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Emergency Preparedness on a Shoestring
Published on - March 31st, 2011 (by Donna Freedman)
This post is from new GRS staff writer Donna Freedman. Donna writes a personal finance column for MSN Money, and writes about frugality and intentional living at Surviving And Thriving.
Images of devastation emerged after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. We watched water sweep away vehicles and houses; we saw stunned men and weeping women in the ruins. But we also heard about survivors whose homes weren't flattened or inundated, people who subsisted on stockpiled food and water while waiting for help. Living on the "Ring of Fire" means temblors and tidal waves are a fact of life — and so is disaster preparedness.
We need to be prepared, too. The Department of Homeland Security's Ready America program says we should be able to sustain ourselves for at least three days after an emergency, whether that's a hundred-year storm or a civil insurrection.
How ready are you?
Right now, before anything bad happens, is the time to build your emergency kit — and you can do it on a budget. In fact, you probably already have some (or a lot) of what you need.
The (sometimes icky) basics
During those three days you need to be fed, hydrated and sheltered. You also need a place to poop.
Yeah, that's gross. You know what else is gross? The idea of everyone in your apartment building or subdivision yelling "Gardyloo!" and flinging slops out the window. Cholera epidemic, anyone?
When I was a kid, predictions of bad weather had us filling bathtub and buckets. That's because if we lost power we lost our well pump, i.e., no way to flush the toilets. That's still the first line of short-term defense; if you have any warning, stash yourself some water.
When that's gone you'll need at least one large container into which everyone can evacuate. Maybe a repurposed five-gallon detergent, paint or pet-litter bucket? If you don't have one:
- Put out the word among friends
- Ask any painters or contractors you know
- Look on The Freecycle Network or Craigslist
It's possible to buy a toilet seat that snaps onto a bucket, which makes things easier. Or buy a prefab one (search online for "bucket toilet") for $20 or less.
Decide now where you'll put your temporary toilet. The garage? The back porch? Maybe even in the actual bathroom? Anywhere but the place where you plan to eat and sleep. Trust me on this.
Ready for an overshare? Here's how I'd handle disposal if the you-know-what hits the fan here in Seattle:
- Use the bucket (in a former life, it held detergent)
- Put soiled paper into a garbage bag (and tie it really tightly between uses)
- Flush the contents of each, little by little, once the emergency has abated
Please do not do your business in the condo-complex yard, no matter how much fun it is to pee outdoors.
Food and drink
Ready America recommends one gallon of water per person per day. It's easy to buy bottled water but much cheaper to fill up two-liter soda bottles, or inexpensive pitchers or jugs. (Don't drink soda? Surely someone you know does.)
Refill the containers every few months; mark it on the calendar so you don't forget. Don't just dump the old water, though. Use it in some way, such as:
- Watering houseplants or your garden
- Bathing (add hot water unless you like your tub-time tepid)
- Cooking
- Filling pet dishes
- Doing hand laundry
- Washing vegetables or fruit
When it comes to emergency rations, you can go as stripped-down or as fancy as you like. But it must be something you'd eat anyway, because you'll need to rotate and replace your stock. If an earthquake happens six years from now, do you want to be eating 2011 ramen?
Some obvious choices:
- Canned beans, stews, soups, fruits, vegetables, meats and/or fish
- Protein bars, granola bars, dried fruit
- Powdered milk and cereal
- Peanut butter or other nut butters
- Crackers or pilot bread; I recommend the latter, because it lasts for-freakin'-ever
If you'll have a way to heat water, consider a few instant soups or other dehydrated foods such as hummus or bean dip. Flavored noodle cups/bowls do go on sale; check Asian markets for the best selection. Hot drinks are both warming and soothing, so stock up on bouillon cubes, teabags, instant coffee and hot chocolate mix.
Survival shopping at bargain prices
The camping section of your local sporting-goods stores has quite a selection of dehydrated meals. So do online stores that sell survival/disaster preparedness supplies. But I'm focusing on inexpensive ways to prepare.
So watch for sales and use coupons and/or rebates when possible. A few of my better supermarket deals: envelopes of pre-drained tuna for free, granola bars for a penny each, cocoa mix for 5 cents per serving, a large bag of M&Ms for 50 cents, 12 ounces of peanuts for 69 cents.
Olives, marinated veggies, sun-dried tomatoes and other fancy foodstuffs from the dollar store will liven up your basic grub. After two days of PBJs and canned beans, a few pickled vegetable will taste like manna.
The dollar store has cheap bandages and rubbing alcohol, too. So do places like CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid; I've obtained baby wipes (aka "shower in a pouch"), hand sanitizer, analgesics, energy bars, crackers and batteries free or nearly free thanks to rebate programs at those stores.
About those batteries: Aim for at least one flashlight per room. Hand-cranked flashlights (and radios) don't need batteries. If you can't afford one right now, put it on your wish list; maybe Great-Aunt Irene will give you that instead of a cheese log next Christmas.
If you must use candles, select votive-type ones and set them inside wide-mouthed jars, placed in areas where no one can accidentally knock them down. Buy the votives for pennies at post-holiday clearance sales. Those sales are also good for cheap paper plates and bowls — not eco-friendly but really useful if you can't do dishes for days.
Layering is essential in cool or cold temperatures. Watch for thermal underwear, wool pants and other useful items on Craigslist/Freecycle or at yard sales. I bought polypropylene longhandles and a down vest at a thrift store. Make sure everyone has a stocking cap, too.
