are you ready for a disaster?

[rhaig 0]

How do you define disaster?


What kind of disaster do you think is the most likely to affect you?

Are you prepared for whatever kind of disaster might strike you?

How might you improve your situation before you're affected by such a disaster?


(I'll withhold my answers for a while)

--
Rob

[quade 4]

No. Nobody is. They may say they are, but they're only fooling themselves.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[rhaig 0]

it all depends on how you define disaster, and what you think you're ready for. The most likely disaster to hit anyone right now is typicaly a personal disaster on the lines of loss of your job.

--
Rob

[futuredivot 0]

No. Where I live we're not subject to most natural disasters. I'm well prepared for ice storms and inconveniences such as that but if one of our extremely rare tornadoes hit me or my home burned I'd be pretty screwed. I'm insured and have safe storage for important papers but I'd lose a lot of irreplaceable things.

You are only as strong as the prey you devour

[BIGUN 1,488]

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No. Nobody is. They may say they are, but they're only fooling themselves.

Really. Why is that?

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[quade 4]

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No. Nobody is. They may say they are, but they're only fooling themselves.

Really. Why is that?

Because people have limited imaginations.

Whatever they "think" is the worst disaster, will be proven wrong by a bigger one; sometimes caused by something insignificant they never imagined would have caused one.

Just think about how smart the people at NASA are. Think about the amazing amount of thought that goes into everything they do.

Now think of;
Apollo 1
Challenger
Columbia

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[kbordson 8]

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No. Nobody is. They may say they are, but they're only fooling themselves.

Really. Why is that?

Because people have limited imaginations.

Whatever they "think" is the worst disaster, will be proven wrong by a bigger one; sometimes caused by something insignificant they never imagined would have caused one.

I might have a limited imagination, but for what has been considered, we are fairly well covered.

Granted, I don't have any good anesthetic, but I have the skills and supplies to cover most minor surgeries. We have the ability to be self sufficient for a period of at least a month. And we have the proper defenses to ensure that no one will compromise our safety.

So... I would say... I'm fairly ready.


WOLVERINES!!!


(actually... Being a Wisconsin girl and not a Michigan girl... I should probably change that to BADGERS!!!!! but it doesn't go as well with the reference to the obscure 80's movie that is being remade and pertinent to the topic.)

[Lucky... 0]

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How do you define disaster?


What kind of disaster do you think is the most likely to affect you?

Are you prepared for whatever kind of disaster might strike you?

How might you improve your situation before you're affected by such a disaster?


(I'll withhold my answers for a while)

Yes, I accidentally wore a yellow with a black; I looked like a fucking bumble bee. That was a fashion disaster.

[BIGUN 1,488]

Well, on this point we agree.
While the average person is _probably_ not going to be affected by a NASA incident; the fact of the matter is - even in those situations where people are used to certain environmental/geographical incidents that occur on a regular basis (Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Wildfires, Ice Storms, etc.); they don't adequately prepare.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[BIGUN 1,488]

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We have the ability to be self sufficient for a period of at least a month.

Is that for Location A, Location B, or Location C?

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[quade 4]

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Well, on this point we agree.
While the average person is _probably_ not going to be affected by a NASA incident; the fact of the matter is - even in those situations where people are used to certain environmental/geographical incidents that occur on a regular basis (Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Wildfires, Ice Storms, etc.); they don't adequately prepare.

I wasn't even trying to imply people would be victims of a NASA accident. I was using it as an illustration that you can prepare all you want for some things and be completely unprepared for something you might have though was insignificant yet ends up being a huge disaster.

Another example might be that people in the mid-west pay a lot of attention to tornados, but are probably unprepared for earthquakes. Yes, they actually can happen anywhere on the planet. Further, since they happen so infrequently in the mid-west, a lot of the buildings are built to the same specifications as buildings where they do happen more frequently.

Time and time again this has proven to be a bad idea in third world countries. If you hear about a 5.5 earthquake in SoCal, it might wake people up, but it probably didn't do a lot of damage (if any), yet that same size event can be a horrible disaster in a lot of the world.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/04/0412_060412_earthquake.html

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[billvon 3,120]

>Now think of;
>Apollo 1
>Challenger
>Columbia

Well, to be fair, both shuttle disasters were anticipated and even warned against, but the cost of dealing with the risk was too high and they took the gamble. (And if the alternative was cancelling the shuttle project, that might have been a good gamble.) I agree that the Apollo 1 disaster was pretty unanticipated.

