The disastrous toll of hurricane Helene is barely being uncovered as hurricane Milton strengthens and prepares to hit already-devastated areas. Here are some lessons we learned in our preparedness (or lack thereof) from recent events.
The following observations and insights are compiled from our own experiences, reports from areas struck hardest, and feedback from those who lived through the event.
Sadly, many people never had any advance warning of the flooding that swiftly and violently took many lives leaving hundreds and perhaps thousands without the opportunity to escape.
For those that have some advance warning, we hope the following observations will help anyone who might be facing a man-made or natural disaster. The goal is not endless survival, but simply to help yourself and those around you for 3-5 days until help arrives, and/or supply chains and distribution systems return to a relatively normal state.
Remember, you might be the first responder.
Don’t Rely on Government
Sadly, if we’ve learned anything from the last two weeks, it’s that our government is the least likely source of help in a disaster. In fact, the government often suppresses civil rights during these times (disarming private citizens during hurricane Katrina, for example). Even when they’re not trying to disarm you when you need it most, they might be offering incompetent assistance, as demonstrated by the X post below.
The government shipped up 3 pallets of electric chainsaws to us in a community without power pic.twitter.com/LTy1vkRkUY
— Masters (@M_C_Masters) October 8, 2024
It will be the community that is most likely to help those affected by disaster, as we’ve seen. Friends, neighbors, civic groups, religious organizations, and volunteer disaster preparedness groups ended up being the source of assistance for most people in eastern Tennessee and North Carolina (along with donations from thousands of individual patriots from across the country). Don’t just rely on these groups, join them so you can be prepared to help others during a disaster. Many will never be prepared, either because they can’t help themselves or they won’t. Your preparedness might save another’s life.
Water
Water, water everywhere and not a drop to spare. As the saying goes, in the aftermath of the flooding, residents were inundated with water, but virtually nothing potable, especially anything coming through pipes and taps. You can survive for weeks without food, but only days without water. Having two or three water purification systems is crucial in a disaster. A fuel source and a pot to boil water in is the simplest method of ensuring safe drinking water.
Other methods of preparation include:
- Small solo stoves that run on sticks and twigs
- A camp stove that runs on propane or other gas
- A few jugs of store-bought spring water
- Lifestraw or equivalent filtration systems ($12 ea. – they do not filter out viruses)
Food
It doesn’t take long for our stomachs to tell us that we’re low on fuel, and without fuel it’s hard to accomplish the other tasks necessary for survival. There are simple things we can do to prepare for this and these solutions are focused on calories to fuel our bodies, not necessarily nutrition. Again, these are short term solutions.
- MREs are designed to be easy to use and can be purchased on Amazon
- Less expensive solutions include assembling your own non-perishable 3-5 day food supply:
- Canned beans or chili
- Canned fish (sardines or tuna)
- Dry macaroni and cheese or other pastas
- Beef jerky
- Hermetically sealed trail mix or nuts
- Dehydrated fruit
- Long-term storage survival food, such as that offered by Heaven’s Harvest
Sanitary Needs and Simple Medicines
A day or two without power changes everything we are accustomed to in first world living. And in just a few days of exposure, it’s easy to become sick or even be exposed to disease. Keep a simple stock of sanitary items that will help to mitigate this scenario. Things to consider:
- Alcohol-based wipes for body cleaning
- An extra roll or two of toilet paper (in a sealed plastic bag)
- Hand sanitizer and/or a couple of bars of basic soap
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
There are also simple medicines you should keep on hand and as part of an emergency kit:
- Epipen for those with known, severe allergies
- Benadryl for general allergic reactions and/or food allergies
- Aspirin and Tylenol (aspirin can help those who might be having heart conditions)
- Anti-diarrheal medicines, especially if you have compromised water
- Bug spray
- Basic immune-boosting vitamins like vitamin C
- Wasp and bee spray (thanks to MrGunsNGear on YouTube)
Transportation
In some situations, with enough advance notice, you might need to evacuate. Having a dedicated, reliable vehicle is great, but sometimes you have to deal with what you have. Here are some things you can do to ensure your transportation serves you as best as possible:
- Try to always have no less than half a tank of gas
- Keep your tires inflated to the correct pressure
- Make sure you have a healthy battery
- Keep a pair of jumper cables in the trunk
- Make sure you have a full size spare tire (and a full size lug nut wrench or breaker bar)
- Keep a tire repair kit in your vehicle (they are $7 at Harbor Freight)
It’s also a good idea to have two or three spare five gallon gas cans that you keep full and rotate through on a monthly basis. When fuel is scarce or unavailable, having extra fuel might be the only thing that gets you to safety. If your car averages 20 miles to the gallon, one five-gallon gas can provides an extra 100 miles of range. Also, you might need to help out a family member, neighbor, or friend.