Look around your house to see how much of this stuff you already own. Most of us at least have sweaters or sweatshirts. If you're not in a super-cold area, a comforter might double as a sleeping bag. A hibachi could substitute for a bottled-gas camp stove — but remember you can use these things outdoors only, because carbon monoxide is deadly.
Miscellaneous tips
You can't truly be ready for a disaster. It's always stressful and often terrifying. However, you can at least be prepared. Here are a few more items to keep in mind:
- Learn the location of your local/regional emergency shelter, just in case.
- Keep a cache of cash — smalls bills and coins — on hand. No power means no debit or credit if you do find a store that's open.
- Put supplies where you can get at them easily, not down in the crawlspace or up in the rafters.
- Wheeled garbage cans make great storage: Your items will be protected and movable. Label each one so you can find what you need, fast.
- Water left over after making tea? Don't let it get cold again – pour it into a thermos.
- You'll want basic first-aid supplies, including an anti-diarrheal medication. Many of these items can also be bought cheaply or free with those drugstore rebates.
- On maintenance meds? Get in the habit of refilling as soon as you're allowed, i.e., don't wait until you take your last pill to call it in.
- Choose no-salt canned vegetables. Not only are they healthier, you can use the drained-off liquid to dilute canned soup. Save the syrup from canned fruits, too, to sip for quick energy, settle an upset stomach or sweeten a cup of tea.
- Don't forget pet food and litter. Factor in extra water for Fido and Fluffy, too.
- Have some playing cards or small games that everyone can play. I suggest Mad Libs.
- Make sure you have a manual can opener. You'll feel darned stupid asking to borrow a neighbor's.
How about it, readers: Any ideas for getting ready without breaking the bank?
This article is about Frugality, House and Home, Planning
I had honestly never thought of temporary toileting. Thank goodness we have plenty of cat litter buckets.
@Nicole: Make sure the buckets aren't too tall for your little one! Ze may need some help even so.
These warnings are scary to think about, but in the event we ever find ourselves in these situations, we'll be glad that we thought about them today.
Thanks for the words of wisdom on these important areas Donna! Always appreciated.
Nice post! I remember when we had snow blizzard of 96. We were snowed in with no power. We still ate just about everything because we had a stove/fireplace to cook on. We also had a corded phone that could be used without power. Stockpile of wood got us through. Also, I remember the bucket days. My grandmother never had running water. She had about 5 buckets. 2 to collect rain water, 1 for #1, 1 for #2, and a spare.
Funny how emergency preparedness websites never mention human waste… (Pets yes, people not so much!)
Thanks for the wake-up call!
I usually keep a box of matches in my emergency kit, just in case to light a fire!!!
It's important to think about human waste disposal in such times otherwise they will be the source for disease and spread.
I havent heard about pilot bread. How long does it last edible? Month?Year?10years??
@Cassy: Pilot bread apparently lasts for years and years. One article I read had people finding it in an abandoned cabin; more than 20 years old and still edible.
In the video the guy hits a piece of pilot bread with a knife — and the knife RINGS.
The crackers are an absolute staple in Bush Alaska. I've found them here in Seattle grocery stores, too.
So you've got your bucket, what do you do with your waste then? Are we saying you need to bury it? Because having a bucket ready for it doesn't preclude the "Gardyloo!" flinging of slops out the window. You'll need a lot of buckets with some tight lids if you're saying that you'll just stockpile the waste until the utilities are back on. If that's more than a couple of days, you'll need to dispose of the waste in your buckets somewhere.
Why not keep a supply of bucket size trash bags. Line it before you go & this would allow you to tie off & remove the waste? Put in a new bag & it is ready for next time.
Keep a "Leatherman" (multi-pupose folding knive/tools) or a Swiss Army knife in your glovebox or near the flashlights. And backpack-type compact water purification/filtration kits or purification tablets are easier to store than full jugs of water. Camping and army surplus stores are gold mines for survival supplies.
@Matt: A lot of us don't live near water sources, so water purification kits won't help us.
Frankly I'm not sure I'd trust a water-purification kit to deal with the runoff and other potential toxins in the surface water of major cities (especially those downstream from factories).
Additionally, imagine hiking out to find a day's worth of water for your family in seriously bad weather or in a dangerous situation such as civil insurrection or a terrain hit by repeated aftershocks. (Alternately, imagine being very elderly or disabled, or the single parent of two tiny children. Setting out in search of water gets complicated.)
Then imagine spending however long it takes to filter two, four or more gallons of that water. I think that a cupboard or wheeled trashcan devoted to bottled water would be simpler.
Not that it hurts to have water purification available. It's just impractical for people with no ready water supply.
Our property has a creek. Still, we have our water. Who wants to wade into the center of a frozen creek. Our disasters happen yearly with the ice storms.
Best article I have read on this subject because it addresses everything (everything!)and talks about the one thing I have been wondering about – where do you store your emergency kit. Thanks, Donna.
I was wondering the exact same thing. Doing quick visual/spacial calculations, you'd need either a large wheeled plastic garbage can (as she suggests), or one of those extra-large plastic storage tubs. The question (at least in my tiny house) is where to put it???
@CincyCat: I live in a one-bedroom apartment so my emergency "kit" is all over the place. One small cupboard holds jugs of water. Other cupboards have no-cook food supplies that I use and then replace. I have a visual map in my head of where the flashlights, matches, candles, long johns, boots, wool socks, etc. are stored. I also know that there's an abandoned barbecue grill next to the building, so I could fill it with sticks and newspaper to heat up water for tea or cocoa, or to heat up soup if I got tired of eating it cold.
