The random number generator loved Sheryl the best this week. Sheryl: Please respond to my e-mail with your address and the book will wing its way to you.
In other news:
“Time to plan an egg-based meal,” my weekly post at MSN Money’s Smart Spending blog, was chosen for the Festival of Frugality at Stupid Cents.
“Emergency preparedness on a budget,” my latest work at Get Rich Slowly, is an Editor’s Pick in the Carnival of Personal Finance at Funny About Money (even though the post contains the word “poop”).
The article is about meeting basic needs in an emergency. Such as:
- Would you have enough to eat and drink for at least three days?
- If the power were out could you stay warm/cool? Would you be able to move around without tripping and falling in the dark?
- And yeah: Where would you go to the bathroom? (To say nothing of washing your hands.)
The time to think about such things is now, before you need them. Learn how to gather the basics for survival without busting your budget.
You probably have a lot, or maybe all, of what you need. Check the article to find out more.
Trust me: You don’t want to be the person who ends up going from neighbor to neighbor asking to borrow a pack of matches or a manual can opener.
I live in an apartment building with 11 other households. I would like to believe that we would all see that we were in it together, whatever the disaster was and, yes, share matches or a manual can opener, or whatever else we had. I don’t want to be the one who has to sleep beside a barricaded door with a shotgun at the ready.
@Sharon: You’d like to think the best. So would I. But it’s good to be prepared for the worst.
And, sad to say, be ready to establish boundaries. Several years ago I asked a few neighbors in my building (21 units) if they had any supplies at all, such as bottled water or extra food. None of them did. When I suggested it would be prudent to do so, they looked at me blankly.
At that time I was the manager of the building. I created a memo explaining that in case of an emergency certain supplies were needed and that everyone was responsible for getting his own. If I were a betting woman, I’d wager that few or none of my neighbors did that.
OK, worst-case scenario: All of them show up at my door after a day with no city water, asking if they could have a gallon of mine. My hand-cranked radio had just broadcast that it would be at least a week before the water would start up again after the earthquake (or whatever).
What do I do? Do I endanger my own health by giving away half my water supply without a clear idea of how I’ll replace it? Or do I suggest they walk however many miles it is to the Red Cross station and haul home any water they’re given?
Two neighbors have moved since then, replaced by young families. Here is what I would do: Give the families a small amount of water and then send the parents off to the Red Cross. They’re young and strong and can handle standing in line and then carrying home a gallon of sustenance.
To be clear: If it took five hours to get there, wait and get back, of course I would give the neighbors’ kids a cup of water. I wouldn’t let them suffer.
A little alarmist, yes. But even a minor disruption in services brings out a side of human nature that isn’t always pretty. At some point my decision would have to be, “I’m sorry, but I have barely enough for my own use. The nearest emergency station is located at X and Y streets.” I would also be willing to unlock the utility-room door and get out the garden hose so people could drain their water heaters.
P.S. I don’t own a shotgun. I would of course be willing to share my can opener. And enough of my neighbors smoke that there would be lending and re-lending of cigarette lighters.
Thanks so much for the book! I know it will help me immensely.
I’m a stay-at-home-mom now, but when I worked, I was a disaster recovery / business continuity planner. Being prepared for an emergency right now, this minute, while the sun is shining and there is no threat on the horizon, is so important.
I enjoyed your article about putting together plans on a shoestring, and I printed it to keep in my emergency plan binder. Thank you! 🙂
Most of the government and red cross materials meant to help folks plan for an emergency assume that you will be able to stay in your home. As recent natural disasters have shown, that is not always the case. It is worth an afternoon of time to investigate possible sources of disaster and where you would go if you could not stay in your home. Donna and I live in the same neck of the woods, earthwakes and volcanos are a threat we need to consider.
What would you absolutely need to take in a car with you? Does it all fit? How fast can you pack it? How much gas would you need to get to your “safe” place? How would you get there if major roads and highways are not an option? And, as the mother of 5 and 7 year olds, what are you going to take to keep the kids occupied?! Paper, pencils and a small manual sharpener was my choice. Small enough that we could spare the space for it and you’re only limited by your imagination by what games you can play.
You make a very good point about not sharing supplies and you say it nicely. In an emergency it becomes a case of The Ant and The Grasshopper, with the grasshoppers far outnumbering the Ants.
Great posts! Right up my alley! 🙂