Commerce
When power goes out, our convenient lifestyle of tapping credit cards and using our iPhones and Apple Pay disappears. Cash is king. Keep $250-500 in small bills in a safe place for such an emergency. It might be the only way you can transact to purchase fuel, medicine, food, or water.
Communication
For those who were cut off, lost their homes, and had no power, the lack of information on when and where help was available was a serious problem. Cell phone towers ceased to function in many cases. Phones became useless. Alternative communications are critical during a disaster – even if it’s only the ability to monitor news. Here are a range of solutions:
- GMRS or FRS radios provide local, two-way communications over short distances (1-3 miles), but perhaps even more critically, also have the ability to monitor NOAA and National Weather Service emergency broadcast messages. Quality radio sets can be had for $50 on Amazon.
- Many Android phones have built-in FM radios. Paired with a set of wired headphones (which act as an antenna), users can receive critical emergency information.
- Have two methods to charge your comms devices. Amazon sells portable, solar panel/battery charging units; with the right wires, you can also use the 12-volt system on a car to recharge small electronic devices. Portable power banks are more expensive, but can provide days worth of charging potential.
- Two-way radios that utilize cell phone towers can expand your ability to communicate across the country. They are more expensive, and require working, powered cell phone towers.
Power
The need for power can’t be understated. As outlined above, it’s essential for communications devices. But others need power for life-saving machines such as C-pap, ventilators, oxygen and assisted breathing machines and other related operations. Most wells also require power to pump water.
Sources of power:
- Whole house generator (the most expensive option)
- Gas-powered invertor generators (portable and fuel efficient)
- Battery backup power banks
- Solar panels (these are scalable to your budget, but require sun)
- 12-volt power from a vehicle (requires running your vehicle and using gas)
Self Defense
It only took a couple of days before stories of illegal immigrants who were looting began to surface. And those are the crimes we know about. Many people were in remote regions, cut off from law enforcement, and we know that desperate people take desperate measures. The simplest and most effective form of self-defense comes in the form of a pistol. Make sure you always have one handy, in a holster, along with 3-5 loaded magazines. Pistols are compact, don’t take up much space or weight, and are effective in providing you and your family protection against criminals. A quality, reliable semi-automatic pistol can be purchased for under $400. Buy one, get training, and familiarize yourself with its operation. OC pepper spray or bear spray is a cheap, non-lethal alternative you can always have on your person.
Shelter
Shelter doesn’t have to be complex, but it serves an important physical and psychological need. Shelter can be as simple as a tarp strung between a couple of trees with some paracord. A 20′ x 20′ tarp can be purchased at Harbor Freight for $20. 100 feet of paracord can be purchased at Walmart for $5. A quality pocket knife can be had for $20, and a couple of butane lighters, or a ferro rod can reliably provide fire at the cost of less than $5. Having backups of each is always a good idea. All of the above equipment can fit into the bottom of a backpack or duffel with ease.
This list is not exhaustive, nor is it intended to be. These are areas where we evaluated real-life situations in a given disaster scenario and found ourselves, or the experiences of others, to illustrate short-comings or ways we could improve in our preparedness. If anything, this article should serve to simply jumpstart your thinking on how to prepare for the unique situation of your family’s own needs.
Feel free to add your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below.