Not as convenient as having it in a couple of rolling trashcans. But it's all here if I need it. I hope I never do.
I'd recommend making a checklist, if you're going to take this approach. For something infrequently used, like an emergency kit, it's too easy to leave things out. Add in the fact that you'll be doing this at a time of stress/crisis, and you'll want to make it as easy for yourself as possible.
Also, consider the type of disaster you'll face in your locale. With something like a tsunami, you're not going to have time to assemble your kit (you may not even have time to take your kit if you have it assembled). When the earth stops shaking, you need to be on your way to higher ground.
Yes, this article is SORELY missing a section on first aid kits & similar emergency items such as flashlights. We were able to find items for a makeshift kit (emergency ponchos that are bright orange and could double as a signalling device, emergency blankets, instant cold and hot compresses, etc) for pretty inexpensively from different sources (it's been so long since we purchased them I can't remember where they were bought).
@Claire: I did mention these:
"# You'll want basic first-aid supplies, including an anti-diarrheal medication. Many of these items can also be bought cheaply or free with those drugstore rebates.
"# On maintenance meds? Get in the habit of refilling as soon as you're allowed, i.e., don't wait until you take your last pill to call it in.
Of course, it doesn't hurt to fill in with other items like hot/cold compresses. As for signaling for help, that certainly might be necessary if you were in a flood situation. But I couldn't address every single type of emergency in an article of this size, so I focused on the basics of life. YMMV.
There was an interesting special on History Channel about what would happen if a plague or such hit us and how things might break down. It followed a fictional family through the disaster. One thing I remember, a guy said he noticed after Katrina, was most people have enough food for three days. After that, things go south quickly and people start turning into animals trying to survive.
People turn into animals when they are treated like animals. Being hoarded into a football field is not a sustainable plan. We have given emergency foreign aid more efficiently than helping American citizens in a horrendous situation, living in the contiguous 48; you cannot get more accessible than that. The law of public necessity – where private property interests are temporarily trumped for the public good, every store should have been opened and goods orderly distributed and the owners reimbursed at a later date. There was an instance of one New Orleans cop brutally beating someone to death trying to cross a bridge trying to get help; I believe he was later charged with murder. Yet parents running with diapers or morsels of food are the animals, preposterous.
So happy to find that you're encouraging widescale robbery – doled out by the hands with the big guns, no less.
How about this. *You* purchase a piece of land, build a retail store, and then when the excrement hits the rotating oscillator, you can open YOUR doors and simply hand stuff out, counting on the fact that you'll get paid later.
Don't ever, ever say that the gov't should use its power and guns to do something that you aren't physically able to do yourself. You know what happens when enough people willing to lick hands yell for this kind of behavior? The guys with the badges and the guns start breaking into houses and stealing guns and food from people who properly prepared. You think it's not fair that people who didn't prepare had to deal without food? Well how not fair is it for people who DID prepare to have all of their efforts stolen from them at the point of a gun – and a gov't issued gun, at that?
As for being repaid later… by the gov't? Are you serious? Have you ever dealt with a gov't contract? Forget getting paid in any kind of timely manner, and that's WITH a contract. Without one, in a stressful situation where people are supposed to keep meticulous itemization and prices owed? Forget it. Those shop owners will never see that money. Certainly not before they go bankrupt.
You should be ashamed, truly.
Rather than encouraging people to prepare before the fact, you encourage people to steal after the fact. And to justify your thinking, you blame the gov't for putting people into the superdome, saying THAT caused it. Yet this inept gov't is the same one you think would be perfect for outright theft, accounting of all stolen goods, and payback of value for said stolen goods. Do you see the contradiction here? I sure hope so.
For everyone else… take a good, hard look. This is the thinking of many people around you. If you have something and they don't, they think it should be taken from you by force and given away. In an emergency situation, this is the type of person who becomes a PREDATOR.
Don't become this type of person. Store up food, make a bug-out-bag, and when the weather channel gives you a week's worth of warnings to leave the area… leave the area. If you prepare, you will be able not only to help yourself, but others as well. Just be sure to keep something on hand to deal with these predators who would rather steal your food afterward than spend an extra hour a week beforehand preparing.
Not really that important, but you don't need to tie the bags with the used paper together. In South America you can't flush it down (at least in Paraguay and Brazil), so you toss it into a trash can next to the toilet. It amazed me how little it smelled!
I agree Jason growing up I had friends who had weak septic systems – we just put the paper in the can and saved the pipes from clogging. No biggie.
It may not smell much. I just don't want to smell it at all. Life would be stressful enough at that point.
But you're right: If I couldn't find a bag-tie I'd just get over myself and focus on more essential elements of sanitation and survival.
This is an excellent post and it highlighted some things that I never thought about.
You should also read Lucifer's Hammer.
It was written decades ago (1977 I think?) and is one of the few "survival fiction" books I've read that is actually well written.
Preparedness is an area that overlaps personal responsibility and financial preparation very well. Being self sufficient and having basic supplies on-hand seems like a "no brainer", but very few people could live on the items they have in their house for more than a week or two.
I'll add one more concept to this discussion. Take a look at Maslow's Hiarchy of Needs:
If your base needs aren't getting met, you aren't going to be worrying about the higher levels. You don't care if people respect your opinions on art if you haven't eaten in several days.
