Lost power due to storms and...

[A.Texas.Yankee]

So we lost power today and it got me thinking...

I was with family for the holiday and it blew my mind how horribly ill-prepared everyone was when the power went out. With in minutes I had two flashlights, power (via vehicle jumpstarter with 120 volt plugs), 2 dozen water bottles, and a few blades all from my truck or already on my person. I always have my Beretta on me (along with my 4sevens Quark123, Kershaw Challott, and Leatherman usually) and just happened to have my new SPX with (gotta brag to the brother in law) me. Family couldn't locate a working flashlight, had nothing to protect themselves with (God forbid they had to), and had a single water bottle. Didn't even realize they could light the gas stovetop manually to finish the holiday ham. I wasn't expecting the power to go out and just by my truck I was better prepared than an entire household. If this had been a real emergency (yep I said it), I can only imagine the nightmare that would have ensued. Multiply this home by tens of thousands just in the DFW area and holy crap, talk about chaos. Thoughts? What are everyone else's plans if such a crisis were to occur? I feel I need to be better prepared just in case, how and what do I need to get started?

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[lonestardiver]

Start with a 72 hour kit... Basic supplies for 72 hours. One per person packaged so they can carry it. Small ones will of course need help.
It needs to include sufficient water, enough food, method to prepare meals and additional water for meal prep, medicines, first aid, change of clothes, bedroll, etc. to support that person for 72 hours. In reality, when real disasters happen you really need enough for 2 - 4 weeks per person. That gets to be substantial with a family of any size especially if you need to relocate. In those situations security and safety become a big issue too. Perfect example is Katrina. You may need to shelter in place for that long until help arrives.... There is lot's of info on the net..look at it, read it, take the common recommendations from all of them as they are probably the most relevant and consider some of the others as they may apply to your situation.

 

[Glockster69]

... and just by my truck I was better prepared than an entire household. If this had been a real emergency (yep I said it), I can only imagine the nightmare that would have ensued. Multiply this home by tens of thousands just in the DFW area and holy crap, talk about chaos. Thoughts? What are everyone else's plans if such a crisis were to occur? I feel I need to be better prepared just in case, how and what do I need to get started?

Sorry, I don't recall the thread, but someone pointed out that you might not want to advertise your preparedness, lest you be over run by those in need. That's not to say you shouldn't encourage family and close friends to be prepared but acquaintances, neighbors ...

 

[A.Texas.Yankee]

Sorry, I don't recall the thread, but someone pointed out that you might not want to advertise your preparedness, lest you be over run by those in need. That's not to say you shouldn't encourage family and close friends to be prepared but acquaintances, neighbors ...

Makes sense and why I feel comfortable using a forum for this since identity is as secure as the information I release.

I appreciate the advice and guess I got some saving to do and some planning...

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