THE ZOMBIES ARE COMING!
THE APOCOLYPSE IS NIGH!
Are you ready? Are you prepared? Are you well-trained in crossbow-ery?
I know this post might make me a legitimate crazy person. I know some of you may be like “whoa, that Katie has officially lost it” and voice this opinion in the most emphatic way possible. SCREAMING AT THE INTERNET! But I don’t care. It’s more important to me to be prepared.
In the great words of Wolverine…I mean, Hugh Jackman in Prisoner…hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
So even though this is not emergency preparedness month, I wanted to share how we prepare for our worst.
This is our basement bedroom. It’s just a space that is basically an extra guest bedroom and holds old furniture but to us it’s a very important spot. It’s the most well protected room in our house. Here in Georgia we are at risk for limited number of natural disasters…earthquakes are probably never gonna happen, hurricanes don’t reach this far inland but tornados are becoming more and more common…and we do hear of flooding. And I don’t mean just toilets 🙂
Whenever there is a warning on tv, we head down here and sleep in this room for the night. It’s a lot nicer now that there is a bed. Before Weston was born, we had to stay down here for a night and we all slept on the floor. #notideal But now that we have four (soon to be five) of us, we really appreciate the bed.
Will usually sleeps with us on these special occasions and we put Weston in the pack-n-play. We will have to see how that changes in the future…but there is plenty of floor space so I’m not worried.
And just this past month, I put together a more equipped emergency kit. It’s still not completely done but it’s on it’s way. The best part is that it is right outside this bedroom in our storage hall.
This area used to hold furniture but we cleared it all out and decided that it was the perfect spot for our stash. (it looks like the walls are wet but this area is just stained and discolored from sealants. No moisture problems!)
I started by grabbing one of these 5 Tier storage shelving units from Lowe’s. It is much sturdier than these kinda units normally are. Jeremy approved…which is a big deal 🙂
Then I got to shopping. I went based on the possibility that there could be a tornado (taking the upper part of our house and we would possibly need to get out from the wreckage ourselves or that we would be trapped in the back part of our basement for a few days till rescue crews could dig us out) or if there was a flood. In the case of a flood, we probably aren’t going to be underwater…but more like it would wash out surrounding roads (cutting off the ability for us to get food). So with those two things in mind, I modified some lists that I found online for our particular area.
I set up the shelves and Jeremy hauled in the water. We made sure we had drinking water and a little extra. I think I still want to get more though.
Then I broke out a big Tupperware storage bin and put in some of the things I got for the emergency kit. I included a tarp, flashlights and lanterns, a first aid kit, a hand crank radio, a emergency whistle, matches, a small saw, a Life Hammer, extra batteries, and a LifeStraw. I also put in some candles, a few Sterno cans, and a mess kit (from my Girl Scout days!).
On the rest of the shelves, I put our canned goods, some Clorox wipes, trash bags and some extra grocery bags (for in case of waste-management).
There are definitely still things I need to put in ‘the stash’….copies of important documents, some baby supplies, a little training potty, toilet paper, can opener, duct tape, work gloves, and some dust masks, cash, bleach, a deck of cards, and some extra clothes. It’s definitely a work in progress!
In general, I feel much more prepared than before. I mean…I am not quite a perfect shot with my throwing ninja stars, but I figure that if the walking dead come to our house, Jeremy can back me up 🙂
KATIE!!! I work in emergency management and one of my jobs is educate the public on home disaster preparedness! You get an A+++++! So great to see people understanding that preparedness makes send! 🙂 Plus that room is super cute, who wouldn’t want to spend a few storm days down there! 🙂
*makes sense!
With a house full of men, I’d add a full crate of baby wipes. If you’re without plumbing, you’re going to want those boys to maintain some hygeine. And maybe put those beans and noodles in something critter proof 😉
You’re actually not that crazy Katie! Funny enough, the CDC promotes zombie preparedness because it happens to coincide with other more likely emergency situations (although some may argue….including me on Sunday nights when I’m trying to convince my husband we don’t have enough canned goods and flashlights to brave the “walkers”). Anyway, see here: http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies.htm
Don’t forget a can opener for all those cans! Although, you could probably use your ninja stars if you have some leftover from killing zombies!
