Preparedness for when

D&DD

I'm quite good for a scenario like this BOB's ready packed as is main med kit in el cheapo from Ebay paramedic bag :rotfl:
I invested in a box of facemasks from Approved not long ago to top up what I already had and I also bought some polythene sheets for sealing doors and windows if needed

As we aren't going to be allowed to shelter in place I'd grab the bags and go.

My son with the mobility probs has a trolley so he can pull his BOB,no 3 son with Autism has picture cards laminated,made with pecs to cover basic scenarios.All bags also have emergency whistles attached in case we are seperated..neurotic..moi??:o

Re getting stranded at school,when we had the bad snow year before last I kept my 2 home as I'd seen the forecast for a downpour..DS3's special school provides transport but due to total chaos the kids were stranded at school (with no food etc) until 9pm and eventually arrived home at Midnight..school is 20 minutes walk away!!
I would have walked there if he had've been stranded just so he knew he was safe with me.

Edited to add the animals (2 cats and dog) all have their own bags packed and are chipped and I've checked with our local centre (school) that they are allowed in for short evacuations any longer we would go to a relative no doubt

Byatt

D&DD, what a lovely post, and I love that the cats and dog have their own bags packed, what a good idea. And well done on keeping your two home, dealing with emergencies also involves being proactive and realistic and weighing up the risks...and making an executive decision, rather than listening to the experts who often get things wrong.

PhGage

I like Seattle Mama Doc's advice on putting together a 3 Day Disaster kit for family and animals. She's in the US, so appropriate changes and conversions have to be made but it's a very helpful guide with useful links.

Water: 3 gallons per person or animal. That’s a gallon a day for 3 days for everyone. This is the most important thing you have in your kit. You’ll need a little more for breast-feeding mothers. Pay attention to expiration dates! It’s true that water expires. Just let go of the controversy and believe the experts. If you make your own bottled water, you need to replace those every 6 months.

Caterina

Thank you for all the replies re. water. My main concern in London would be chemical contamination, due to some sort of industrial disaster or terrorist act, both very possible scenarios. So using Thames water would not be really feasible even after sterilising, boiling, filtering, distilling and doing all the normal things to make undrinkable water drinkable. So a stash of drinking water in the house would make me feel much more comfortable.

In terms of staying put or leaving, DH and I are getting older so we need to start thinking more in terms of protecting ourselves from any unforeseen event by staying at home, as in future years we might not have sufficient strength to go very far, or strenght to fight predators out in the streets. The twins, on the other hand, should really be concentrating on the moving scenario as they are young and healthy.

Funny enough, I think they would not do too badly because they have been camping with us all their lives so are quite accustomed to a modicum of outdoor life. Also, both of them especially DD are fixated on Zombie invasions! The first thing DD and her friends do, everywhere they go, is to make an emergency plan for a Zombie attack! I think that, much as this is not a terribly likely scenario, the mindset is already there so they stand a chance!

Update on the travel stuff though: re. driving, I have contacted the AA to ask for the two free hours of refresher driving. Re. biking, my local council offers free lessons not far from where I live, every Saturday, so next Sat. I am off to get my first class.

Got to start thinking again in terms of stocking up of food and meds. Need to talk to DH and see what he thinks of it all, it would be great to have him on board but I need to approach the subject with some caution, as he really thought I was being paranoid when I last talked about prepping (maybe because I said I wanted the gun! LOL). Good night all.

valk_scot

fuddle wrote: »

I just couldn't walk off and leave my little ones. I'd want to be with them, it's where I would gravitate to even if it wasn't the schools policy to let me. I'd be there, I'd be wanting in and I'd be wanting to be with my girls. No rule is going to stop me from doing that, even if it puts me at risk.

