Firstly I could use a good link, since my searches seem to turn up lots of sites hawking disaster supplies, which isn’t what I was looking for. Just some good general guidelines of how much of what to keep on hand.
Second, I was wondering about the wisdom of including pasta. Pasta might keep almost indefinitely but it seems a poor choice because it requires boiling a whole pot of water, wasting water and fuel. Or do they make sort of “instant” pasta which only needs the amount of water it’ll soak up?
You can always reduce the amount of pasta you put in the pot. But I’d suggest you think about the disaster scenarios. Are you going to want to stay put and sit it out or grab a prepared readiness kit and go? In the latter case, check this link.
I was thinking of some situation where electricity and water are out for 1-2 weeks, and stores are closed/ empty/ unreachable. Anything worse than that would be an evacuation scenerio.
There are several types of oriental noodles (ramen-type, but also rice noodles and others) that are cooked then dried, and only need to be reconstituted in water.
Instant “regular” pasta exists too, but I don’t know if it is sold generally, or only in camping/backpacking meals, etc.
Instant grains like couscous might be a good option.
In my opinion and in my experience (hurricanes including Katrina), being without services for a 1 week or more is grounds for evacuation. And not just because of your own safety and comfort. The emergency crews that come in to make repairs need the room. Any disaster that knocks out electricity and water for a week will also damage other infrastructure. That means heavy equipment on the roads and roads that are marginal. For the safety of the crews-who HAVE to be there-get out of town. The police are in full community protection mode with 24/7 patrols. They are going to protect your property for you. Button it up and get out of the way. In my parish we lost at least as many service crews to traffic accidents as residents to the storm. For those who choose to/end up staying, my experience is that there is sufficient help in the area (Salvation Army mostly) after three days to keep body and soul together. Water would be a problem but it always is.
One thing to keep in mind is to rotate your stock. Making a preparedness kit doesn’t do diddley for you if your stocks go bad.
Call me old fashioned, but I think a three month supply is important for my house. Depending on the environmental hazards of where you live, your mileage may vary. I currently live in Florida, hurricanes pretty much mean get out. So an extended stockpile probably won’t do as much good as ready cash on hand. I’m moving to the top of a mountain where the possibility of being snowed in for days at a time is a risk. Up there, a much longer stockpile is key, it is also a money saver if you don’t have to scale down a mountain 5x a day.
In my readings, toilet paper seems to be the favorite item. Don’t discount the ability to amuse yourself, your children. Some books, games, decks of cards, things that don’t require batteries. Also, pack something that makes you feel good. Maybe a really good beer, some perfume. Not having water/power for several days can make you feel pretty awful, feeling human would come in handy. Besides, sitting around a fire drinking a beer is an American past time.
A lot of good information was found out by folks with the y2K fear and now, with the avian flu folks. www.avianflutalk.com is a pretty good site for stockpiling, bug out bag gear and other sorts of stuff.
This may be good advice for hurricanes, but not up here in the midwest. When our power’s out for a long time, it’s usually due to weather, and the places out for the longest time are more isolated, so room isn’t a problem. And if it’s a winter storm, putting everyone out on icy, snowy roads is the last thing you want.
Lumpy, if you are serious about being prepared for whatever may come down the pike (and I think everyone should), there are lots of resources on the net. Here are a couple good ones to start with:
These are big sites with lots of sub-forums, but preparation and stocking up are scattered through most of them.
Regarding your pasta dilemma…If you don’t have a secure supply of water, that would be my first item to stock up on in a BIG way.
Since my water supply has been frozen up for the last month and I’m having to haul water from town, I can tell you ALL about conserving water.
After cooking your pasta, use the drained off water to wash dishes. Let the crud settle out, pour off the cleaner water, add pine sol and use it to mop the floor, then use the leftovers to flush your toilet.
Stocking up has been pretty much a lifestyle for me most of my life, so if you have any specific questions I’d do my best to answer from experience.
Ok, let’s start with water. In your opinion, what is the best way to store water? Prefilled sealed containers? Filtered grocery store water vs. home tap? Big (five gallon or more) containers? Assuming water like everything else should be rotated, what’s the best balance of cost and convenience?
Or you can drink the water, which will have leached out some tasty nutrients. Keep it warm and you have a very mild tea. Bonus points if the pasta is whole grain, it will make the water taste fantastic.
Best way I’ve found to store water is five gallon food grade buckets and lids. They can be had for free if you are resouceful (bakeries are good sources), to $5 each. They are easily portable and relatively easy to open, they stack well.
I don’t normally store water because I have a gravity feed creek which most years doesn’t fail me, but froze deeply this year. I have a dozen that I generally store empty in a single stack until I need them. 60 gallons will keep us going a couple weeks.
Plain old tap water is fine, I’d probably rotate it every six months or so.
Don’t forget too, that you probably already have a bit of stored water at your place in the hot water heater and toilet. If you have warning about a disaster, they often advise you to fill your tubs and sinks and swimming pools before hand.
See this thread(including my post #32) and this thread(#35 here) to see what others have done to be prepared.
I would not base my disaster preparedness plans on what others say you should stock though. Look at what you use in your everyday life, and just stock it deeper. You’ll be much happier if you have less interuption of your routine.