I use Maslow's pyramid to give myself an ordered approach to preparing for my family's needs in the event that there is a disruption in supplies or services.
Anyway, I'm glad to see this topic on GRS.
Lucifer's Hammer IS well-written, if you can overlook the fact that all the black people in it are shown as insane cannibals.
@Andrew: Not all the cannibals were African-American. And way to ruin an important plot point, dude!
No, not all the cannibals were African-American. But all the African-Americans (with one unimportant exception) were cannibals.
Is that what YOU took away from the book? Is that ALL you took away from the book?
No, I also remember that, by the end, the heroes had managed to reinstitute slavery, which they thought was a fine idea.
Face it, however well written it is, and however much it may have to say about the fragility of civilization, in the end Lucifer's Hammer is a deeply racist, paranoid piece of fear-mongering drivel.
If you have babies you should also make sure you have extra formula and diapers. And it may also be a good idea to have extra feminine hygeine products on hand. Seven years ago when there was that huge blackout that affected most of the east coast we were caught without enough formula, we walked over to the local store we always went to (with cash) but they said they couldn't sell us any because all the registers were down. We managed to covince the manager (who knew us) to let us buy it by agreeing to not take the change and a detailed note as to what we bought. I hate to think what we would have done without cash! Since then we are much more aware that an emergency could happen and have preparations made. We were fortunate that it was only a 24 hr thing, but it sure was a wake up call.
That can opener tip is a keeper! After Hurricane Ike, while we were out of power for 8 days, our can opener was used up and down our street simply since our neighbors only had the electric type, lol.
We were lucky our neighbors had propane grills since we had no way to cook food ourselves (we now have a propane grill too). I was really sick of peanut butter after a few days.
Having a small extra can of gasoline also saved one of our neighbor's bacon since she was on empty and so were our gas stations…
I recently put a backpack in the trunk of my car – it has stuff for 'grab and go', i.e. for a few days if told to evacuate the area. And at home I have a good supply of food and lights in case an emergency comes and I can stay at home. But I never thought about the toilet issue either. Have to do some planning!
What cleaning out a crack house taught me about "waste" management: Borax, available in any grocery store, eliminates the smell of feces.
It's gross but if you're serious about surviving a long term emergency, you might want to add borax to your survival kit.
Other things to look for on the cheap and add to your emergency kit. Obviously what tools will be helpful will depend a lot on the type of disaster but living in Seattle I prepare for earthquakes or power outages:
1. a crow bar
2. dust masks
3. gas key and water turnoff tool
4. tarps – to cover damaged roofs, create a dry space or a privacy screen for your bucket toilet if your home is uninhabitable.
Keep your gas tank in your car filled, and make sure you have a car charger for your cell phone.
Water bottles kept in your freezer both help your freezer to work more efficiently and help keep your food frozen longer when you lose electricity. It helps keep the water fresh too.
Use a gas grill? Get an extra propane tank and swap out quickly when you change tanks. Having at least one full tank will give you gas to cook on your grill for a while.
Great post with a lot of great tips. I hate to mention this, but I think a few weapons are also essential to emergency preparedness. It's a dangerous world, unfortunately, and desperate times make a lot of folks do desperate things. I think it is important to be able to defend your loved ones, especially since in an emergency situation you have no idea how preoccupied the police will be (or if they will even be available).
I think a huge one is the simple tip of keeping it where you can easily reach it!
I used to live in GA and every summer we'd get a few storms that knock out the power. What use is it to have flashlights if you can't find em! Now I try to keep them in the same places all the time- and have multiple, too.
You never know which side of the house you'll be on when the power goes out :-p
I can attest to the one about having money on-hand! When Hurricane Wilma hit in Cancun, I ended up with no cash.
ATMs ran out of cash fast, but luckily the grocery stores were open and accepting cards 2 days later, so I went down, found a family with a shopping cart full of food, and offered to pay for their groceries with my card if they gave me the cash.
Humiliating, but I got $100 cash
Also alcohol… very key in dealing with the boredom of not having power.
In the aftermath of the Japan earthquake/tsunami, my local REI was picked clean of anything most people thought of as "emergency" supplies. However, I did notice they left a more expensive and more capable pocket emergency kit on the shelves, opting for cheaper kits.
There are many good lists and guides out there, but they're not going to tell you what cheap item is junk or not. I'm not saying stock up on expensive freeze dried food, but be aware that an emergency is not the time you find out the bargains you got are just useless Stuff. When you get an LED light, the primary question isn't "how much money did I just save?" It is: "will this work without question when I need it most?" That will be different for everyone, so try out the items you get. If it breaks or doesn't meet your needs under normal circumstances, it's not going to work for you in an emergency.
Also, this is another area that is not solved just with Stuff. Sign up for local CERT training. Read and ask questions. Chances are, at some point in your life, you will need to call upon that training.
If you don't, well, there's that lottery thing you should look into…
paper/writing utensil/duct or scotch tape, you may need to leave a note on your door in case someone is looking for you, tape down your tarp or repair something etc and the kids can use some of the duct tape to amuse themselves
Don't bother with more than 2x 2L bottles of water in your kit. You've probably got another 20 gallons available in your hot water tank, which you can drain from the bottom.
Unless the emergency required evacuation, or destroyed your home and hot water heater in the process. I like the idea of probably having the water in the heater on hand in most cases, but I don't think I'll rely on it in my planning, since water is so vital to survival.
I thought about mentioning the water heater but ultimately left it out.
If you do decide to use it, disconnect the power source or turn it off at the breaker first.
