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Survivalist nut
A week or so ago I saw the tail end of a 'disaster prep for the Pacific Northwest' show on TV. It basically reminded me yet again that I do in fact live in the next Pompeii. The show recommended a few disaster-prep things, and I figured I do a few of them.
Now, I'm not a survivalist nut. If the Apocalypse comes, I do *not* believe "the survivors are the lucky ones". But I am a frickin' Eagle Scout so the idea of being totally unprepared in the case of a disaster is at best embarrassing. The other issue at play is that I'm basically lazy. A slacker with OCD makes for some strange emergent behavior.
As such, I'm not going to dig a bomb shelter under my apartment, stock up on plastic and duct tape, or buy a 350 W gas generator. But I did put together a simple backpack to keep in the car with a radio, flashlight, first-aid kit, water, energy bars, tarp, batteries, and a few other things. I'm also going to stock up on some low-prep canned foodstuffs and a few gallons of water to keep in my pantry....
To date I've been very lucky. I've not had to deal with a disaster. I lived in the middle of Tornado Alley for nine years of my childhood, but we were never close to a touch-down point while we lived in Wichita Falls. I did spend probably two weeks a year hiding in the bathroom or closet since we basically lived on 24/7 tornado watch. We actually moved to Fort Worth a few weeks before a really big tornado smashed up the town, and came back a year later. We had one or two suspected gas leaks, but no fires.
So, while I'm probably more programmed for 'preparedness' than most, I'm pretty apprehensive about dealing with an earthquake first-hand. I doubt I'll wake up trapped under the two apartments above me or that Seattle will be paved over with lava, but the reality of an earthquakes means potential disruption of utilities for a lengthy period of time. No point in suffering needlessly during a week without power and/or water...
Now, I'm not a survivalist nut. If the Apocalypse comes, I do *not* believe "the survivors are the lucky ones". But I am a frickin' Eagle Scout so the idea of being totally unprepared in the case of a disaster is at best embarrassing. The other issue at play is that I'm basically lazy. A slacker with OCD makes for some strange emergent behavior.
As such, I'm not going to dig a bomb shelter under my apartment, stock up on plastic and duct tape, or buy a 350 W gas generator. But I did put together a simple backpack to keep in the car with a radio, flashlight, first-aid kit, water, energy bars, tarp, batteries, and a few other things. I'm also going to stock up on some low-prep canned foodstuffs and a few gallons of water to keep in my pantry....
To date I've been very lucky. I've not had to deal with a disaster. I lived in the middle of Tornado Alley for nine years of my childhood, but we were never close to a touch-down point while we lived in Wichita Falls. I did spend probably two weeks a year hiding in the bathroom or closet since we basically lived on 24/7 tornado watch. We actually moved to Fort Worth a few weeks before a really big tornado smashed up the town, and came back a year later. We had one or two suspected gas leaks, but no fires.
So, while I'm probably more programmed for 'preparedness' than most, I'm pretty apprehensive about dealing with an earthquake first-hand. I doubt I'll wake up trapped under the two apartments above me or that Seattle will be paved over with lava, but the reality of an earthquakes means potential disruption of utilities for a lengthy period of time. No point in suffering needlessly during a week without power and/or water...