Smart idea! I can’t help but think you need to be ready, being in the Atlanta area! Have you seen the Walking Dead being filmed at all??
It seems so obvious, but did you remember the can opener? During a local flood a few years ago, that was one of the most requested/needed items at the disaster relief station where I was working! Some cans are pop-top, but not all!
Hey, not crazy, I’ve been in a major earthquake in the middle of the night and I’ll never be without my emergency kit again. I also have a smaller version in my car.
I’ve been in some ice storms that weren’t too serious but it did leave me without power for a day or so and the emergency kit is a huge help. You can get some great stuff at an Army Surplus store. Those meals aren’t anything I really want but they are more compact and if it is truly an emergency, I’ll be grateful for them!
The clothing is really important especially if something happens in the middle of the night and you are in your pajamas. You wanna be able to put on some clothes. Don’t forget extra shoes, pet food, and medications. If your kit is all you have for a while, you want that medication. I put in some basics too like Tylenol in case there are any minor injuries. After the earthquake, I had a terrible headache. I think it was the adrenaline rush I’d had.
I have a kit in my car in case I get stranded somewhere. I’ve had to pull over to the side of the road and wait out a blizzard before. Fortunately, that time, it was just a matter of hours but I was ready for a few days if I got really stuck.
We totally have an emergency room in our basement too. I mean – its not pretty, its a wee bit scary to think about, but I’d rather have it. I use it as a ‘pantry’ of sorts since our home is small – and we have been slowly but surely stocking it with water. Also my husband brews his own beer in there – so I figure we can start the first post-zombie apocolypse brew-pub.
I heard peanut butter is a good emergency food to have on hand. High in calories, good source of protein, etc. No need to cook it in order for it to taste good (unlike soups). Just thought I’d mention it because I don’t see it on your shelves.
Always good to be prepared. This might seem like a dumb question, but unless I missed it, did you include a can opener?
Very smart lady! Don’t forget trash bags.
This is a great idea, Katie. Even if nothing bad ever happens, I bet the kids will have great memories from sleeping in the basement! When I was a kid the power would “go out” pretty often and we would all pray board games by candle light. Looking back, I’m pretty sure that these were mom-made power outages because really the power never goes out in our area for more than a few minutes! But I remember it being so fun to get out the candles and lanterns and play games!
Katie I’m so glad to see a mommy/lifestyle blogger tackle this subject! People are far too under-prepared so it’s nice to see a normal person taking the right steps to preparedness and promoting it too! You can never be too prepared!
One thing you may want to look into is a hand crank USB charger for your phone and even a hand crank radio. I know I have one somewhere that I think is even combined from the Red Cross.
We’ve got quite a stash too, including our bug-out bags. We live in fire country, and wildfire evacuations give you about 5 minutes to leave. I keep the kids’ memory books, christening gowns, and backup drives in a box to throw in the car along with the bug out bags. Be sure to take pics and video of EVERYTHING in your house – open drawers, closets, cupboards, garage, attic, etc. for insurance. I’ve also got a list of what to grab if we had a little more time. Be sure to put some tampons there too! And Walmart has a great portable toilet for $20 you simply cover with a heavy trash bag. We use it for camping. Hope for the best!
Now I need to do this! However, are you planning on eating all of the canned food before it expires? Or what is the plan with that?
I have been wanting to do this for years!
We don’t have a basement, but only a crawlspace and soon hopefully we will have an underground safe home. Not as friendly to get to in the dark and rain, but still better then hiding in the bathtub with a futon mattress ready to lift overhead of us in a moments notice. Being in Nebraska, there are several times that these are needed.
I might make a suggestion that you should put your radio in one of the nightstands and a flash light in both nightstand.
Also, I think it is hard with growing kids, but since you are soon to have three boys (it might make it easier). Having a pair of shoes and socks for each person and a change of clothes along with a coat. Especially since tornadoes happen often at nighttime when we are all in our pjs.
Don’t forget a can opener, cook top (i have one of those cheap two burner electric things), some pots and enough utensils/plates for everyone.
