Sunday, June 17, 2007

Preparedness

Attended a lecture recently given by the head of the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. For the most part it was a boring talk about Hurricanes and Hawaii, lots of meteorological talk. At the end, he gave a pitch for hurricane preparedness, and your need to stockpile supplies for a 5-7 day period. Coincidentally, I'm reading "The Road" (yes it's the latest Oprah book club book, but Sonya pulled the Oprah sticker off to get me to read it) which is about a post-apocalyptic period...really makes you think about survival. I've decided to build a kit, but this is proving to be a very daunting task. First, you can't focus on just one scenario. Each scenario has its own specific needs. Sure, there are some basics like food and water. But what good does a 5-7 day supply of food do you if there's a sudden "oil crash" and this overcrowded island is effectively isolated? Once Costco runs out of food, it could take weeks or months before someone sails out here with a resupply. There's no way Oahu can feed everyone on this island with its limited usable land resources. If I stockpiled more than 5-7 days worth of food, I must think about defending this food source. So, is it necessary to have a weapon? For long term survivability, I think seeds would be a sure bet, but what if there's a nuclear event and all the soil is contaminated? Or how would I ensure looters stay out of my garden? That brings me back to the defense concern. Not only do you need supplies, you need secure supplies and a defense plan.

At some point, we would see mad roving gangs wearing old football pads and spiked collars. They'd terrorize everyone else. Seems like you'd be guaranteed some sort of safety as a member of the group rather than some ordinary civilian. How do I make sure that I end up in one of these groups? Do I include football pads in my kit? Should I have my growing children try on new sets every year, so that when the time comes, their bandit gear isn't ill-fitting?

Too many questions here. Maybe I should just do what the majority of the population does...make a run on Wal Mart or Costco when a disaster is imminent.

7 comments:

Louis Winthorpe III said...

So you don't have confidence in the USAF's ability to quickly resupply the island?

Strap said...

it depends on the situation...if our oil supply is damaged, do you think resupplying Oahu will be the USAF's #1 priority. i'm sure we'll be using our jet fuel for other endeavors.

Strap said...

which scenario would you focus on?

do you have a kit?

what would you put in your kit?

Louis Winthorpe III said...

Yeah, I couldn't tell you what scenarios the USAF has envisioned and what its priorities would be. You should be telling me that one.

Louis Winthorpe III said...

And no, I don't have a kit. I haven't even thought about that one.

Strap said...

i'm not talking about USAF's priorities in the matter. i'm talking about being a private citizen trying to survive if all social order breaks down.

Louis Winthorpe III said...

Yeah, I have to work on that one. No personal survival plans at the moment...