Doomsday Prep?

We have no kits and no plan. I figure when we have kids we will create something.

Honestly, I have no "kit" but I have enough canned food to get us through a few days and enough dog and cat food to keep them fed. One thing I do have is 10 to 12 gallons of potable water. Where we live the power can be iffy. It goes out during high winds, snow, thunderstorms, etc. Since the water is run by an electric pump, no power, no water. So we keep some in the kitchen, the bathroom, the laundry room, where ever we can put them. Not only do they help with the animals, but they really come in handy when you have to use the toilet.

Actually, if a natural disaster hit (as in a hurricane or a blizzard), I would just stock up, buckle down and ride it out. It it was a nuclear disaster I would open the door and say RUN because at that point we're screwed anyway.

I don't have kits per say but i have a collection of things and plans with my best friends who also have things (we don't have the same things as that would be redundant) so if things go bad we would face it together as a group. Safety in numbers you know. AND of course we planned for our cats. 

I don't really have anything prepared. We have 5 gallon bottles of water since we have Sparkletts delivered ever other Tues. 2-3 bottles each time. As for nuclear attacks, since we are within 100 miles or so of Edwards Air Force Base, we will probably be obliterated. And if the bomb Los Angeles, we are within 120-150 miles of that too.  We are east of Vandenberg Air Force Base too. So with bombs east, south and west, we don't stand a chance. We are probably a target anyway due to our agriculture and oil fields.

As for earthquakes, the last big one here was in August 1952. I don't worry about it.

I've always done this, but not for "Doomsday"--just everyday emergencies, such as job loss, illness; bad weather.  And I've had to use part of my kits: DH was out of work for a couple of weeks; 3 years of bad snowstorms (we live on a mini-mountain); and no heat for a month (the heat pump died; for various reasons, it took the heater people exactly 1 month to get a new one installed--in a very COLD February-March). I always keep a few months of food, and have grab-and-go kits in case we ever get evacuated (we came close to THAT during Hurricane Irene). I don't take it to the extreme shown on the show (which I enjoy, BTW, although I must admit that I don't spend sleepless nights over the potential for solar flares, like the one guy).

The beauty of being prepped: most emergencies share the same basic needs: food, water, shelter, etc., so you don't have to go crazy with specific situations, if you don't want to. For example, if you live in Kansas, don't worry about the hurricanes--but having food, water, and shelter preps are good for many other situations. You may wish to have a tornado plan, though, in addition to the basics. 

I use the Home Depot orange Homer Buckets for the grab-and go kits. Cheap, sturdy, bright, easy to see color, snap-on lid; they can also be used for a seat, a toilet, a small table to set something on, and they are water-resistant.  Most teens and adults could carry one in each hand, and they stack nicely for storage.  I designate one for a toilet, which is stuffed with trash bags (to use as liners) and toilet paper.  I wrote "TOILET ONLY" on the outside, so it would never get mixed up with a water bucket, for example.  I always leave an empty one for canned food, which I plan to grab from the pantry if needed (I store the kits in the garage, which is not suitable to store food in--too hot/cold), and ditto for the cat food.  I have a sleeping bag rolled up for each of us, and some trial-sized toiletries; changes of shoes and clothing, gloves, winter hats, Swiss Army knife, a tarp, you get the idea.

For the cats: I have a small, rolling suitcase, bought at a yard sale.  I have nested foil lasagna pans, with a bag of kitty litter nested inside of those, along with several bowls for food and water.  I also have their carriers on the emergency shelves, with blankets wrapped in bags (to keep them clean), inside of the carriers.  I've split open heavy trash bags to make ponchos to put over the carriers, should it be raining or snowing (I've used these for vet trips, too). The ponchos are with the blankets.

You don't need to go nut with prepping, but it is smart to have something--even only 3-days worth. Also make an evacuation plan, even if only what to do if the house is on fire--especially if you have kids.

Flashlights, batteries, Coleman lanterns, a Coleman camping stove, small propane tanks, bottled water, cases of bottled water, lots of canned goods (with a can opener! and camping silverware, dishes, pots and pans), dried beans (and dried fruits and veggies), pasta, 56 cans of cat food (good for two weeks for the seven cats and changed out every four months), blankets, Rick's hunting rifles and ammo (we both used to hunt), amoxicillin (changed out regularly), Tylenol, Advil, first aid stuff, cleaning stuff and paper products, etc. Screened-in room, large camping tent that we never got rid of. Sleeping bags. All in the cubby hole in the basement. Boxes of matches are in the kitchen as are candles.