Hey Katie, Congratulations on your planning ahead. An emergency kit is like smoke alarms and fire extinguishers, you hope to never need them but you are really happy you have them. We recently lost everything in the Christchurch Earthquake in New Zealand, basically our house was ruined and we were not able to even go back into it for 8 months but we were able to move in with my sister and found the emergency kit a lifesaver. Water wasn’t connected for 3 weeks and sewerage was 7 months!!!!! Portaloos on every street corner, yes a really good way to get to know the neighbors ( and their less appealing habits!)
Can I suggest you add a sturdy bottomed bucket ( to put your bin liners in, bit more comfy than squatting over a bag) and that you get a marker pen and write the date of purchase on the top of the cans you buy. This way you can get in the habit of regular rotation of food every 6 months or so. My sister actually writes the date 6 months in advance to help with baby brain maths.
Fingers crossed you never need your stash.
I like your set up. Our current house doesn’t have much in the way of tornado protection but I’m really wanting to get supplies stocked up. I don’t think it makes you crazy but just more of a planner 🙂
Did you remember to throw in a hand held can opener?! Or are all those cans the ones with the pull tops?
Looks great! May I suggest ‘shopping’ in your emergency pantry and replenishing as needed? This will allow you to use things before their expiration date 🙂
Great idea! Now that we’ve had our little girl (10 days old today!), something like this seems much more important.
I will say that we have started an emergency food supply using Thrive Foods through Shelf Reliance (check out their website for more info). You basically create profile saying how big your family is, what period of time you would like to have food stored up, and what your monthly budget is, and they send you something from your queue each month that fits within your budget. What’s awesome is that the majority of the food is shelf stable for up to 25 years (freeze dried). Some people use the food as part of their normal meal planning and the reviews are fantastic.
Some people look at us like we’re crazy when we talk to them about the emergency food supply, but I believe that we should not only be prepared for emergencies or crazy inflation of food costs, but also be prepared to help others if/when the opportunity arises.
Katie — We live on the Gulf coast of Florida and have emergency kits for hurricanes/flooding/tornadoes as well. We found some awesome battery powered fans at Walmart (I think they are about 10 inch fans) which are perfect if you need some air movement when the power is out. We bought two (one for each side of our bed) so we can at least sleep at night if the power is out.
I love the idea of your “stash” and it will definitely get your readers thinking about emergency kits!
I love this post… my husband is on the same wavelength as you! He was an Eagle Scout and is always prepared- wherever we go. Machete in the sock drawer? Check. Space blanket and road flares in the glove box? Check. Insanely large stockpile of canned Dinty Moore stew in the garage (ew)? Check again.
Diapers!! 😉 we did a kit a few years ago. It all fit in a Rubbermaid but obviously wasn’t as extensive as this but being a fellow Georgian I really appreciate this!! We are thankful to now have a basement room to hunker down in!! You never know!!
We need a regular can opener…I figure the LifeHammer or saw could open it if something went bad like tomorrow…and some of those cans are pop tops 🙂
xo kb
Great idea about the marking date!
xo kb
Great start on prepping for zombies or disasters! Just a note about the bottles of water, you might want to store them on something. I’ve read in several places over the years that storing water bottles on concrete can cause chemicals to leach into the bottles. Might grab a pallet or something just in case.
Here’s a site that mentions chemical leaching. No affiliation with said site. http://www.countrysurvival.com/facts-about-water-storage/
My sister lost her house in the most recent Moore, OK tornado. Luckily, she wasn’t at home but unluckily, she returned to find it totally blown away. I second your thought about work gloves – if you do sustain damage to your house you’ll need them! Now I think differently about what I wear when I go to my tornado safe spot – wear REAL shoes (with hard/tough soles if possible) and layers. Lastly – have you registered your safe space/basement with your local city/county emergency agency? In Oklahoma we do this county by county so they can check to make sure no one is trapped below ground after a storm. Here’s hoping you never have to use any of this!! 🙂
I want to get a new one for upstairs so my old one will probably retire here. Just in case some of the cans are pop top and others can be opened with the life hammer or saw!
xo kb
Love this idea!
Just remember bottled water over time isn’t as great for you! … I mean if the bottled water is old. There is another cool thing you COULD add though… A water purifier??? You can get small reusable bottle sizes too. You can pretty much purify anything with those!!!
Xo!
