Preparing for Disaster...... - Page 1

My hubby does Federal Security and we were talking today about being prepared in case of a disaster and we have to live on survival mode.  We were trying to put together a list of items that our family of 4 would need to survive for 30 days with no utilities or resources.  I have a list for the family but have you guys ever thought about what you would need for your dogs?  Especially if you have several?????

SERIOUS QUESTIONS.....

What would you need for survival mode for your dogs?  What would you stock pile for them?

What would you need or find useful to stock pile for yourself for 30 days of survival mode?

Vickie
www.PowerHauseKennels.com

This is an awesome topic Vicki...

Living on the Gulf coast in Louisiana, we prepare ourselves for this sorta kinda scenerio with hurricanes....Its not fun, but do every spring...It has happened several times in my lifetime.

      My husband says he will put our show horses to good use.....

For a stay in place disaster........most of the stuff is already there.....bedding, shelter, etc..

Water filter - and plenty of filters for it (we have a pool for water)
Many cans of Mountain House Freeze Dried meals - bulk is cheaper
Camp stove and ample fuel
Guns and enough ammo to keep looters away
Flashlights and ample batteries
Lanterns - to keep place lit and looters away
Books on survival - including first aid
Large box full of first aid items - including suture material, splints and an assortment of antibiotics - can be bought online.
Tooth paste, mouthwash, toilet paper, soap and shampoo.
Medications
Impotrant records - birth certificate, passports, copies of all perscriptions
Dog vaccination records and health papers
Extra sturdy shoes and clothing, extra set of prescription glasses.
Books, cards, games and toys for diversion.

Ample bags of dog food, tick drops, dogie meds - Dogs that are dependent on life sustaining meds such as insulin will not survive.

The issue becomes not what you have as much as what you can keep from the looters..........Once the supermarket shelves are bare the looters kick into high gear - about 72 to 120 hours after the "disaster". Being able to protect your self and your stuff becomes paramount.

Silver or Gold coins and other things to barter with..... kinds shoes, cheap pocket knives, ,,,.
A black market will spring up within a week or two and getting supplies will be doable - if you have something to barter with.

There are places to go to find 30 day survival food for a family of 4. The Ready Store is one.....

In Texas the winters are not harsh, so firewood isn't an issue.

HA!  That sounds ominous for the equines, Ruger.

FEMA has an on-line preparedness course you can take:  http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is10a.asp

This one has official stuff, and down the page is a link for State information, by State:  http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/animals.html

PA publishes this one; this is a link to a pdf: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=4625&&PageID=480218&level=2&css=L2&mode=2

It's good to be prepared!

Tess beat me to it. The FEMA program is a good place to start and there are also many other FEMA courses that lay people as well as emergency responders such as I once was can take. 

In addition, there are TONS and TONS of lists and guidance documents available on-line for both human and animal emergency preparedness. In addition, most states now participate too in an organization that stresses preparedness and emergency response teams dedicated just to animals.

The bad news is most people do nothing until it is too late.

Another excellent site linking to all kinds of resources is:

http://awic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=3&tax_level=2&tax_subject=181&level3_id=0&level4_id=0&level5_id=0&topic_id=1134&&placement_default=0

Argentina's collapse 2000

http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2008/10/thoughts-on-urban-survival-2005.html

interesting record form a survivor..

What about a situation that is not a "natural" disaster, something like war or the US gets attacked? And there is no FEMA or government based assistance? Vickie WWW.PowerHausKennels.com

Terrorism is handled under Homeland Security, your state site will probably have a link, but "emergency" preparedness in general applies.  For instance:

http://www.homelandsecurity.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/homeland_security/14251/terrorism_faq/593811#faq6

Hurricane specifics here:  http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/disaster_prevention.shtml