September is National Preparedness Month and your federal and probably state governments are involved in pushing large scale "Are You Ready?" campaigns.

Here in California our biggest threats are wildfires and earthquakes. What are the biggest threats facing your community?

It used to be that we were told to have 3 days of supplies on hand. Now we are being told that we should be prepared to be on our own for 7 to 10 days.

One thing people often overlook is the Bug Out Bag. We had a train derailment here not too long ago and because of the chemicals on the train the nearby neighborhoods had to be evacuated. Nearly every person that showed up to the Red Cross emergency shelter had forgotten to bring their medications with them. And many of those people could not go more than 24 hours without those meds. They were in a world of hurt.

When you are making your emergency plans, don't forget to make a Bug Out Bag. This bag would ideally be stored near the exit to your home and would include items such as:

Extra copies of your important documents (birth certificate, social security cards, passports, insurance info)

Extra cash in small bills for gas, motel, taxi, bus, plane, etc

3-4 days of required prescription medications. Other meds such as antihistimines, pain relievers, etc.

Extra change of clothes packed according to season.

Basic hygiene items (ladies don't forget the feminine hygiene)

Wet wipes/Bath in a bag

Plastic bag for dirty clothes

Water

Food

Maps of your area

Multipurpose tool

Work gloves

Duct tape

Whistle

Poncho

Tarp

Emergency space blanket

First aid kit

Cell phone charger

Eye glass repair kit

Entertainment such as cards, notepad/pencil, book

Each person in your family needs their own bag. And if you don't end up having to evacuate, you'll have that much more available in your home. Make a plan, build a kit, get involved.

wow ruth, that is a lot of stuff to remember for an emergency kit. here in texas we also prepare an emergency kit, but it doesn't require lugging around so many items. with a texas emergency kit you can pretty much go anywhere and politely get everything else on your list

hahahahahahaha

Here in Oregon we face the same Ruthie, fires, earthquakes,
and tsunami collateral damage.

I guess walking on the beach and getting hit by
a Japanese dock counts.

Ese. That's actually on the list I have personally.

Soufie, I guess those flying Japanese docks can be a bit scary. You should add an umbrella to your kit.

Big bug bag... right from the land of the ice and snow, with the midnight sun where the hot wings kowtow...

Our bags include all that Ruthie said, plus:

Emergency heat-reflecting blanket

black fly and mostquito face- and neck nets

insect repellants

extra wife to keep you warm at night

nosy neighbour and busy-body repellants

instant IQ pills

Tim Hortons coffee in thermos

government cheques -- tax refunds, HST refunds, child care expense refunds, northern wage- and living allowance, heating oil subsidy, eyeglass replacement subisidies (plural in case you have two eyes),... etc. etc.

rattle snake repellant and moose meat attractanct

viagra for males, birth control pills and anti-headache tablets for women

bible

Torah

Quran

false idols (for entertainment; such as "Hello", "Hollywood Stars", and "Life of the idle, rich and famous", etc. mags)

chess set

Chest set (emergency breast implants)

extra key to your heart

Homework for the kids, like Greek Grammar and List of conjugatives of irregular French verbs; leave the math books alone at home, they will guard the house, no burglar ever went ransacking after seeing math textbooks all over the house, better protection than mastiffs, or Police Presence)

your favourite slippers

At least seven cases of beer, five bottles of Rye whisky, and several cartons of toupees and toukes

Car keys

blank Christmas cards

security blankets (for you and the kids)

baseball card collection

blankets and tree hussings

pictures (photos preferrably) of trees, to id you as Canadian

Ax and chainsaw

snowmobile

maple syroup.

=================

Advisable but not recommended:

Police repellants

self-administered breathalizer kits

snake venom (non-poisonous)

laughing apparatus from the sixties

train schedule

English-Native American First nations vocabulary book, vols. 1-38

The Canadian Oxford Extended and unabridged Dictionary of the English language, Vols. 1-17,000

dog hides

cat's paws

Anything edible and/or chewable

Anything papadoupoulous and/or papandreu in your house

Garden hose

Clothing

Chlongings

Chemistry set

Food

Edible water

Instantly rehydrated dehydrated drinking water.

Dang! You need to a pack mule to carry all that stuff.

Here in South Western Ontario (size of seven large Oregons) we also face the same Ruthie, plus thunderstorms, blitz rain, air quality index, and blisters.

we also face the mule. Coz unless you're the lead mule, the view never changes.

That's what soca people carry as a back-up security blanket, in case they get to a point when their LSD supply runs too low in the desert where they got chased out to by the fire, and dogs of doom are howling mold.

The space blanket helps you get spaced out, and also spaced in or get high, when smoked properly. It is a really useful household emergency tool, the most underrated of them all.

Okay, my last post in this thread for a while, as to give room to others to speak:

In SoCa the list of things to put in the Big Bug Bag is long and makes the runner from the fire move slowly. This is good, so the paratrooper sharpshooters have an easier job at pickign people off as they move along slowly, in one very long single line.

I mean, I would not put this past your goverment's secret plans.

Ummmm......I live in....Illinois....

our biggest threat is......Governors.....

we have 4 in prison now!!!

I thought that the biggest threat to Californians was California's debt crisis.

On a serious note, I keep my vital records in a fire-proof safe that is portable.

Perhaps you should put a roll of tin foil in your bag.

Very good idea.

Another way to secure them is to make copies and store at a family member's home.

Krupa, it's actually not that much stuff. It all fits in a large backpack. The food is just stuff like beef jerky and granola bars. I have that and the water in my car so I don't even need it in the bag.

Is that a pre-requisite for your prisons?
Higher office?

Man, that seems like a real bad place
to be for an ex-Governor.

I also carry my DNA imprint in a leather sack everywhere I go. It's not fireproof, but theft proof. Water-resistent, except for saliva. Female saliva.

That's... funny.


In Canada we have a party for that purpose, the Liberal Party of Canada, it's made of a bunch of thieving ganefs, and nobody goes to jail, because we are wusses here.

The country is therefore run by the least popular party (if you listen to the gov radio and tv stations, CBC) with a majority presence in the house of elected representatives, whom everyone, absolutely everyone hates, except they are honest, straightforward, don't steal, make good, equitable policies, don't ruin the country financially, provide a fair and equitable distribution of the country's immense wealth, help the poor and the sick, make busines strive, and are working hard to keep this country going at a good rate.

Everyone hates them, according to the liberal media, but we keep voting them in because they do an excellent job. Some liberal critics accuse them of playing an unfair political game, this leading party, which seems to consistently adhere to its inner and secret conspiratory political behaviour, which is being good and fair in leading the coutnry.