Haha! What’s your address? Just in case I need a drink… 🙂
xo kb
I think I have that afghan in ivory! I have no idea where it came from but it appeared in our linen closet after moving! Thanks for posting your emergency kit– probably something I should be working on considering there’s a reoccuring polar vortex up here!
Good to know! I’ll look into that!
xo kb
Hope you have a can-opener in that kit, Girl!
This is a great idea. In my house we are heavily first aid and tools/weapons prepared. I might get hungry but at least I have my cross bow!
Did I miss the can opener? This is a great idea to be prepared!
Be sure to rotate your stock with supplies upstairs so your canned goods don’t all go out of date.
Hi Katie, I found your blog through Young House Love and have thoroughly enjoyed following your experiences and stories! I want to say a big thank you for blogging about a topic as important as emergency preparedness. I love that you quote Wolverine as well… hope for the best, prepare for the worst! I literally said that two weeks ago 🙂
You mentioned needing to put copies of important documents in your bin. I couldn’t agree more. Lucky for me, my aunt created an an incredible product called the Vital Records Portavault after she watched the horrific aftermath of Katrina as thousands of people had not only lost everything but had no records to deal with their home titles, insurance policies, etc. I’ve put together my Portavault and feel reassured knowing my husband and I have all our important records in one place. You might want to consider something like this too so I thought I would share: http://securitaonline.com/
PS – My aunt has no idea I’m mentioning her product to you. I don’t work for her nor get any kind of compensation for this… just think it’s an amazing concept and fits perfectly with your theme of emergency preparedness.
My husband and I are firm believers in preparedness. We keep our own bug out bags in our cars. I’ve yet to stock our “in case of emergency” stash but you’ve given me great ideas! Thanks so much and stay safe!
Shoes! Don’t forget shoes! If a tornado comes by, you will be climbing over rubble without shoes! I read that was one of the most common red cross requests after tornadoes.
Oh no, Katie! I love your blog and I love this post, but I almost died when I saw all those plastic grocery bags…where are your reusable bags?!?! Please tell me you don’t always get plastic grocery bags, do you????
This is great. I would do the same if I had a basement but no such luck in Miami. We get things right before we get a category 3 or up hurricane warning. We don’t worry about anything less than that.,
Great minds think alike! I was just going to create a post about my emergency kit this week 🙂
A hand crank radio is a must! I also like the head lanterns/lights which will leave you hands free if you need ’em. Booze is great even if you don’t drink – it could be handy for trading purposes if it comes to that. I also have a water blob – which you put in your bathtub and can drain your water tanks into it if it gets real bad. We live in earthquake prone Seattle and it’s just a matter of time before “the big one” hits.
My family thinks I’m crazy, but I just consider myself uber prepared!
Love it! Great job! Keep that family safe 🙂 Suggestion-open the packaging to everything in your bin so it’s easily accessible.
My coworker told me there is a place where he bought a barrel full of supplies for the end of the world type situation. Not sure where it was, but he said he heard about it on the show Doomsday.
Not such a bad idea with all this wacky weather we have had here in Atlanta over the last few years.
I didn’t notice matches or a lighter on your list. And maybe a pot or two – or are those part of the mess kit?
We use reusable and get plastic for recycling…it’s a hybrid approach 🙂 this time I did get the cans and stuff in plastic so that they could be used in this kit for waste.
xo kb
This is such a great idea!
But now all your unprepared neighbors will know what house to hit up, Katie! Aaagghhh. It’s not the zombies you have to worry about–it’s all the other desperate people! (Just kinda kidding.)
I totally agree! Not many people have the space got this set up. You’re lucky and well on your way to being prepared! Do you have a weather radio and a corded telephone?
So glad you posted this! Those prepper tv shows made all preppers look crazy, but it’s so practical. Most people would never dream of forgoing home insurance, car insurance, health insurance, etc, but they think food/water “insurance” is crazy. Not crazy, imho, just sensible! Good for you for taking care of your family!
Love this! Very responsible.
What about a pot or bowls for your food? Thinking ahead to mealtime 😉
Small solar panel to charge batteries etc.
A bottle of children’s chewable vitamins to supplement their diet.