Also in re water heaters, this is another point (I know you're plugging these in) where homeowners and apartment dwellers are not in synch.
Apartment units typically don't have their own water heater tanks, at least not in L.A. – which would CERTAINLY not have city water if there were a major catastrophe! Our ancient mains barely survive heavy truck traffic.
And don't get me started on kerosene heaters. Should be illegal IMO. Too many people die in home fires started by those things, never mind the carbon monoxide.
As a follow up to my previous comment, 2 places that I look at to see what is junk and what works for other people are:
The reviews at trailspace.com
The forums at equipped.org
After "surviving" the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, I'm skeptical about most disaster preparedness recommendations. Sure, we were out of power for three days, but that mostly just meant we went to bed earlier. We didn't run out of food, and wouldn't in three days. There's enough random canned food and things in the cupboards that there's always at least a week's worth of food in there if we were *really* hungry. We could build a fire outside and cook rice over it for quite a while if we had to, much longer than three days, anyway.
How prepared were the people of Haiti, Chile, New Zealand, or Japan? We heard a lot of news stories about all those people, but I have yet to hear a story about mass starvation or dehydration after any of *those* disasters. It seems like we're preparing for a situation that's not very likely to happen — by which I don't mean an earthquake or a flood, but the complete inability for us to find food and water after that disaster.
I had the same thoughts as you. At first.
But I did recall some reports in Haiti of the weak, especially women, being pushed out of the way in food lines. Or robbed immediately afterward. Women alone were definitely having a difficcult time.
Nothing like that in Japan, though. Are they really much politer than the rest of the world?
Yes, a lot of people (if not all) in Japan are polite. Do you know why? If the people are not polite with each other in such a disaster, it will create unfavorable situations where people will die quickly.
@Tyler: As odd as it sounds to someone like little ol' stockpilin' me, some people simply don't keep much food on hand. They go out to eat, or mostly eat frozen dinners, or they bring home supper from the deli or the supermarket's cooked-food section.
Ever been in a single friend's place and seen nothing in the fridge but a lime and a couple of Coronas? Their cupboards probably look the same way. A box of protein bars and a single can of tuna won't last you very long.
Not everyone can build a fire outside to cook rice. I'm picturing city apartment buildings with no yard and no fuel source, or an "outside" buried in snow and with howling blizzard winds that blow out your fire or drive snow into it.
And speaking of fire: If your power goes out in the winter in North Dakota (or even Philadelphia), how would you and your family stay warm? Not just overnight, huddled in a sleeping bag, but during the day? The elderly and the very young are not very good at regulating their body temperatures. Do you have enough layers to keep them from succumbing to hypothermia?
(That is not alarmist. People do freeze to death — i.e., get hypothermia and die — in their homes in the U.S.)
Try this, all you folks who live in cold places: Turn the heat all the way down or off for a few hours. Starting to feel a little chilly in there, huh? Even though you still have some residual heat plus the faint warmth added to the room by a fridge or computer?
Picture the temperature dropping, and continuing to drop, for the next two or three days. Now: Go out and buy long johns, wool socks, stocking caps, and wool or fleece pants and shirts for everyone in your house. (Don't forget to check yard sales and thrift shops.)
The point of an article like this isn't to give THE ANSWER to everyone who might ever be in any kind of an emergency. It's just to get people to think about how they'd manage if everything went to heck.
Out here in Maryland (the Washington, D.C. suburbs, no less) we lost power repeatedly for up to five days in the winter of 2009-2010. Huge blizzard, colder than usual (temperatures in the 20 Fahreinheit range.) We had a wheelchair bound 78 year old in the house, a one year old child, and a boa constrictor who needed to be kept warm. And oh – several trees came down across the roads in our neighborhood, totally blocking us in. We had to live only on what we had.
The one year old was no problem, interestingly enough. Her metabolism adjusted immediately, as did the adults in the house. We all just wore an extra layer.
The 78 year-old and the boa constrictor sat by the fireplace all day (the fireplace was an excellent thing to have, but not essential to survival.) At night we tucked grandma under lots of blankets, and we tucked the boa constrictor into a box with a large bucket of hot water. The hot water kept the temperature tolerable for the snake for up to 12 hours. This was with the ambient air temperature between 45-50F. And where was that? In the basement. By far the warmest part of the house. The snow insulated (i.e. covered) the tiny upper windows and kept the basement relatively warm.
We all slept down there. The cats stayed down there the entire time, mostly hanging out on the down comforter in the bed (cats are smart.)
We have an electric well, but didn't lack for water because of all the snow.
The propane stove was really important to everyone's happiness. Having access to tea and hot soup really helped everyone's spirits. The fireplace was great too, but we could have done OK without it (the boa constrictor would've spent a lot of time in a box with a bucket of hot water, tho.)
Don't forget the ice storm that hit the Midwest in Jan 2009. KY was one of the harder hit areas. I knew people in rural areas who were without power for almost 30 days because the area affected was so large it took them a long time to get all the power lines fixed. Within the first day all the hotels were full, and a lot of people couldn't depend on their family or friends in the area because everyone was going through the same thing. It also took a while to get roads cleared of fallen trees so people could even leave their house. I was lucky and only lost power for a day…but it got cold pretty fast, especially when we were already keeping our furnace turned down to try and save money on our electricity bill.
