Good emergency preparations for these lovely times

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I guess this is the more serious counterpart to the "Duct Tape!?" thread...

As a resident of a major West Coast city who lives in a one bedroom apartment with windows to the outside, what kind of stuff should I prepare in case someone decides to let loose an earthquake or an WMD -- or, worse yet, a DDB? I googled for keywords relating to emergency, terrorism, etc. and there were far too many hits to get any thing useful.

I know some things, like first aid, bottled water, duct tape, etc. are obvious, but what non-obvious things?

(I'm not any more paranoid about all of this now than before, but I think it will ease my mind knowing I have prepared for a variety of dormant yet looming doom scenarios.. and yeah, I finally have renter's insurance)

― donut bitch (donut), Friday, 14 February 2003 22:47 (twenty-three years ago)

just watch out for DMB!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 14 February 2003 22:52 (twenty-three years ago)

but seriously, always no where your shoes are (this is the best earthquake advice). maybe keep a pair of slip-ons under the bed...

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 14 February 2003 22:53 (twenty-three years ago)

ask a mormon.
( http://www.foodstorage.net/ )

― anthony easton (anthony), Friday, 14 February 2003 22:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Canned goods. And a can opener.

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 14 February 2003 22:54 (twenty-three years ago)

The folks on the tee-vee often suggest "toys for the kids," which strikes me as kind of grim, considering how easily bored kids are.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Friday, 14 February 2003 22:55 (twenty-three years ago)

Are the rumors true that the UK is capable of firing a Masonic Boom towards the Western United States?

― donut bitch (donut), Friday, 14 February 2003 22:55 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh yeah...and a extra pair of glasses. (Let's not forget what happened to Burgess Meredith.)

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Friday, 14 February 2003 22:56 (twenty-three years ago)

extra glasses or contacts, if you wear them
extra prescriptions
pet food (if ya got 'em)
sturdy shoes
batteries for portable radio
blankets..

um yeah, now I'm being obvious. Condoms for that post-disaster-lets-get-it-on-the-world-is-ending-shag? Chapstick? English -> Arabic translator? And living in California, water-wings and a life-raft. You can never be too sure.

― luna (luna.c), Friday, 14 February 2003 22:56 (twenty-three years ago)

http://www.millennium-ark.net/News_Files/menu.food.store.html

― anthony easton (anthony), Friday, 14 February 2003 22:59 (twenty-three years ago)

http://www.millennium-ark.net/News_Files/menu.food.store.html

http://members.tripod.com/~dbsktmkr/foodstrg.html

― anthony easton (anthony), Friday, 14 February 2003 22:59 (twenty-three years ago)

http://www.samandy.com/

― anthony easton (anthony), Friday, 14 February 2003 23:00 (twenty-three years ago)

http://www.survival-center.com/foodfaq/ff17-equ.htm

― anthony easton (anthony), Friday, 14 February 2003 23:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Cigarettes are good in the case of fire. Break them in half, put them in your nose, and avoid sooty snot for weeks to come.

― Wintermute (Wintermute), Friday, 14 February 2003 23:01 (twenty-three years ago)

in lieu of a can opener get a philosopher, an engineer and an economist

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 14 February 2003 23:01 (twenty-three years ago)

ABSOLUTELY DON'T wear a condom for your "world's ending" shag, as Murphy's Law will dictate that the world does not in fact end; you will be stuck with the little squealer for life but you will have saved the world!

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 14 February 2003 23:02 (twenty-three years ago)

~~DON'T~~?

― donut bitch (donut), Friday, 14 February 2003 23:03 (twenty-three years ago)

kind of like how when you light a cigarette you KNOW that bus is coming 30 seconds later? in this case the cigarette is unsafe sex and the bus is, er, the world not ending

― tracer's idiotic brane (tracerhand), Friday, 14 February 2003 23:14 (twenty-three years ago)

lookit me not thinkin' again...

I advise laying in a case or three of beer as well, and whatever other cocktails you regularly imbibe in... perhaps also some hash/drug of choice? If ya gotta go, at least go happy.

― luna (luna.c), Friday, 14 February 2003 23:26 (twenty-three years ago)

The only emergency anyone should really be preparing for (unless you live in the middle east) is the economy crashing.

― Dave Fischer, Friday, 14 February 2003 23:48 (twenty-three years ago)

save that duct tape money and pay down your debts.

― Ed (dali), Friday, 14 February 2003 23:50 (twenty-three years ago)

FEMA lists recommendations on their Web page. I'm not rushing out to buy duct tape and bubble wrap, but am starting to put together a small emergency kit to keep in my car.

― j.lu (j.lu), Saturday, 15 February 2003 00:46 (twenty-three years ago)

I have been eating lots of activated charcoal

― Millar (Millar), Saturday, 15 February 2003 00:47 (twenty-three years ago)

My car kit: flashlight, jumper cables, old cellphone (screen's broken, but in theory it'll call 911 anyway), sleeping bag (no room in tiny apartment to store it anywhere but my trunk), some water bottles, extra puppy dog leash, sneakers, first aid kit.

in my closet at home: radio, box of tea, first aid kit, extra puppy dog leash, sneakers, flashlight, work gloves, extra fleece jacket.

Puppy leashes are in both kits because after our earthquake, I had to evacuate our crumbling building with my dog (spazzing out) and my friend's dog (calmer, but weighs about as much as I do) without leashes for either of them. Trying to control two unleashed pups + figure out how to get home + field calls from frantic parents was a bit much.

― lyra (lyra), Saturday, 15 February 2003 03:48 (twenty-three years ago)

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