A P-38 for opening cans etc. eBay and survival sites have them.
http://www.georgia-outfitters.com/page52.shtml
What a great idea! I have to say, this post actually made me laugh (not in a bad way). My husband is always telling me we need to prepare for an emergency and then I would imagine a “Doomsday Prepper’s” type room. It’s definitely something to think about especially with kids in the house. You may have just given me the kick in the butt that I need. Thanks!
Extra water- correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t all those small cans require (suggest?) you add a can of water to the soup?
Great post, it’s better to be prepared. I’m not sure if it was mentioned already but we keep hard hats for us grown ups and bike helmets for the kids. Weapons, candles and matches, too. I have some CERT bags and unloaded the contents under my spare tire cover in my SUV…it’s amazing how much room there is for emergency supplies. We keep documents in a safety deposit box at bank, extra set at home and a third set lives at my parents house in their fire proof safe…in case the hubby and I perish the documents for child custody are easy to access. Not sure if your first aide kit has one but don’t forget small sewing kit…can be used for sutures should your sewing skills ever be called on in such a scary way.
This post made me really happy. Obviously I never want you to have to use it, but my mom did something similar when we were kids, everyone thought she was nuts, then a massive earthquake hit. She lined our laundry room with shelves (well, my dad made them) and she filled it with emergency supplies. Pretty sure we used everything the week after the earthquake as we didn’t have power, water, anything. It made me super prepared and I had emergency kits stashed in strategic places all over our last house (grab n go bag in the bathroom where we would hunker down for a tornado, big food stash in laundry room, and all important documents in a waterproof bag right in the middle of the house). I’d rather people think I’m paranoid than be ill prepared in an emergency.
Emergency food is supposed to be LOW in SODIUM to avoid dehydration. All of your foods are very high in sodium (canned soup, ramen, tuna). Maybe consider getting the low sodium versions.
We did get the lower sodium versions in many…not because of dehydration but because we like those better. I guess they aren’t as visible in the photos 🙂
xo – kb
Question about the dried beans: how do you plan on cooking them? They require a lot of water to make them edible (which would really eat into your potable water supply).
If you don’t mind me asking, where did you get the navy throw blanket? I have been looking for a similar one in white, but haven’t been able to find anything like it. Thanks.
It was from a thrift store. I love it and haven’t seen anything like it.
xo – kb
I wanted to mention the same thing as dione. water off the concrete floor.
Well, I don’t honestly foresee a water issue as much as a supply issue. Since beans are really cheap it was easier to grab them and throw them in the stash.
xo – kb
Some of them do require water for prep but some do not (there are cans of fruit and vegetables and some items that are heat and eat). And yes, like I said in the post, I do want some more water 🙂
xo – kb
They are in there! The mess kit has small pots and the matches are in that little water proof match holder (listed in the post).
xo – kb
Like I said in the post, I do need a can opener…but if something were to happen before getting one, I am sure that we could open them with the LifeHammer or the saw 🙂
xo – kb
No I haven’t! I’ll have to look into that! Thanks!
xo – kb
Yes! We already have done that…and plan on keeping on doing that in the future.
xo – kb
No not yet! I know they are super protective about the scenes and storyline…like shutting down entire areas for filming. And one of my friends has applied to be an extra and she said that 1. it’s really hard to get a part (even just a random zombie in the background of a massive group) and 2. they are really secretive!
xo – kb
We plan on ‘shopping’ from down here and replenish accordingly. I also talked about it with my parents who had a small stash and they suggested donating it all before the expiration date to a soup kitchen or a food bank because they will take certain things as long as it is still good. That way it can be a service to others and we can revise the stash accordingly.
xo – kb
Like I mentioned, I still need one but thankfully some are pop-top and I figure I can open them with my teeth (or the LifeHammer or the saw).
xo – kb
The mess kit has some cooking pans and we figure we can always use the empty cans as bowls 🙂
xo – kb
I am from Germany and I love to read your blog!
But for a german the whole emergency kit thing seems kind of weird. Because of global warming floods are more and more common here too but before we would hide ourselves and stash up with food etc we are thinking about what we can do against floods primarly (letting rivers room to overflow, building dikes, …) and more important getting to the root of all: what can we do against global warming.
When I read your post and see all the comments cheering for it i get the feeling, that you are all preparing for everything that follows global warming but you are not thinking about how to stop it. That makes me sad, because you are a huge country and you could have a great impact on it.