A few years back a bad ice storm took out the power for a large section of New England. We didn't have any power for a week. The biggest problem we faced was the cold. What saved us was the fact that we owned an indoor safe propane heater (it's called the Big Buddy Propane Heater). It enabled us to heat one bedroom of the house to 50 degrees. The rest of the house was 35 degrees. Because the power outage only affected some areas, we still had to get up, get ready and go to work each day. We had a couple battery powered camping lanterns to get ready by and we had a propane stove to heat water and clean up. There were shelters open – but if you have pets you can't just leave them. I will always remember coming home from work and seeing blackness everywhere – not a single light where once there were towns and cities. What a sight. The other thing that was nice to have was our battery powered radio. It allowed us to snuggle up in bed and listen to This American Life at night. Not much you can do when you get home and it's dark out – you need to conserve your battery powered things. We now have a backup generator just in case.
I'm from New Zealand, although not from Christchurch where the earthquake occurred. Water definitely was a major issue for many people. Water mains were damaged in many areas and so were sewage pipes. Water tankers were trying to get to affected areas and queues were very long. Friends from Christchurch mentioned water as a major issue in those first few days.
Make sure you know how to open your garage door without power. Seems obvious until you are trying to do it in the dark, with the car in the way, and you are in a hurry.
Good point. Some people don't know that there's a way to disconnect it from the power-up/power-down system.
This is actually an important point. I know a family barely escaped a fast moving fire due to not being able to get the car out of the garage.
When your power is out, use the car radio for updates.
We are woefully under prepared. We don't have room to store all those emergency supplies. We are a few blocks away from the river so I guess we could build a fire and boil some water if it comes down to that….
@RetireByForty: I live in a one-bedroom apartment and find room to store the basics. Take a hard look at the way you use space, and then get creative.
Luckily where I live in Toronto is mostly safe from natural disasters; hurricanes, tsunamis and major earthquakes aren't going to happen here anytime soon (although an ice storm could happen).
The major power black out like the one in 2003 that blanketed the North East or some massive civil strife or terrorism is much more likely, and to be honest, I'm not going to keep a bucket in my condo for this event. I have a flashlight, candles, lighters, food and water on hand to last 3 days. I live in the very heart of the downtown of the largest city in my country. If something has happened that makes my life endangered then keeping a bucket to do my business in is going to matter little, frankly.
But, when I lived in Bermuda, hurricane Fabian hit (cat 3, killed 4 people) and this sort of advice would be very well taken.
@AdamP: But what would you do about bathroom functions if a blackout occurred? Do you plan to hold it for two or three days?
Seriously, guy. Isn't there room for a bucket SOMEWHERE in your place? If you use the toilet without flushing it for several days you may need to hire a plumber when the emergency is over.
Okay, I've never been in a blackout, but do live in Oklahoma where we have tornadoes and storms that will knock out power for several hours to days at a time. But, the toilet still flushes without power. That has to do wig plumbing and not electricity. Am I missing something here?
We were out of power for nine days- and the toilet still flushed. I never really thought about it.
In our rural area we needed power to make the well pump run and refill the toilet tank.
Here in Seattle I'm on city water so I'm probably OK. But if there were a serious emergency such as earthquake (we're overdue), civil insurrection or a major collapse of water mains (which has happened — some of the old mains are made of wood, for heaven's sake), then I'll be ready. Not thrilled, but ready.
I may have missed it, but think about heat too.
I'm trying to plan for 30 days, which means some sort of alternate heating is necessary. Kerosene heater is nice to have, but ideally a wood stove is in place, with enough wood for a month of heating in the dead of winter.
I also tend to forget about the toilet. I'll have to get one of those buckets.
@Josh: Again, that's not advice that applies to a lot of us. I live in a one-bedroom apartment without even a fireplace, let alone a fireplace insert/wood stove.
Myself, I won't use a kerosene heater because I am concerned about safety and because I have no safe place to store the fuel. I don't feel good about recommending that others do this because, in my opinion, too many things can go wrong (e.g., carbon monoxide poisoning, fires).
@Donna: I also live in a 1-bedroom place with no fireplace, and would be very nervous about a kerosene heater. However, I've found that using a candle heater (like the one at http://www.heatstick.com/) is a very satisfactory alternative. I keep one on the end of my desk (furthest from the computer), and it generates enough heat to make the difference between achey hands and happy ones. Since I can bundle my feet, arms, and everything else except my typing hands, this is important!
Since my "fuel storage" is a half-dozen votive candles and a 10-pound ziploc bag of wax chips (10″x7″x8″) I'm not worried about dropping/spilling them, and they're easy enough for a moderately disabled person to wrangle. If I plop a votive in the glass container left over from one of those container candles and fill the rest of the container with wax chips, it'll often last through a full work week.
The top of the container also prevents smoke/soot from rising. I'm not sure about carbon monoxide issues, though.
Please don't use that month-old water to fill your pet's dish. Surely it deserves better.
Agreed. Water that's been sitting in two liter bottles for a month or more is fine for flushing toilets, but rapidly becomes unpotable. If you wouldn't drink it, don't ask your animals too.
I'm also a "survivor" of the '89 Loma Prieta earthquake. We had a number of these two liter bottles stored, and frankly, I'd have to be pretty damn desperate to drink out of them. Soda bottles aren't really made for refilling and you can taste it.
As long as the water is still clean, it's still fine for drinking. It may not TASTE awesome, but it'll still be good for you.
To improve the taste of water that's been sitting, shake it up or boil it. Doing either of those will aerate it, which is a big part of its taste.
@Andrew: I hope you're kidding.
