Useful items for during/after a weather emergency

[Coldfront]

Hello everyone! Please pardon if this has been posted before. thought I post this info just in case.


- Extra bottles of drinking water & spare containers

- 12-hour snap "Glow sticks" or a ***NON-Sparking*** flashlight.

Normal flashlights may give off a spark when being turned on or off. A *serious* safety hazard if gas lines have been broken or there is a leak.

- Water purification tablets or non-scented bleach to purify the water and for use in clean-up afterwards.

- Solar powered cell phone charger (if you have a cell phone and if any towers are still standing locally)

- An emergency pack with first aid kit, extra traps, paracord, knife, flshlight, spare set of clothes and copies of important papers. Also extras of any important meds you must take.

- An extra 5-gallon bucket or two to transport water. (Can also be used as an emergency latrine.) [From personal experience, you can also use the bucket to take grey water and pour it into the toilet to flush it.]

- Portable solar shower (black bag that hold water and heats up. Has a hose at one end. VERY useful!)

- Extra soap and NON-water hand sanitizer (saves on water usage)

- Extra matches

- Food that is ready-to-eat without extra preparation and is protected from the elements. (MRE's, canned items, vacume-packed meals, peanut butter, etc...)

- A handcrank or solar powered radio and flashlight


Thinking creatively in a post-disaster environment:

A few tips taken from "Roughing it Easy" by Dian Thomas:

- You can cook on a wheelbarrow or wagon if you fill it with dirt, then put coals on top the dirt. Use a metal rack as the grill [color=red]IMPORTANT: Do not use refrigerator grills, as the metal coating is poisonous[/color].

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0962125733/ref=sib_db_rdr/102-3474537-0440964#reader-page


- If you don't have matches or a flashlight, another way to start a fire is to put two flashlight batteries together + to - and then run a piece of 00 steel wool from the + to the -. Hold the steel wool against the - (bottom) and rub it against the + post. It should spark.


There are many more VERY good tips in Dian's book. If you don't have it for your personal library, I'd highly recommend getting a copy:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... s&n=507846

I have no affiliation with Ms. Thomas, I am just recommending a very good book filled with practical camping and emergency preparedness information that some might find useful.