Ok, thats what I think – sorry for spoiling the mood! Maybe i get it all wrong or maybe I don’t.
But still loving your blog and the super cute photos of your boys 🙂
Girl, put some scissors in there – all of those packages look like the annoying kind to open. 😉
(Nice job, though! I can’t even figure out which room in our house would be “safe” during a tornado. It’s small, no basement, and pretty much all of the rooms have windows. :/ )
Great idea!
xo – kb
I don’t think you need to apologize…I think that is natural progression in normal conversation. I think in general Americans do talk about conservation and reducing global warming…maybe not as much as we need to but we do talk about the ways to do it. I think that it’s maybe a little off-topic for my blog because I generally talk about family, photography, style and home….and I am not as green as I would like and other ‘green blogs’ are not necessarily focused on homes so they are better sources of that kind of information. But I think that your comment is a great reminder that it’s important!
xo – kb
I would love to do this; my husband thinks I’m crazy ha! Dumb question…do you have a can opener down there? That’s all I could think with all the cans. 😀 Also, my son is formula fed and when I’m scraping the bottom of the last can of formula because I forgot to pick up more, I always wonder what I would do if I couldn’t immediately go out to the store and buy more. So I really have to work on building a stash of that. Although, I realize you may breast feed, I’m just saying for myself. Have you ever thought about having a baby basket down there–extra diapers, paci, and so on?
Yeah…I just saw at the bottom where you said you need to add both those things. Sorry haha!
Not. Crazy. 🙂 Really great idea! I’m terrible. I’ve had a list for years that I’m planning on getting an item or two at a time with each grocery/necessities trip and I end up forgetting and then each year I’m so uptight with every tornado watch/warning which are a lot in the land of Oz, where I live. You’ve inspired me to get my list back out which means that I’ll remember for the next couple of weeks and a few more items will be purchased towards the cause! 🙂
I grew up on an island with yearly tropical storms and a big hurricane every other year. I only witnessed one very big one which made me thankful for the emergency supplies my parents used to gather every year.
I think it makes sense to be ready for the potential storms/ disasters that the area you live in are prone to.
That is such a great idea! Thank you for the ideas! I hope to incorporate them for the spring/summer months!
Talks about global warming aside – I’m Austrian and the concept of an emergency kit ist totally strange for me as well. 😉 Unless of course you count the handful of band aids and LED torch I’ve stored somewhere in my living room.
Just wanted to mention that canned goods can stay far past their expiration dates. And in an emergency situation where you may not be able to get food – it’d be better to eat the canned goods that have “expired” as opposed to not eating.
Nice stash Katie! One thought I had was maybe a camp stove to heat all those cans of soup and beans. Unless I missed something.
You are one prepared Mama!
what is your plan about keeping on top of expiration dates?
Also, do you have a can opener?! That would be annoying. I’ve definitely had to try to open cans without one and it’s not pretty.
You need to put that food in pest-proof containers. You might not have mice or rats right now, but you certainly will if you leave that packaged food there. Mice love Ramen.
Dude, I don’t have an emergency preparedness kit AT ALL.
I’m getting on that today. Zombies won’t stand a chance. 🙂
How about adding a campstove, cookware, plastic utensils, plates, bowls & cups? A generator?
My other suggestion is to try all of you living down there for a weekend & seeing what else you need/use that you didn’t already think of.
A hurricane a few years ago wiped out our power & water for a week & a half! Not fun!
It’s so much better to be prepared! Good job so far 🙂
I don’t know if I missed this but did you get a can opener for all those can goods? 🙂 Also, is that considered a “cold room” (a room under a porch? I have one and am figuring what I can store in ours!
Thanks,
Jen
Great post! We live in California, so a post like this always is a great reminder of being ready for the big one that is bound to hit us one day. One thing you might want to add — good old fashioned cash! I typically don’t have a lot of that in my wallet on a regular basis, but in a disaster where the power is out, credit cards aren’t going to get us very far. A few years ago we started keeping some extra cash in each of our cars and then some in the house too. The only difficult part is not raiding it in a non-emergency ! (But who says a beer run isn’t an emergency??! :))
What about toothpaste and toothbrushes? A comb or brush. Hair ties for you? If you get put in a situation where you are stuck for days, you’ll want those things!