If not, allow me to point out that I have personally seen dogs and cats drink from toilets and from puddles on the street.
Animals don't care about the source of their water! They only care that it's wet.
Just because a dog or cat will drink anything doesn't mean they should. Dogs love antifreeze, which will kill them.
Use the old water for anything else!
For apartment dwellers like me, issues of storage are important – we don't all have big apartments. All the more reason to clear out clutter and reserve some space for "in case of emergency."
I am woefully unprepared for any major disaster. No excuses. Thanks for the excellent overview, Donna – and for talking about the "gross" stuff.
When I managed a law office, part of the OSHA setup I did was an emergency kit. The lawyers thought I was nuts to include a giant bucket of kitty litter … until they thought about why.
Keep frozen jugs or other sturdy containers of ice in the freezer in hurricane or tornado seasons especially. In the event of a power outage of more than a few hours, such as in a hurricane, when you know power will be out for days, you may be able to save the contents of your refrigerator if you quickly empty the leftovers (eat them right away) and nearly empty containers and replace them with the frozen jugs. Then keep the door SHUT to protect the rest of the contents. Store enough jugs in the freezer to have some left over to keep the freezer cold, as well. This saved me during most hurricanes, but the year we had four hurricanes in six weeks, I was finally left without enough ice, and I lost the contents of my refrigerator. Because we didn't take a direct hit (winds were "only" 70-80 mph in our area) we weren't declared a disaster area and so were not reimbursed for food loss, as some in the direct path were. It's expensive to re-fill your refrigerator! Go take a look at how much money is sitting in the shelves on the door alone.
We filled tubs with water for flushing and washing, and set out our biggest pots and containers to catch rainwater for more cleaning and flushing water before the power went out. In a hurricane, plenty of water is coming down, so use it. (We are on a well)
Ready America recommends one gallon of water per person per day. It's easy to buy bottled water but much cheaper to fill up two-liter soda bottles, or inexpensive pitchers or jugs. (Don't drink soda? Surely someone you know does.)
Note that plastic milk jugs are designed to break down and are not a good idea. Use the hard/clear jugs to store water.
This is silly, but when my power went out this winter during a snow storm, I ate cold food because I have a new gas stove with an electric starter. It wasn't until the next morning that I realized I could have turned on the gas and lit this with a match!! I think this post serves as a good reminder of stuff to set up, but sometimes we already have everything we need – it is just a matter of thinking about how to use it differently!
We live on the West Coast, so we keep our emergency supplies locked in a shed instead of in the house. If an earthquake rendered the house unusable, we'd still be able to get to the supplies. Lifting a wooden shed off of something would be easier than lifting a house.
I also keep an old pair of running shoes under my desk at work. If there's an earthquake and I have to walk home to my family (because the roads are blocked/unusable) then at least I won't have to do it in heels.
I live in a high rise and I already have a couple of buckets that I keep in the closet filled with tools or hardware stuff. I could keep the bucket out on my balcony after emergency use. What I worry about is everyone using their toilets anyway and then the sewage backing up. Where my mom lived in Louisiana after Katrina, some sewer "lift stations" were out of order because of power outages so they were asking people to minimize what went down the sewer to prevent backups.
I think the main thing is to know what kind of emergency you will have, and plan accordingly.
A last Christmas my in-laws gave everybody emergency kits for Christmas. We keep ours in our laundry room as it is our safe room for tornadoes.
I would add that having some natural kitty litter (the ground up corn kind) on hand would help with the bucket waste smell. Then when things are up and going again, you can flush it. (If it is ok to flush with your system in the first place.) You can usually find coupons / catch them on sale.
We have a cabin in the woods with no running water or electricity, so we're accustomed to living "disaster mode" on a regular basis. I guess in the face of a long-term catastrophe we'd take the cat with us to the cabin where everything is ready for low-tech living– firewood, propane, trucked water tanks, etc. Oh, and also guns– lots of guns (I sound like a crazy survivalist, don't I?)
In our city apartment I keep a stock of food in the pantry as a matter of routine. That's including a backup can of whey protein– it's not just for post-workout but also emergency meals. As long as you have protein, you can kick into fat-burning mode without damage– takes a bit to kick in the fat-burning metabolism but it's in our genes in spite of our insuline-spiking modern starchy/sugary diets. I have enough body reserves to keep me going through a famine for a while. The spare tire is the most efficient pantry available to humans!
Hand sanitizer does not kill e. coli. I think there are other fecal-borne diseases (bacteria, parasites, etc) that are also not killed by sanitizer. There's really no substitute for washing your hands after #2.
@Steve: A link from the Centers for Disease Control notes that, "Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be used if soap and water cannot be made available and are effective against multiple common disease agents (e.g., shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter)."
A sanitizer with at least a 60% alcohol content is required.
Myself, I'd greatly prefer soap and warm-to-hot water. But I'll keep some sanitizer around, just in case.
A better bang for the buck is a bottle of Everclear. Can be used to sanitize, fuel fire, or get drunk, and it's ever-cheap!
We had a bad ice storm one winter and my parents had no power at their place for 5 days. They kept coming over to my house to get buckets of clean water and to shower since their well pump was out. They opted to stay in their house, but by the end of that 5th day it was COLD in there! After the storm was over they got in line to have a whole house generator installed.
