So, we have a weather warning that there are four big back-to-back storms headed our way, including remnants of a typhoon that is supposed to be likely to cause widespread power outages and damage. I have a history of living in buildings where the power goes out for two to three days after storms, even though I live in the middle of a city. Last year 500,000 people in our city lost power for days after a summer storm, including my building in the middle of downtown losing power for two days, and they’re saying this storm could be worse than that.
So, I began thinking of charging up all my devices and all that, and in the process decided to check my earthquake kit (I’m in an earthquake zone). I realized that ALL the food in my earthquake kit is carbs, things like granola bars and chocolate and fruit leathers. I realize that after an earthquake I may not care as much about my blood sugar, but I’m also sure that after an earthquake I don’t want my blood sugar being on a roller coaster, which is what lots of carbs tend to do. I’d want some carbs, since I’d maybe be going low, but it would be nice to have some low-carb options in case I were running high (which I probably would be from the stress!).
It got me wondering what others keep in their earthquake kit (or equivilent)? Do you just keep carbs, or have a mixture of carbs and low-carbs, or just low-carb foods?
Do you eat meat or fish? I would include canned tuna and chicken. I would also like dried beef or pork. Nuts would help me and they store fairly well. Peanut and/or almond butter are convenient. A few crackers would be good, too. I would always have some chocolate as well.
I think nuts go bad if they’re stored for too long? I’d say I update my kit maybe once a year, so whatever I put in there will be there for a while! I do have tuna, though. Not in my earthquake kit, just in my cupboard, but it would be easy to add.
I have countless rifles and fishing poles and I’m skilled with both. I could feed myself and family indefinitely where I live quite easily.
As far as food storage and refrigeration , I have two large freezers and two full sized refrigerator/ freezer combos. (And a refrigerator sized wine cooler). I’m currently setting up a backup generator that can run everything listed there. I also can/jar my own fish and meats and store several hundred pounds of meat on hand without refrigeration.
About half the year it’s below freezing here so during that time emergency refrigeration is no problem. The rest of the time (until I have the generator setup) I have a shallow gravity fed well on my property from which I can cascade chilled water through a series of coolers and keep things refrigerated…
Wow! In comparison to you, I live in a high-rise studio apartment in the downtown of a metro area of ~2.5 million. No extra room for much, and it doesn’t snow here many years during winter.
Too bad (for me) you aren’t single and about 25 years older.
Just in case you are accepting applications for admission to your post-apocalypse compound, I have been told that I have amazing aim. And an uncanny ability to locate and catch fish. Also, I’m quite talented with a divining rod, and possess an amazing sense of direction. And you could not ask for a better ability to think clearly during crises.
I forgot to mention I also have a 2500 gallon tank of drinking water that is filled by a truck every week… failing that I can divert rain water from my roof to keep it full. My last house was completely supplied by collected rainwater. It had a 12,000 gallon tank
I also have a 500 gallon heating oil tank that’d keep the house warm for a year or so if rationed, it also heats the water.
I have a large propane tank too (that’s what I’m planning to have run the generator) and it can also do backup heat without electricity. The furnace will also be wired to the generator of course, but as it’s an oil furnace the electricity is just for the control circuits and whatnot really
All in all I think I am sitting pretty good in a SH TF situation
You need to have an electrician install a transfer switch and get a permit to wire a generator into your house where you live to ensure you cant backfeed the grid and electrocute an electrical worker during a blackout— there are workarounds that can be done but you kinda gotta be careful and make sure it’s done correctly every time you fire up a generator that’s wired into your house if you’re setting it up yourself
Gas generators can be purchased from and installed professionally. We did this for mom at her house, where, despite being located in a MAJOR metro area of significant size and importance, electric service would go out for days on end, in the middle of icy winter or sweltering summers.
The gas generator has an auto switch which turns on the minute the electricity goes off. We went thru our local electrician for the purchase and installation. No problems since.
Yeah gas generators can be found at any Home Depot, etc— but who has enough gas on hand to last more than a few days? And who knows how available it will be in an extended crisis… propane in a tank lasts indefinitely… and is completely independent of the supply chain… although a gallon of propane contains far less energy than a gallon of any type of petroleum (and it costs more even though far less efficient) everything’s a trade off. I think my propane tank is 250ish gallons… so to have that resource with gasoline I’d have to have about 200 gallons on hand— and gas has a limited shelf life (to some extent) unlike propane
The ultimate would be a generator that can run on heating oil, which is basically just #1 diesel-- but then you’re getting into high cost setups
Mom’s set-up is decidedly not off-grid, you are correct.
Her gas generator is linked to her natural gas line, to which she has an account.
Meant for back up for life support (AC or heat) during notorious outages.
In the Catskills, we have an oil heating system with delivery every so often. Eventually we will tie in a wood burning shack several yards away from the house.
Renewable off-grid resources which are plentiful on the property.
We live in Florida so we got a natural gas powered generator that kicks on in a power failure. Even that is not a guarantee but it does give us some peace of mind. Haven’t had to use it yet and hope we never do.
I can’t believe my daughter’s high school’s marching band practiced for hours yesterday and performed last night in near typhoon weather! She and everything she wore was soaked to the bone. Today is another 12-hour practice, regardless of weather. (It’s this kind of dedication that’s made them #1 in the state for the second year in a row.)
I just got up, looked outside, and was like, “Yeah, I’m getting a cab to work today!” Pouring buckets out there. I’m farther north than you, so we’re supposed to get the typhoon remnants on Saturday and Sunday. My plans are to stay mostly indoors except possibly for visiting the cat cafe with some friends.
Rose, Sam’s setup sounds pretty good, but he’s leaving a lot out to spin it positively.
Has he mentioned that there’s no indoor plumbing, the toilet being an outhouse across the yard (with a moon and stars carved in the door), and you have to shoot a bear to get over there?
I would love to have a D-prepper group where we figure out the best things to stash/store for the zombie apocalypse! We have our half-a@@@#d earthquake emergency kit in our room but now that our kid has t1d, I’ve been thinking more about what we need to be carrying around with us all the time, and what we need to have in our kit. A few hard blocks of space food is not going to cut it!! Living in a city where square footage is at a premium and everything is close at hand, we get used to assuming we can just “pop down to the corner store” to get everything.
