multi-tool, cotton bandana or large hankerchief, maybe a whistle, duct tape, needle and thread, 20ft. parachute cord, and whatever else you can think of. just pack for any trip like you'll be backpacking through europe and you should be fine. hope that helps. of course, with many people on CPF living in california, just head for the house/apartment with the brightest lights and you'll be okay.

Good for you for wanting to be prepared! You've already realized that you would rather be able to sit something out than join throngs of panicked citizens trying to obtain supplies. In being prepared, you're actually helping others as well as yourself because you're not a drain on an already strained emergency system. Two sites you might want to look over are:
http://equippedtosurvive.org/urbantoc.htm

http://glocktalk.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=151 On this one, do a search for BOB or bug out bag or 72 hour bag. There are some good folks here with a lot of knowledge. Start small and even if you do a little you are way ahead of most everyone else.

270winchester said:

Always have a stash of dry food, medicine and water on hand.

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in an earthquake zone?

I hate to be the one who gets killed under the fallen shelf of bulk MREs and water

DieselDave said:

Find a gallon or two of clean or bottled water or more if you can get it as fast as you can.

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Sometimes I think ziploc bags makes pretty good cantees when you need to store water, or something thats quickly deployable without the neec to go through the rubbish to pull it out.

Diesel_Bomber said:

Like hell. I can give up any time; I'm going to keep my options for survival open as long as possible.

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meh, sounds like I'll be the first to give in...:candle:
sorry for that statement, if you want me to edit that out, gimme a hollar

when I say weapons, I was originally thinking of a knife or CB bezeled surefire, but come to think of it...Mags are pretty good in this manner.

There isnt a standard for disaster response, as different forms of disaster lurks in every corner of this world...sometimes I think what may save you from a catastrophic disaster would be intuition, logical reasoning, and what YOU HAVE ON YOU at the time, thats just my $.02

Yes food and water in an earthquake zone. I am in New Madrid fault area and we have Tornadoes yearly so one needs to be prepared for that. In the event a BIG earthquake hits around here we have St.Louis Memphis and Little Rock that might be affected, my guess would be if that happened they would get "help" before I would in Jonesboro. I can understand that as they are much larger. (more folks needing help quickly) so I figure the "72 hour" rule might not fly here.
Topper

Tnx to everyone for sharing ideas, experience and related links. It was some hours of interesting reading.

So the general concept is to be self-sufficient for 72h and not move around, in hope that the situation normalizes during this time.
And everyone minds his own business and no community effort of cleaning up.

As tygger suggests, I will add the backpacking essentials to my luggage.
That would be a very basic backpack put into the bottom of my suitcase, a minimal medical kit, some plastic bags, soap, whistle, breathing filter, 20m of cord that can hold my weight (this item is heavy, I think I should find an alternative).
The cash, flashlights, paper, pen, leisure shoes, extra set of clothes I have them anyhow, the blanket I replace by a coat.
On top of that I add a small handheld GPS and some mosquito repellent.
The (emty) water container I can skip as I can easily find some plastic bottles.
I also skip the radio receiver because they have a different channel raster, frequency range and modulation depth in US. And there's a lot of AM services. I trust there's a battery-operated radio in every car.
The goggles and gloves that Raven suggests should always be on my person to be effective. I know they won't be, so probably I can skip them, too.
Bringing food into the US is difficult, so on my arrival I should buy bisquits to last me 72h.

For a weapon and tool, I merely have a Swiss knife. My slingshot I don't bring on business trips. I very much hope the need to defend doesn't arise before the 72h that it takes to bring everything back to normal. If not, then I will need to rely on the equipment of the hotel mgmt or the guys at the office.

And yes, next time one of the guys comes over, I ask abt their emergency plan. Interesting subject for lunch break.