I grew up in a camping family and my parents were prepared for most anything. I can cook a really good meal over a campfire if I have to. (The year I was born....1955....there was a big hurricane in NC, at Camp LeJeune. I think it was Hurricane Diane, or something like that. My parents had a red Coleman lantern and theirs was the only trailer on the entire base with light. Mom said they had a blast. I have that Coleman lantern, so it's about 57 years old now....and it still works.)

Our kitchen pantry is always stuffed to the gills with canned goods. If the power wouldn't die right away, we could eat from the freezer for months. but chances are, the power would be the first to go.

We don't have enough cat carriers. Nor do we have a generator.

My prep depends a lot on hurricane season, since I, like Speakhandsforme live in Florida. The thing that is a "must have" for me is a metal dog crate. I bought it when Oliver was a kitten in 1999. During the 2004 hurricanes when we stayed with several others at a business (a bar - haha), the cats were safely contained in the crate. I did allow Oliver to walk around on a leash for awhile, since he loves to socialize, but since I couldn't control doors opening and closing, I was very thankful to have the crate.

The Home Depot buckets are a great idea. I will have to get some.

I have at least a months worth of food for us and the cats, several handguns and rifles, and enough ammunition to take over a small country. If you do not have a sympathetic doctor for antibiotics, you can get many of them at a high end aquarium store. They are exactly the same pills as you have to get from a doctor for human consumption. A vet told me about it, and I just finished a course of cefalaxin for a bladder infection. It worked great, exactly what my doc gave me for my last one.

I have finally moved back to Georgia, and am right on top of a nuclear plant, and less than 50 miles from another, so if anything gets to either one, we are toast anyway, but natural disasters, pretty uncommon here, we are prepared for. At the moment we are living 6 miles in the woods, so if we are attacked by hostiles, we  would be pretty hard to find. My daughter and I have a plan for her to grab all the baby needs and food she can gather, grab her family and get here as fast as she can, taking back roads. It is programmed into her gps in case she gets scared she cannot find it. Her husband is a cool head, and I have faith that he will get our girls here safely. We all have well water and propane heat at mil's house, along with a woodstove that can be installed in minutes  if necessary. She lives less than 50 yards in front of us, but we are on higher ground in the unlikely event of flooding.

There are deer and wild pigs about, so we could hunt if we had to.

I guess it could be better, but it could be a lot worse. Sometimes I feel like we are gone underground already, we are so isolated.

Military MREs rock. I wish I had gotten some while I was still driving on Camp LeJeune. The beef stew is really good.

Here's the thing, I live 20  minutes away from Armageddon. Seriously, from the biblical "Har Megiddo" or Armageddon, so if Doomsday "strikes", the Four Riders of the Apocalypse will be riding through our town most likely. I promise to let TCS'ers know, so y'all get an early warning Make sure you Like our Facebook too - I'll double post there as well.

And all kidding aside, I think this is an important topic. Back in 1991 when scuds were hitting Israel, we had a "safe room", all sealed up against chemical weapons. I still remember how I refused to get inside without the cats, and my parents all frantic trying to pull me to safety. They finally gave up and just helped me locate the cats in the house and get them into the room...

My tip is, have a pillow cover ready, as well as a cat carrier. It's easy to take an extra pillow cover, and if all else fails (carrier malfunctions or gets cracked), a pillow cover is better than nothing.

I have a camper outside. It's fully stocked for summer camping, (I don't empty the non-perishables) it has several cases of water, toiletries, medications, drinks, snacks, pasta, canned food, blankets, and even some warm clothes. It has dog food, dry, in tupperware, and cans, and at the end of the season, I packed up a bag of cat food and cans for Kairi as well. Flashlights, batteries, a crank radio, a battery operated satellite radio, candles, lanterns, and firewood and a fire ring. I do go out and check on stuff weekly, to make sure no mice have gotten in, I also add stuff if I have extras.

I do have some large tupperware boxes in my cellar, stocked with canned food, water, a portapotty (from our old popup camper) and the same kinds of medications I keep in the house. If we need to evac (which is the most likely scenario out here) those boxes can be shoved into the camper, the camper hooked up and on the road within minutes. It sleeps 10, with plenty of room for the dogs, cat and bird. the fish will have to ride out whatever happens-I have no way of moving them. 

When there's any weather threatening, I always make sure I stock up on things, so I never have to dip into the emergency stuff. If there is a nuclear attack, well, what are ya gonna do...