Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Emergency preparedness

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On Nov 8, 2012, at 1:30 AM, Katie Henry <katie-henry [at] att.net> wrote:

> To store utility water (for flushing, etc.), use contractor-weight garbage 
> bags 
> in garbage cans. For drinking water, use gallon-size ziplock bags.

A wonderful list, Katie. I hope you didn't need all of these! 

From spending time in Florida, I would add a book on Hurricane Dinners. Things 
you can stock and eat without power. They have all electric appliances and food 
gets difficult.

My daughter lives at 22nd and 2nd Avenue. They turned off the heat 24 hours 
before the storm. If the basement flooded and cold water hit the boiler it 
would explode. Then power went out because the power plant exploded. That meant 
no water because it had to be pumped up her apartment on the 7th floor. 

She had done the laundry and shopped but not fixed her bathtub which doesn't 
hold water. Knowing about the garbage bags would have been helpful. There was 
water available in the basement but one can only make so many trips up 8 fights 
of stairs with a gallon jug of water in each hand. Even if you work out.

After two days she decamped to a friend's apartment above 39th Street which had 
become a slumber party with as many people as possible packed in. After two 
nights she went back to her cold but now lit and watered apartment.

When the power came back on, the heat didn't.. By then the building had lost 
all its internally stored heat. Add extra wool blankets or down comforters to 
the list of things to have handy. You can only put on so many layers of clothes 
before they won't fit over each other.

> Get a Red Cross hand-crank radio that can also be used to charge phones.

This is such a wonderful idea -- I didn't know they could charge other things. 
They were no where to be found in NY since it isn't an item that hardware 
stores often stock or they have a very small supply. Most important for 
charging iPhones. Not being in contact in our totally connected world was 
driving everyone crazy.

Thanks for the list even if I don't do anything about it until it is too late. 
I'll remember you when I wish I had.

Sharon
----
Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org