Off Topic - disaster preparedness

**jessep** · 12-08-2010, 04:19 PM

Besides the normal canned food in my panty, I am no where ready for any type of disaster. Many government and non profit sites (redcross, fema, ready.gov) state that we should be prepared for a emergency with a kit (that you can make on your own). I was just curious as to what some of you all have done in order to prepare for a possible disaster or do you all do nothing as far as disaster planning?

i know, weird topic...but most people don't plan financially, I was wondering if it's true for emergencies as well.

**savvy_sniper** · 12-08-2010, 04:46 PM

There is a sub-forum under Homesteading and Gardening titled Preparedness and Survival. Here is the link - Preparedness and Survival - Frugal Village Forums

Lots of information there.

**Ejagno** · 12-26-2010, 08:07 AM

I too live on the Gulf Coast and I can tell you first hand that if you don't plan physically as well as financially right now then all of the Money Makeovers and Financial Freedom goals you are working on will be for nothing if you are a victim of even one single disaster. It should be part of your monthly budget, not emergency funds. My hurricane deductible is $4k so that must be set aside over time. My "Evacuation" funds through Rita, Ike and Gustav averaged one to four weeks in a hotel, fuel, laundry and food to the tune of about $2k for each evacuation. Although I have excellent home insurance it takes time to file claims and get emergency living expenses so unless you plan on standing in very long lines or living in a shelter you need to have plans in place. We've since bought a very nice used 5th wheel that will save alot of hotel and food expenses but there is still RV lot fees and fuel to consider.

This is NOT AN EMERGENCY, no more than Christmas or birthdays. We know we live in an area where hurricanes are common therefore we need to prepare for it. These new FEMA guidelines as well as hurricane deductibles will leave many people in dire straights for the next "big one" so let's live now like no one else and plan so that we can live like no one else should the worst case scenario happen. I lost my home in Rita. Apartment rents tripled after the hurricanes and were almost non existent since we had literally thousands of Katrina evacuees relocated here. I won't be unprepared again. It's insurance of the best kind.

By the way, I had a years worth of food, clothing and household stored. It's gone. I had no way of transporting all of that along with my family to get out of harms way. Don't store more than you can bring with you.

**sunshine** · 12-26-2010, 08:47 AM

We do various disaster plans. . . we all have car kits for winter driving (blankets, heat source, hand crank power supply for cell phones, hats, socks, gloves, food, etc.) We all have bug out bags for short term emergency (floods, tornado) , and we have long term emergency kits for things like "the end of the world" events (earthquake, nuclear attack, etc.)