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Thursday, October 27, 2016

Emergency Preparedness

I am pretty much the exact opposite of a prepper. I wait until the very last moment before I buy what I need, be it food, gas, or toiletries.

I wait until the gas light comes on before I fill up the tank.

I wait until there are no more boxes of tissues in the closet (current situation) and only a roll or two of toilet paper left to buy more.

I don't keep food stocked in the larder. No cans of vegetables or soup, no jars of sauce. I have one spare box of pasta, mainly because it's whole wheat, which sounded like a good idea at the store and a horrible idea at home. I do have a few things in the freezer, but in the case of a true emergency I might not be able to rely on electricity.

I have one small flashlight (the kind with the holster that goes on your belt) and one easily accessible candle (there are likely more in the house somewhere, but that might not be hugely helpful if the power goes out at night). There are a few batteries of various sizes, although some might be getting up there in age.

I do own a wild edibles book, a tent, a sleeping bag, and various other camping gear that hasn't been used in years. I don't believe the gear collection includes a cooking stove or water filtration system. There is definitely a head lamp though.

The only items I buy in advance of need are diapers and baby wipes because daycare notifies me when their supplies are GONE, not LOW. I have to keep a supply on hand because I don't have time to go to the store during the week. They clearly subscribe to the same level of preparedness as I do.

It's hard for me to worry about having these things on hand when everything is so readily available. I've never experienced a situation that prevented me from getting to the store. We've never lost power for more than a few days. Having said that, it might be a good idea to throw a few extra cans of food in the cart occasionally. Even I can probably handle that.

Post inspired by Swistle.

1 comment:

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

Did you try the ww pasta? In my opinion, it's not that bad. I mean is pretty good.

Having experienced myself some actual emergencies, I am a little more prepared, but prolly not prepared enough. Like the blizzard that lasted a week and I had to snowshoe to the store for formula for neighbor babies because the snow was too deep for them to get to the store and the roads didn't get plowed for more than a week. And that was not the only emergency, but I could up a few pages with them. Like the time it was 40 below and the car wouldn't start.

Of course, if you're nursing, that wouldn't be an issue. But you can't nurse yourself, and of course, a kid who is no longer a baby may want actual food.