Having worked as a pharmacy tech in the past I should let you know that medication purchased in advance will not be paid for by insurance. Some types of medication will not be available in advance at all. Certainly all pain killers, Ritalin (and others), anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, etc. are never given out in advance doses for obvious reasons. And while you may be able to get insulin, you probably cannot get needles. Perhaps drug regulations should be looked at when considering future emergency plans.

Hi shaz, needles, prescriptions etc. and the fact that insurance does not cover future needs and perhaps that should change. That is something I have been thinking about.

I am greatly blessed that I am not on any medication at all but know many people that are. And this Katrina Hurricane has got me thinking about the need for people to have an extra supply in case of an emergency. I sure do not have any brillant answers. If one can afford to pay out pocket then then keeping one month in advance would be a good thing IMO. If one does not have the money to do that perhaps this is something that family memebers mights think about doing as birthday/holiday presents instead of just more "stuff"? And of course, at least here in CA we have so many noninsured residents guess the discussion is moot.

What a pathetic situation.

And Shaz, if people cannot get an additional month of prescriptions because of drug laws there should be a way the law should change. Getting 13 months or prescriptions in a 12 month timeframe for example. But doubt if our clever "leaders" will tackle that problem. If I sound sour on our lawmakers and leaders I am! Best wishes.

This might be a stupid questions, but why ice??? You can't take it with you and if there is any significant emergency it's unlikely the power will remain on for long to keep the ice frozen.

My family thinks I am crazy because I am prepared for anything.

I have a large box in which I have all emergency items which include:

tap lights
flashlights
battery operated tv/radio/lantern
candles/waterproof matches
tons of batteries
a non cordless phone (which needed if power is lost)
healthy canned food
sterno
can opener
plastic forks spoons

Always in the house:
first aid/medications
vodka/wine - a must
deep freezer stocked with bags of ice
cash
laptop with wireless
bottled water - lots of it due to water delivery
gatorade
paper products
bleach
coffee bags - need coffee!
propane for gas grill
wood for fireplace

When a storm is approaching:
fill cars with gas
secure the house
I also keep my non replaceables (wedding videos, photos, yearbooks...etc) in large plastic waterproof containers. I don't look at them all the time, but i know they are somewhat protected.

In addition to a lot of what has been listed above, I also have a large wrench in a handy location to turn off the gas where the pipe comes into the house!

I think of protection first: so rubber gloves, work gloves, long sleeve shirt, rain jacket with hood, chemical mask, goggles (I shop a lot at Home Depot! :) ), jeans, and sturdy shoes are in the emergency kit inside the house.

I also pack a backpack with essential supplies for each car. Also carry some bottled water in the car along with jacket, sneakers, and a small tool kit.

Living in California has many people being prepared for earthquakes. We have lists from various governmental agencies, hospitals, etc. and, over the years, I've "improved" on these lists for the needs of my family. E.g., for a second story house, I also have a window ladder stashed in a central part of the upstairs.

The scout motto is very good: Always Be Prepared!

It's never too late to start collecting all the odds and ends for your emergency kit.

Over the years, I've added matches, a small sewing kit (the hotel ones are perfect), safety pins, small bottle of vaseline (the wonder rub!), and all sorts of wonderful stuff from REI, a sporting goods store, where things are made in small but potent sizes for backpackers.

Happy collecting! :)

Reading this makes me aware of just how woefully unprepared my husband and I are for a power outage, much less a disaster!

We rarely carry much cash, cell phones aren't always fully charged, flashlights are scattered about, batteries shoved in drawers--don't know if they work...don't own a battery-operated radio unless I can find my old walkman...Gas in the cars goes to 1/4 tank until this latest crisis..Food? Some weeks we have a pantry full, other weeks it looks like Old Mother Hubbard's empty cupboards around here...we pretty much always have tons of bottled water though so guess we wouldn't dehydrate and generally have a couple of bottles of wine and vodka around and lots of Clorox Cleanup (not for drinking, silly!) What does this say about our priorities?? Egads.

Besides the necessary survival supplies, the things I would want to grab are the irreplaceable items--photos from years ago, my wedding album, my grandparents wedding invitation which hangs framed on my bedroom wall...stuff that means so much...

And what would we do w/o our Palm Pilots once the batteries died? I don't know about you guys but I don't know anyone's phone #s anymore! Better write some important numbers on old fashioned notebook paper and stick all important papers in a big ziploc bag! All the electronics we rely on will be useless once the batteries run down and there is no elec. to recharge them!

Don't forget - we are all supposed to have plastic sheeting and duct tape for our windows! (Still not sure what that idea was designed to accomplish)

In our family of pack rats and bulk buyers, we always have all the stuff mentioned above - but can we find it - that is another question.

So this situation has once again reignited my desire to become more planned and organized about our stuff - flashlights will do us no good if we can't find them in the dark because they are in 5 different places in the house.

Hi OWJ and Gail, yes, if there is no power and if one doesn't have emergency supplies where they can be gotten to easily and in the dark, if one is without cash or much gas in the car etc. in time of a true emergency you will fee so panicky,

OWJ, just take a notebook and write down the phone no's and the email addresses of everyone you would want to contact. It doesn't have to be anything fancy.

I have my Coleman lantern, which really lights up a room in the dark, right on the shelf of my entry coat closet. I can get to it with my eyes closed.

Putting info and copies of everything of importance as I noted earlier in a briefcase or tote bag sure would cut down on confusion.

Maybe, if nothing else, this horrible tragedy will wake all of us up to the fact that with just a little extra effort we can be prepared if need be. It is obvious that if there is a large tragedy we only have ourselves to depend on.