[billvon 3,120]

>How do you define disaster?

A serious problem that affects a lot of people, not just me.

>Are you prepared for whatever kind of disaster might strike you?

For some, yes. Economic collapse is the most likely, and we're moderately prepared for that.

If it involves collapse of society we're less prepared, but we still have some pretty good options where we are. We can grow food, get water and power, deal with our own sewage and defend ourselves.

[quade 4]

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For some, yes. Economic collapse is the most likely, and we're moderately prepared for that.

If it involves collapse of society we're less prepared, but we still have some pretty good options where we are. We can grow food, get water and power, deal with our own sewage and defend ourselves.

What about The Spanish Inquisition?
Nobody expects that!

How prepared are you for a home built sub delivering a nuclear device into San Diego harbor?

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[lawrocket 3]

Yes.

I have health insurance with catastrophic coverage for my family and me. My wife has her own policy that also covers our kids and each other as a buffer. It has a high deductible, but covers everything after it is met. I'd have to be Christopher Reeve for 25 years before the limits are met. But quadriplegics average 7 years of life, and I have a DNR and a mother-in-law with power of attorney, anyway (yes, a strategic decision showing I want that plug pulled). Disaster planning started.

I have a life insurance policy that will provide my income until the age of 55 to my family, thus ensuring my family is taken care of in the event of disaster.

I also have a disability policy that will cover 80% of my income should I be unable to work due to disaster. They are shockingly inexpensive.

I have a home insurance policy that provides for temporary housing and a stipend should disaster occur.

And should I cause disaster, I've got umbrellas on my errors and omissions as well as my auto liability.

The likely disasters, yeah, my family and I are covered. Many accuse me of uncaring for this.

On that note, in the event of some other natural disaster, I mainly have to worry about earthquake or flood, though I neither are highly likely Thanks to Uncle Sam, perhaps drought is an issue (gotta keep the delta smelt comfy and direct all remaining water to SF residents, even if it means keeping a Yosemite Valley flooded).

I have a spare supply of food. As well as two full propane tanks, canned goods up the wazoo, and 30 gallons of water of clean water with a swimming pool and chlorine.

I have a supply of cash kept in a secret place. I also have a shotgun with 2 boxes of bird shot, and a handgun with enough ammo for my wife and I to be armed. If someone wants to take food and water meant for my kids, we have sufficient propane, a grill, and ammunition to make sure that person will keep my kids and me fed, should such become necessary.

On the other end of low likelihood, there are asteroids, nukes, supervolcanoes, pathogens and the melting of the Greenland ice sheet. Well, not much can be done.

But for the maximum 5 meter sea level rise from Greenland becoming green again, I'm safe there, as well. It'll cut a minute or two off of the 3 hour trip to the coast.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[billvon 3,120]

>How prepared are you for a home built sub delivering a nuclear device into
>San Diego harbor?

Moderately well. Surface or subsurface detonations result in more localized fallout, and with the prevailing winds we'd see most of the fallout in Santee, El Cajon etc. We'd see total-destruction radii of 5-6 miles with a fission device (which is the most likely terrorist device.) We'd lose all our windows, some of our roof, but retain most of the house. In our climate that's not too bad.

The first official response would be evacuation via the northbound routes (5/15) which we could take advantage of. The low level of the detonation would restrict the damage caused by EMP, but we'd still lose most radios/cellphones/landlines. We'd get power back as soon as I rewired the solar system for direct-to-battery (bypassing the inverter.)

If we chose to stay here we'd live off stored food (we probably have 2 months worth of canned goods and grains) until we either evacuated or had normal services restored.

[rhaig 0]

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No. Nobody is. They may say they are, but they're only fooling themselves.

Really. Why is that?

Because people have limited imaginations.

Whatever they "think" is the worst disaster, will be proven wrong by a bigger one; sometimes caused by something insignificant they never imagined would have caused one.

Just think about how smart the people at NASA are. Think about the amazing amount of thought that goes into everything they do.

Now think of;
Apollo 1
Challenger
Columbia

so because you can't possibly prepare for the worst case scenario, don't bother to prepare for anything at all?

--
Rob

[AggieDave 6]

For a basic disaster, yes we're ready. Pretty much I won't be able to leave for an impending disaster, but I'll be able to send my wife away to family in other states and/or other parts of Texas.

For TEOTWAWKI, from what I've read and studied, then yes we are prepared. In other societies that have gone through massive social upheaval, the biggest problem was self defense and tradable items.

