Yorkieabroad

We sort of slipped thru this years hurricane season without really noticing it...I was surprised to read it had been so active!

Our emergency kit is the boxes of stuff in the garage that stay packed for our camping trips- lamps/flashlights, first aid, flares, axes, stoves/gas etc already in there along with the tents and groundsheets and so on. Given that our main risk is Hurricanes, we'd expect to have chance to add in the food and water as necessary before it hit. Once a year I update our photos of the whole house (inside and out) for insurance to make sure that I have any changes/additions documented, make sure scans of important documents / photos are up to date, then back it all up to an external drive and lodge it in the safe at my inlaws house. Hopefully we wouldn't both be totally wiped out at the same time, although they're only 7 miles away, so not perfect.

When Ike came thru, there was only one house in the neighborhood that boarded up.....he got a bit of mickey taking, especially when it blew thru during the night with hardly any damage. Deep down I think a few of us thought we should have done the same....its on my to-do list, but quite a long way down, mainly because I counted 54 windows and couldn't work out where to store the acres of plywood required!

Leslie

I'll be the one on CNN, stuck on my roof, being pummeled by helicopter water bottles.

Burn1911

Well like Mo our biggest threat would be an earthquake, or if Mt Rainier went up, but I suspect living where we are if it just blew we wouldn't know a whole lot about it!

We carry an emergency first aid/survival kit and food/water supply in the car all winter, mainly because we ski alot and if we did ever get stuck on the mtn pass would want some chow and a hot cuppa tea!! also always carry chains and a snow shovel!

At home I have everything I need - just not in one place (so I need to get that more organised) and if it happens at night then my neighbours would get a treat!!

meauxna

We should get cammo Slankets for just in case.

What if the house falls in on all your stuff (and don't even joke about the volcano.. altho I will say farewell to you now, you know, just in case... I have made an offering to Mt Hood just to cover my butt. <---better than a slanket any day).

Yorkieabroad: I'm impressed! You are my inspiration!

ChocolateBabz et al: We were told that the plastic for the traditional water bottles (the 2.5 gal dispenser type + the milk jug shape) are NOT a good long term storage selection, for just the reason you learned. We were recommended to wash out 2 litre soft drink bottles, and change the water every 6 months.

bevinva: I've made the same observation myself.

Leslie66... I'll wave to you?

Yorkieabroad

Need to add in a rubber dinghy and/or a surboard too......kids just did a project on tsunamis and apparently you guys in seattle are a high risk area because of the funneling effect of the coast! Whodathunkit?

Yorkieabroad

Boy, either you're easily impressed, or I missed my calling by not going into marketing!!

Sally Redux

Yorkieabroad

Oh yeah, forgot, we got one of those too - its called a shovel

Leslie

Bah ... this is what we pay FEMA for.

meauxna

Yeah, "apparently".
My parents lived in a beautiful part of the Oregon coast and happened to have a house right on the front. They attended one of the tsunami preparedness meetings and were getting more and more upset... at the end of the meeting, the presenter was going over some elevation maps and mom went up to see 'how bad' it was at their property.
"Oh yes, the Xs, let's see.. you are right here (points at map). Oh, you are screwed."

The folks moved to Arizona shortly afterward.

When that wave comes, there will be no escaping. Call me a doomsayer, but seriously, if it is anything like history suggests, you simply can't run uphill that fast.
Our fault line (shared with Seattle) is the same sort as caused the Indonesia tsunami. It's due any day now too (don't tell your little kids that tho, please?).

Yorkieabroad

"apparently" Portugal's not such a good idea for a holiday home either.....

meauxna

Not them too... oh, the humanity!

Yorkieabroad

Ideal place with minimal natural disasters:-
Hurricanes - no
Tsunamis - no
Forest fires - no
Earthquakes - no (ok, mini ones but no-one notices)
Tornadoes - no
Volcanoes - no
Icestorms - no
Heatwaves - no
Mosquitoes - no
Snakes - no
Poisonous spiders - no
Scorpions - no
Tanked-up inbreds ripping up the town on a saturday night - the closest thing to a natural disaster waiting to happen......
Where is this idyllic paradise I hear you ask -...?
.
.
.
.

YORKSHIRE!!!

penguinsix

What about Zombies?

fwiw I think I read that the "safest" place in the United States from natural disasters, statistically speaking, in Winchester, VA, which, not coincidentally, happens to be the headquarters of FEMA's Disaster Operations Center.

Yorkieabroad

Think they are covered in my last point....although adding a few zombies to our high street on a saturday night would probably double the IQ levels....