I understand that totally but the thing is, if 600 parents in cars descended on our school at once and tried to get to their kids it would mean total panic and gridlock and then no-one, including me and the kids or anyone elses kids would get away safely. When we had the round of bomb threats to the school the evacuation to the sports centre two miles away went like clockwork for the kids, it was the parents that had rushed off to the school and were milling around in panic not knowing what to do that would have got caught in any bomb blast that went off. By the third time (we had four hoax calls in one week, the school was evacuated every time) everyone had worked out what to do and that was go directly to the evacuation point and wait for the kids to arrive. Apart from anything else the teachers dread actually losing a child during an evacuation and that's why they want the parents to allow them to get all the kids out in a group as quickly as possible, rather than waste precious time looking for a child that's been taken away by a parent unbeknown to them.

I also had a child long term in hospital and as such I had to learn the emergency evacuation drill too. The thing that was hammered into our heads over and over again was that the staff knew what to do and your child was probably in more danger from you panicking and ripping out his drips and ventilator or whatever to get out quickly than you waiting for your designated staff member to reach you. It's very hard to entrust your child to another person in an emergency but in many cases it's for the best, they're the experts and they have a plan that's based on good experience and knowledge. No-ones asking you to shrug your shoulders and abandon the kids, what they're asking is for you to familiarise yourself with the procedures and cooperate with them as much as possible.

fuddle

I understand all you say, and agree with it wholeheartedly... it's just the mother in me would need to make sure my little ones were safe. If I had to evacuate, leave my village, I couldn't until I knew where my children were. If that means walking down to school then that is what I would do. It might not make sense to you all but it makes sense to me.

I am a panic'er and hate that I am but it over rides any sense of what you should do.

mardatha

Can I just say that if this thread makes you anxious - then please don't read it The idea is to make people think, not make people panic.... quite the reverse!
The best solution to any crisis would be stay put if at all possible. Get food & water stashed, get an alternative method of heating & cooking, and you're ok.
But if forced to evacuate because of toxic fumes, fire, floods, bomb threat etc.. then for me, a BOB would be the fewest items possible. I don't want to heave half a house around when I'm trying to move fast.
A small bag or body belt with birth certs/passports/bank cards, couple bottles Lucozade, presciption meds, and as much cash as possible. Then you can head off to a nice b&b or guest house and bug out in comfort

Byatt

Valk-scott, your post is spot on, but I think the telling thing is the parents had an opportunity to practise albeit unintentionally. If these emergencies are going to turn out well for all concerned, practise and reminders for both the children and their carer's should be the norm. Of course it's expensive so not going to happen...but some sort of knowledge is power.

My Dd is special needs although an adult now, and I know how she responds in a crisis (it's not pretty) and the only person who can calm her is me. Sadly.

Caterina well done on starting the refresher course. I stopped driving for a period of about 3 years and started again because my dad was ill, but it was nerve wracking at first as I was never a confident driver, but I am so glad I did, as it's is such a useful skill. :T

Ph, I will look at your link, 3 days seems more manageable to me, plus the ideas for pets will be excellent. I like the idea of my pooch having a GB (grab bag, I can't use the Bob acronym) of her own. Although she may eat all the food that was meant for 3 days...J/K :rotfl:or not...:D

fuddle

mardatha wrote: »

Can I just say that if this thread makes you anxious - then please don't read it The idea is to make people think, not make people panic.... quite the reverse!

it's not making me panic Mar it's just bringing all sorts of scenarios to life and making me think how I would cope. I feel uneasy but I need to know these things because what use is a gibbering wreck who knows nothing... a gibbering wreck that knows something is much better

nuatha

fuddle wrote: »

I understand all you say, and agree with it wholeheartedly... it's just the mother in me would need to make sure my little ones were safe. If I had to evacuate, leave my village, I couldn't until I knew where my children were. If that means walking down to school then that is what I would do. It might not make sense to you all but it makes sense to me.

I am a panic'er and hate that I am but it over rides any sense of what you should do.

Fuddle, find out from your little ones' school(s) what their evacuations procedures are and where they would evacuate to.
That way you will know where you need to go and what you need to do. It wouldn't be any good arriving at the school to find out they've already been moved two or three miles, possibly past where you were.
If you know what's going to happen and where they will be then hopefully that reduces or at least redirects the panic reactions.

A lot of the point of being prepared is to reduce panic and so that you know what to do and when (or at least have options to consider)

HTH