One other suggestion. Go around your house and video tape of take photos of each room including the insides of cabinets and closets etc. If your home is damaged it will not only "prove" to your insurance company that you own what you do but it will jog your memory of what you own. I recently took a journal and listed everything. I was amazed at would I would have forgotten if say my residence burned down. I of all people should know that, have been in the insurance business for a long time.

Do NOT put the records of your personal belongins in your own house (you would be amazed at the number of people that do that). Put these records in your safe deposit box or at the home of a family memeber or close friend. I have my journal along with the photos at my daughters house. If you take photos you do not have to keep the photos if storage space is a problem. Just keep the negatives.

Time for all of us to get organized!!
Best wishes.

It is so wonderful to see the good ideas flowing in and folks doing a reality check of their own situations. OWJ, your candor is to be admired! I think you describe a condition which mirrors most homes. This is our individual chance to respond to a national tragedy by doing something positive for our own families and loved one.
I for one am glad that those who only want to bicker and complain are airing their thoughts on other threads and this one continues to produce good information we can really use.
Keep it coming! We will all learn something.

This morning, a woman at the shelter where I'm volunteering broke her glasses--she doesn't have a back up pair or her contacts. Something to think about.

Interesting thread. Great suggestions, so far. Here in CA, we are always updating our "earthquake kits" also.

In filling out the kids' emergency contact information during school registration, we are always asked for one out-of-state contact in case of an emergency. Watching the Katrina survivors trying to find loved ones, the importance of this hit home with us.

If all 4 of us are separated, (which would be the case if a disaster hit during the school day) we have designated my mother as the out-of-state person to call. However, DH doesn't know my mother's phone #'s, so I have programmed them into his cell phone.

The household inventory with pictures is something on my to-do list.

Another thing we were told to do after an earthquake is to fill all the bathtubs in the house with water immediately. That way, in case the water is turned off, you have a supply water for flushing toilets, cleaning, etc. Swimming pool water can also be used for this purpose.

I know this post will not be politically popular and I expect to be flamed big-time, but I beleive it is true and important.

In addition to all good suggestions in prior posts, I think every house should have a shotgun and #4 or larger shotgun shells.

As the situation in New Orleans has shown quite clearly, in a major emergency, local law enforcement will not have the capacity to protect you, often for many days. To the extent they are not themselves directly effected by the emergency, they will be directed toward rescue and relief and not toward their normal functions of patrol, prevention, and enforcement.

At the same time, in any large urban area, and in many not as large areas, the junkies, crooks, and gangsters will begin to loot, rape, and raid. Anyone who looks like they have something the mob wants can be a target.

It is regrettable but a fact of life. If you are not prepared to protect yourself and your loved ones, no one else will likely be there to do it for you.

As for whay a shotgun, it is the most effective self-defense weapon available, both physically and physchologically. Handguns are very difficult to shoot accurately unless you have extensive training and maintain your proficiency. Rifles are unwieldy and also most have much more power than is appropriate. Most people can quickly learn to shoot a shotgun accurately and there is nothing more attention-getting than the sound of a shotgun slide being cycled.

I think a shotgun for personal protection is like a fire extinguiser. You may never need it but it is much better to have it and not need it than it is to need it and not have it.

Let the flames begin.

dwoodon - you wont get any flames from me about the shotgun thing. I heartily agree. A shotgun has always been the weapon of choice in my family for home protection. It is easy to use and effective - and like you said, just the sound of that shotgun slide may be enough to make whoever is causing trouble think twice about proceding.

We found that after the 89 Loma Prieta Quake (we were living in Santa Cruz at the time and got hit pretty hard) that our camping equipment saw us through pretty well. We were quite comfortable camping in the back yard until the inspector came through to give us the ok on the house. We had our camp stove and plenty of fuel, so we ate well. We grilled up the meat on the BBQ that defrosted in the freezer. We got fresh water out of the water heater. We built an outhouse in the backyard. Overall, it was fine.

Looking at our current situation, it seems like our weakness is water. We still have the water heater tank, but I know we shouldn't totally rely on that. Even though it is strapped in, it could still fall or rupture.

No flaming here! My husband and sons are quail hunters so we have several shotguns in our home and I will have to say, after watching the looting in New Orleans, it does give me some peace of mind.

I agree with the water issue. All the disaster planning guides I have seen recommend that, in addition to filling the tubs at the onset of an emergency, that every household store a gallon of water per day per person in their homes. In my case, I plan for at least a ten day emergency and double that recommendation. In the plastic 2-gallon bottles, it is easy to store and really does not take up a lot of room in my garage.

We live in Southern CA so earthquakes are a high possibility for us and we have as much camping equipment as we can store just for earthquakes - we are definitely not campers but if we have to we can. We also have back packs in each of our cars that have a small amt of food, water packets, flashlights, some medical supplies and medications (which I rotate and use frequently) as well a jeans, heavy shoes, sweatshirts and some other things I can't recall. We figure we have to have comfortable clothes and shoes in case we are trapped while we are out and dressed up. Unfortunately, we won't know what we should have had until we really need it - but we are trying.

Oh, these are all wonderful suggestions. One thing I plan to do differently (since I'm reasonably prepared) is put aside a stash of cash.

I keep an inventory of my belongings in my safe deposit box at the bank. I also keep some photos of my apartment there. I try to update this every year, when I'm doing my taxes. I also update my address book, and my financial information.

I live in the Pacific Northwest, so I think more about an earthquake than any other type of disaster. If one strikes, hopefully, I can reach the bank in a few days and reconstruct my records, as well as notify the insurance company about what I've lost.

Another thing not just in an emergency, but as a traveler as well - get a TETNUS shot---every 7 years. Even if you do not have health insurance...$75.00

So important!

Never even thought about that, Annabel. Great suggestion! This thread has certainly produced some good ideas.