When you're in a 72 hour natural disaster relief event that turns into a week or more, how do I prepare for that?

    The electrical power is out, the wind is blowing, it's raining hard, the bridge is washed out and the levee may fail if the water gets any higher. Trees have blocked off the only way out for us by any means but walking. The house had a tree fall into it, the porch roof is collapsed but the main house is OK. The mud in the driveway is loose and a person can sink up their hips if they aren't careful. It's 3 in the morning (seems like all bad things happen in the middle of the night) I grabbed the "get away bag" and my wife had the 72 hour pack when we headed out the door.
     Now it's decision time, stay or go, is the first decision to be made. Standing on the levee with the neighbors, everyone was awakened when a transformer exploded on the power pole. Nothing is flooded, nothing has caught on fire, every one's house is still standing. The first responders are unable to reach the house, that means we are on our own. Go in the house and sleep the rest of the night, there is plenty to do in the daylight.
     Communications, if there are people you need to notify, this is the time to do it. Take your preparedness list out of one of your survival kits and follow the directions that are on it, that was

Communicate, it will make a difference.

prepared a few years ago. On that list is a telephone number of my brother in Minnesota, (we're in California), he is our family contact number. We use an out of area number because everyone in the affected area will be on their cell phones. The lines will be jammed up, call the number and stay in touch about every 4-5 hours. Determine next if you can stay in your home, or walk out. If the house is structurally sound, hasn't burned or collapsed and is in a safe and secure condition, return inside after turning off the gas and isolating the main breaker on your electrical box. We don't know if the infrastructure has been corrupted or not, a gas line or electrical connection may have broken, because we don't know secure all utilities.
      Water, take stock of your supply, if you don't have one gallon per person for 3 days, start to conserve now. The minimum amount of water we need to survive is 1/2 gallon a day. Secure the food in your freezer, if you have placed gallon containers of water to freeze, don't open the freezer door. If the door is open a lot of the cold will spill out, leave it shut until you have to get in there. Stop using the toilet, if there is no way to flush, you are heading for a problem if it is used. Flush with a bucket of water, but if you don't live near a source of water a "porta potty" can be set up with a 5 gallon bucket and a beach noodle for a pad. Now is the time to take your water containers out, start filling the empty ones with boiled water, even if you have a filter pump, boil the water. Do not use flood water, well water or water from a stagnant pond. Ready.gov link here for water preparedness.
     

Food, oh my gosh, we're going to feed 100 people I guess. 

Food, you're in your house, you have an evacuation kit, save the food and water in it if you can. This is also when we should start finding out the extent of the damage and how long we could be stranded. Call your contact number, he may have heard something even though he is in another state. Prepare for 3 days, but expect to be stranded for 6. There is plenty of food for 3 days, we need very little to survive for a few days if we are well fed prior to the event. Use your emergency radio, check in on it every hour or as you think is needed. Keep boiling water.
      Neighbors, family, friends very few will be prepared, and those that are will not be 100% ready, there are too many unknowns. If you are self reliant and have prepared for the unexpected event, it should be assumed that people around you will need the basics. I'm not sure if I am the type that can look my friends in the eye and tell them they can't have a drink of water. In my opinion part of being self reliant in the face of disasters also includes being "over prepared". I want enough on hand to help my neighbors, in times of crisis people band together and rely on each other. The time to organize a "tribe" is before the event, but mostly it won't happen, so plan to organize after the event. Most people want to be a positive contributor when face with a crisis, we can be counted on, the person with a coffee pot will be the hero.

The tree took out the road, power lines and access to anywhere.
This is only one of many that fell. 

      Three days have passed, it looks like it's going to be longer. If you conserved your 72 hour pack supplies and relied on what was in your pantry, you should be in fairly good shape. Your water will be running low, you are beginning to not trust the food in your fridge, if in dought toss it out. The Weber in the backyard is now your full fledged kitchen, and your fireplace is your central heat. The situation still is not dire, because of your planning in advance you know what is happening and what you may expect. Being stranded for a month longer is no longer a distant possibility, it has become a fact. You and your neighbors are stranded, in fact if it's longer than 3 days, your entire county, city area is impacted, that assumption must be made at this point. You are now in a long term survival situation, you are fortunate you are still in your own house. It can only be imagined what the people in the city are up against, if they tried to leave by car the highways are jammed with broken down vehicles, it's not a good scene.
      This is the first 3 days, it could be worse, we may not have prepared or had water on hand, many people won't. We're still not out of the trouble buy we are surviving due to pre-planning, we are now in a long term survival situation, the subject of the next blog. Three days and no end in site. Read about planning here.

       Thanks for reading, give this blog some thought, if you don't have a survival kit now is the time to either make one or buy one prepared commercially. I prefer buying one, then adding what I think it needs after I receive it. All of the pre-made kits are very well supplied, however we all have personal needs that must be attended to. We really would like to hear your comments, they are important, ask a question or make a statement. Thanks for paying attention and being self reliant it will pay off one day. jimandkate emergencykitsplus.com