Yes it is. We still need to do a little fixing on the vapor barrier but it is one of the best our inspector has seen 🙂
xo – kb
That is on the list (like I mentioned in the post)…
xo – kb
I think what I am gonna do is just put dry erase labels on the shelving or hang an old dry erase board in here so that I can switch things out and modify the dates accordingly.
xo – kb
Also bug spray! Especially in summer in Georgia!
Actually just last night I put the Ramen and beans in another Tupperware. I hope that keeps them out…fingers crossed!
xo – kb
That’s what I was going to say to – or already open some of the items in that crazy, impossible to open packaging. Too annoying to deal with if you are already dealing with a natural disaster 🙂
How great that you have such an awesome space for emergencies! We live in tornado alley (Kansas) and not being prepared is just not an option! I discovered a blog called “A bowl full of lemons” and it has an amazing emergency preparedness series that I want to do… Things I’d never thought of and how to do it all in stages so it’s affordable, and from someone who has needed it before! If you want to check it out, its at http://www.abowlfulloflemons.net/category/emergency-preparedness .
Love you and your blog!
You sure take “nesting” to a whole new level! In all seriousness, this is awesome. I have been wanting to do something similar. Where we live (Canada) it’s ice storms we need to worry about!
I’d like to know what people do who don’t have giant basements. We barely have a place to put our cat’s litter box, much less have storage available for stuff like this.
You’re not crazy. We have go bags, basically. For us, it is more likely that we would need to grab our stuff and go. So we each have a duffel bag in the guest room with a change of clothes, towel, toilet paper, paper towels, food, water, etc. You may also want to add some cash in case power is out and you cannot get to the bank. Small bills are better. 🙂
Katie, This is so important, and while it may seem paranoid you sure will be glad you have it if/when that time comes (but hopefully not). I recently had my basement flood and although the electronics are in a tub, I’d still put that on the top shelf just to be extra safe. And speaking of being safe and secure, here’s another great emergency prep article and checklist of items to put in your bomb shelter 🙂 http://www.asecurelife.com/emergency-evacuation-plan/
Better safe that sorry, thanks for sharing and way to be proactive girl!
I have heard of folks who just dedicate a dresser drawer to the cause…basically fitting everything in that they can. I think in that situation I would probably spend a little more money and get things that take up less space…like instead of canned goods, those dry meals and instead of real blankets, thermo blankets. They make really great stuff out there for ‘survivalists’ that come in small packs too.
xo – kb
A friend once told me one of the most important things to keep in case of a tornado was shoes. Think if you are safe in the basement, but there is extensive damage to the rest of the house getting out in bare feet could be dangerous. It is tricky with little ones and growing feet, but a great reminder.
Also, we keep some comfort items for our kids. A similar blankie, a stuffed animal…because if the adults are worried, then so are the kiddos.
Hoping that you never need to use any of the items in your stash 🙂
Jennie
Amy…Tornadoes happen regardless of global warming. CO2 in the atmosphere and a microscopic increase in global temperature certainly didn’t create them. They can be devastating, happen very suddenly and being ‘green’ won’t save our lives in that situation. Clean water to drink? That definitely might.
I live in the northern/middle part of the US and we get blizzards, ice storms, floods, tornadoes and droughts…that is the normal range of weather here since before industrialization. Preparedness is smart.
I imagine some of our weather is not really in your scope of experience, living in Germany. It can be kind of crazy here. Not that it is abnormal, it has to do with things like our topography and other boring things, but it definitely causes drama.
Right now we are having the coldest daily temperatures seen in a couple of decades and this is the snowiest January on record (only just over a hundred years…America is like that…things are old if they are 200+! ). Many people I know have been snowed in, lost power for a day or two…their supplies were very handy!
Cool resource! Thanks!