Its really interesting reading what others have gone through around the world when their society has completely collapsed. A common theme is that you can't have too much ammo and you need a good multi-purpose rifle (defense and hunting) and a solid defense handgun. You also need the ability to sustain yourself and your family for some few day stretches at a time during shortages.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[rhaig 0]

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Another example might be that people in the mid-west pay a lot of attention to tornados, but are probably unprepared for earthquakes. Yes, they actually can happen anywhere on the planet. Further, since they happen so infrequently in the mid-west, a lot of the buildings are built to the same specifications as buildings where they do happen more frequently.

so isn't there a great amount of overlap in preparations for many disasters? Being prepared for a tornado that might cut off water and power for a week isn't that much different from being prepared from an earthquake that cuts off water and power for a week.

But you mention one of my points for me. People should prepare for what is most likely to occur. That's why people in the midwest are concerned with tornadoes. They mostly know what a wall cloud and hook echo look like, they can tell a tornado producing storm by sight (I could after 14yr living in KS). We had a water stash and a food stash in the basement. We knew we might not be able to get to it if our house was collapsed, but had neighbors with similar stashes that would share.

--
Rob

[AggieDave 6]

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a lot of the buildings are built to the same specifications as buildings where they do happen more frequently.

According to my civil engineer wife, you're wrong in that regard. There are many specific design specifications, that are also expensive to build, that are required where you live. They are not required where we live, so they are NOT done. Then again, I'm willing to bet that the same design specifications for tornado activity isn't built into your local structures.

You have to prepare for the most likely scenarios. Sure Switzerland could invade Texas, I could be ready for it with poisoned chocolate and exploding watches, but how likely is it really? All in all its common sense. Although you're probably prepared for basic disasters at your home, I bet you're wholly unprepared for someone trying to rob you at the ATM. I also bet you can't recognize the larger criminal street gangs in your area and how to avoid situations that could prove dangerous to you and your family. What is more likely? An large devastating earthquake in Texas or you coming in direct contact with a MS-13 or Latin King member while getting cash out of an ATM?

What is your active shooter plan for you and your family? I bet you don't have one.

You have to prepare for society, not just natural disasters.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[futuredivot 0]

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What is your active shooter plan for you and your family?

She gets the rug doctor out before the stains set in the carpet :-)

Actually we do have one for the scenarios I consider most likely.

You are only as strong as the prey you devour

[FlyingJ 0]

Nobody can be 100% prepared to deal with everything, but I feel pretty good about the ability to make it through the types of disaster I can expect to see locally, primarily hurricanes.

A lot of people feel invincible with their months of food and closet full of guns, etc., but none of that will help you after a tornado picks up your house and spreads it across a two county area. That is, unless it's stored in your hardened underground bunker, in which case, you got room for me in there?

In my experience doing disaster relief (on chainsaw crews, w/ Red Cross and as EMS) the MOST prepared people are those with a place to go to avoid (an expected) disaster altogether. Nobody was ever in the way as much as the people who "were prepared and could fend for themselves" but just ended up being a pain in the ass to the responders once they realized just how uncomfortable it is to be without the comforts they are used to. Nobody is easier to care for than the person that isn't there in the first place.

Killing threads since 2004.

[AggieDave 6]

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She gets the rug doctor out before the stains set in the carpet :-)

Actually we do have one for the scenarios I consider most likely.

Right.

Unfortunately society has shown us that it is good to have a plan when encountered in a public place when encountered by a determined individual or individuals who are armed. They could be armed with firearms, knives, bats, basically a variety of things.

Won't happen? What about the escaped convict in IL yesterday?

What is your plan when someone approaches your car window while stopped at a stop light? Have you left enough room between your car the the one in front of you to maneuver? Are your doors locked? What is your plan?

Those are every day disasters that are more common placed then having your home ripped from the foundation by a tornado.

Getting most people to understand that and take the small steps needed to prepare for those sorts of situations is nearing on impossible. People have no problem having canned food on hand, but don't want to consider bad people in the world.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[BIGUN 1,488]

Anyone can take the following coursework as an ISP (CEU requirement for me).
You do NOT need to provide your SSN.
Dave, some here that are LEO specific and since you're part of the ESF role...
http://training.fema.gov/IS/crslist.asp

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[AggieDave 6]

Yeah, I've taken some of those. Some were worth while, some of the FEMA classes were what I would consider common sense.

Good link, especially for those who aren't in the "industry."

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."