Pearls&Grit

As previously threatened, here is Part One of my quest to become a little more prepared for any number of events that may happen as a human being on this earth. You can read about the catalyst for beginning this series of posts in this post: Hurricane Harvey

I sat down and thought about which areas seemed to be most problematic as we cleaned out soggy houses in Houston.

1. Water – The rule of thumb is that one person needs three gallons of water in a 72-hour period, therefore:
   • I got 15 one-gallon bottles of water to put in my storage closet. I also got additional cases of bottled water. Bottled water is a handy thing to have on hand.
   • I threw a handful of bottles into the freezer to double as ice packs in a cooler to prolong the use of perishable items from the fridge or freezer, in the event of a power outage.
   • One other thing to be done in an immediate preparation for a storm where you’d be hunkering down for a while, would be filling bathtubs with water for other water-based purposes. I also read to have extra ice to put into your washer as a temporary freezer. I don’t know if that is valid or not, but seems like it might work.
2. Alternate Lighting – I made an inventory of what flashlights and candles we have and it was less than stellar.
   • The kids have these nifty traditional-looking lanterns that run off batteries. They are awesome! They give off a ton of light because they are LED’s, open-cased and they last forever. To top it off, they are also just fun. Check them out here! You won’t regret it…they are only $11.00!
   •  I realized I only had three extra batteries for these lanterns, so I immediately ordered a 12-pack of D-batteries. I also ordered a jumbo pack of AA batteries for the plethora of flashlights I found lying around in random places. (Please tell me that flashlights are standard issue from Santa, the Easter bunny, as birthday presents, and thinking-of-you-gifts in your family too!)
   • I found my stash of taper candles and put them all together in a shoe box, along with a fresh box of matches. You would be surprised at all the many places a taper candle can be stuffed and forgotten. I also did an inventory of my scented candles that could act as stand-ins for alternate lighting. I. Have. Plenty.  *After the fact notation: scented candles can cause headaches if you’ve got Coastal Breeze, and Hawaiian Sensations and Apple Pie all going at once in a fury*
3. Sanitation – No one wants to get left high and dry!
   •  I got several packs of toilet paper to maintain in volume and use on rotation, a refill sized box of baby wipes, an aerosol can of Lysol, and a 5-gallon bucket for you-know-what.
4. Sustenance – Anything that does not require much to prepare, open, or consume:
   • jerky, canned chicken, soup, and hard candy as immediately useful food in a 72-hour period.
   • I also got four bags of Julio’s chips, also to be rotated out and two great big bottles of salsa. Yes, we can survive on chips and salsa alone.

Not an exhaustive list by any means, but a list that does not seem impossible to put together for a relatively low cost without creating undue stress.

What would/did you add to your list?

Click Part 2 and Part 3 for continued reading in this series.