Hi Katie,
I just wanted to let you know of a pretty cool product out there that’s made just for posts like this. My sister’s selling it as an at-home business, so I’ll link to her webpage. She uses the freeze-dried food mostly as a busy working mom who hardly has time for grocery shopping, but the main purpose (I think) of Thrive Foods is for emergency preparedness. If you’re interested, check it out. I don’t want to spam (and I don’t sell the stuff, so I don’t make any money,) but I thought it went with your post well.
https://www.thrivelife.com/kosker/product
PS- I live in Germany now, but was living in Alaska before, where we did have to go for relatively short (thankfully) periods of time using our pantry contents because of weather. Thanks for reminding me to get my act in gear again and get set up (even though the risk or natural disasters isn’t quite so high here…)
This is how we roll each August in Florida! They say our state is the most prepared for the unthinkable! Good job. I always buy Parmalat milk. You can get Hershey’s and Horizon milk in cartons, too. It needs no refrigeration. Good for kids to be able to still have cereal and milk in paper bowls. Paper plates and plastic spoons/forks, too. If there is a natural disaster, sometimes water is affected because the treatment plants are contaminated and such. Also might want to fill large containers with tap water to flush toilets if outside waterlines are damaged. Crackers, apple sauce containers, Vienna sausage, granola bars, peanut butter. 🙂 If your house is wired for a regular telephone line, you can buy a $10 corded phone to put down there. In emergencies where cell towers and electricity are down, you’ll still be able to call 911 even with no service.
Great idea, thanks for the how-to. I think this is really good, and I’m glad to know I’m not the only paranoid one that thinks like this. :).
Living in Kansas, having our basement prepped for storms is a necessity. Usually around the end of February I evaluate what we need and get everything reorganized. I see you listed things you need to add, I would suggest along with the clothes, jackets and shoes for everyone. I know when I get woke up in the middle of the night by a tornado warning the last thing I am looking for is shoes. For the kids I just put a grubby, maybe almost outgrown pair in the box for each of them, they still fit but are maybe too snug for everyday wear. Also, if I know the weather is potentially going to be bad as the evening goes, I put my purse and camera at the top of the basement stairs to be easily grabbed on my sprint down the stairs.
I used to work for the red cross … don’t forget comfort items for the kids like a stuffed animal and some favorite busy toys like Legos, crayons, paper, etc. Oh, and follow your local emergency management on Twitter.
Good ideas! Thanks!
Get some of the big 3 gallon jugs of water with the little spout/dispenser at the bottom. If you don’t have running water they make it super easy to use for washing hands, brushing teeth, and cleaning dishes/bottles. We frequently have boil water advisories when the power goes out or a hurricane comes, so I learned this trick from trial and error.
Great tip!
xo – kb
It’s great to see you preparing an emergency supply! One thing I do want to remind you is to actually USE your stash. Most of that food is only good for a limited time, even being canned, so it’s best to actually use some of the things and make sure that you have fresh items monthly. Water is one of those things as well.
Also, I’d suggest having a small backpack packed for each of you with spare clothes, any medications that are essential, a printed and laminated list of emergency info, etc. Update the bags quarterly to make sure you have the proper seasons clothes and the current sizes.
People tend to not plan ahead and panic, and planning ahead takes away a lot of the panic. It’s better to be prepared and not have ot use this, so I hope your emergency stash grows as you learn more about what your family needs. I suggest having enough supplies for a minimum of 72 hrs without power, water, etc. As a place to start.
Katie I would definitely recommend more water, the rule of thumb is 1 gallon per person per day with more for washing, brushing teeth etc. And I also would recommend a bucket, you can use it for storing supplies but in an emergency it can be used as a restroom. Also some basic hygiene items like toothbrush, hand sanitizer etc. You are more likely to become sick from poor hygiene than anything else in an emergency.
I wish I had a room and a closet like this. We have had floods, snow and tornados which have made us aware of the things that we need. You are smart to be prepared for these things. When the flood happened it got into two the neighboring cities three water storage areas (cistern?) and the whole city had to ration water. Thankfully we didn’t, but it made me think about it.
I’ve only just recently heard of your blog and so I’m doing my usual “Found a new blog read it all” and had to comment.
I’m also in GA, just west of Atlanta, and this makes me feel like a major slacker. Our safest room in the basement is the “man cave” and it is sort of finished (I let my husband do whatever he wanted) but if we get trapped down there… we are screwed. We have no emergency stash. #slacker
Cool! Looks like you’re really prepared for anything. How about diapers and baby wipes? And milk? (Hope you’re breastfeeding!)
Yes–without water we cannot live for long.
I think the comments about preventing global warming are good too.