And it sounds obvious, but don't get dead by running a portable generator or a propane grill INSIDE your house…
Thank you for a really great post. I keep saying I need to update and consolidate our supplies (except flashlights! already have those everywhere) and this is another reminder and included some good ideas. I've struggled with where to keep everything since I worry that if an earthquake causes major damage to our old house we may not have access to our basement (otherwise a logical storage area). We don't have a garage. Attic maybe? Suggestions on that?
One thing I'd add for pet owners is to stash a photo of you with your pet in your emergency kit. If you get separated it may help you get reunited and provide proof of ownership.
A bucket? really? Just flush the toilet with water from a jug. Back in the day when I prepared for hurricanes I filled up the tub just in case. Use that water to flush, drink, etc. Or just don't flush until there's no choice and flush using what was already in the tank.
Now we keep a backpack prepared for the car with plenty of food and extra water and gas because the evac routes are going to be clogged and littered with cars that ran out of gas and moving wil be slow. So my advice is to keep your gas tank filled during hurricane season if you live in a high risk area. Now that we have a newborn I'm not into playing survivalist anymore, I'm just thankful I was only in Fla when Katrina hit and not home.
Better yet just leave. Although if a civil insurrection were to pop up that might not be viable. But I'll take that chance DHS.
@Wilson: I did mention filling the tub and buckets to flush.
But after a while those will run dry. Using potable water to flush a toilet might not be the smartest thing — if the outage lingers, you won't have enough water to drink.
A friend that just went through the Christchurch earthquake in NZ discovered that couscous was better to have on hand than rice, as it required less water to cook. Good thought. I worry about being in my second floor condo in Montreal in the dead of winter with no way to heat my place – at least we have tons of warm clothes, but the condo is all electric unfortunately.
@Tara: Good idea. Lentils are good, too, since they have a lot of protein and take, what, 20 minutes to cook?
Tara – did you live in Montreal during the big ice storm the winter of 97-98?
My relatives told me that the hotels and public emergency shelters were very accomodating, but that it was scary not being able to get out of town (the bridges were all iced over.)
Might be well worth it to find a decent way of heating a room in your apartment…Montreal gets soooooo cold.
On the bright side, my relatives kept their tropical fish alive with twice-daily infusions of hot water from a thermos.
I'm surprised nobody has talked about adding a whistle to your emergency kit. Depending on the type of disaster, if the search and rescue teams are looking for people, a whistle will help to get their attention…much easier than trying to scream for help. What happens when you lose your voice? Obviously the most likely situation would be an earthquake where people are trapped in buildings, and when it happens so quickly, you won't have time to get into your emergency kit. I know a few people who live in earthquake prone areas keep small whistles on their key ring, which is always in their pocket anyways. Much better in a time of need than a bottle opener key ring, don't you think?
We bought Berkie water filter. It's great for emergencies- it's not connected to the water supply and it can filter water from river, lake, rain etc. They are used by Red Cross, Doctors without borders in the countries where it's hard to get good drinking water.
Those filters have been around for a long time but we found them just now.
I like to have things that can be used for emergencies that I am using everyday. Otherwise it can be just another expensive thing to buy.
One thing that's (actually I have 2)in my camping kit which would be great in a 3-5 day emergency is my methylated spirits stove (Trangia is one brand) a single liter of fuel lasts a long time (streched it to 14days one time). These are small ultra portable and you can easily boil 2-3 cups of water in a few mins or heat up canned food, cook rice etc. It's all I use when I go camping now.
Sorry if someone else already mentioned this
Some very good ideas coming from everybody. We are lucky to have a big yard so I would just dig a hole in the back. Besides, I am happy if people pee under my lemon trees anytime…..good sourse of free nitrogen! If we expect hurricanes or similar problems I will fill the bath and washing machine with water. I can use that or collected rain water to flush the inside toilet. I always have a 5 gallon bucket by the roof downspout that I use in my garden.
I think for most emergencies of a few days, just keeping a backup rotation of food you use on a regular basis will keep you going well. eg. replace the bottle of oil or bag of flour or a dozen cans of baked beans when when you use it so you always have extra ones on hand. It is just good housekeeping.


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State government spending will be increase 10.7 percent this year.
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2011.10.31 (Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan) – Religious militants abduct and behead three locals.
2011.10.31 (Kandahar, Afghanistan) – Suicide bombers kill three people outside a humanitarian aid office.
2011.10.30 (Ashkelon, Israel) – A 56-year-old civilian bleeds to death after Palestinians fire a rocket into an apartment building.
2011.10.29 (Kabul, Afghanistan) – Women and children are among the dead as suicide bombers target a NATO bus, killing at least seventeen.
2011.10.29 (Khalis, Iraq) – Jihadis take down a teenage girl riding in a family car.
2011.10.29 (Deli Abbas, Iraq) – Fundamentalists shoot a liquor store owner to death in his home.
2011.10.29 (Changa Manga, Pakistan) – Religious extremists are suspected of binding a local official and then burning him alive.
2011.10.28 (Karachi, Pakistan) – A Shia is shot in the head and neck by sectarian Jihadis in front of his wife.
2011.10.28 (Baqubah, Iraq) – Holy Warriors machine-gun a family, killing the two male members and leaving a child and mother with serious injuries.
2011.10.27 (Tabasaransky, Dagestan) – A moderate cleric is shot to death by extremists.
2011.10.27 (Iskandariya, Iraq) – A child is among two Iraqis obliterated by 'insurgent' bombers.
2011.10.27 (Baghdad, Iraq) – Fundamentalists target a music store with twin blasts, slaughtering at least eighteen passersby.
2011.10.27 (Mandera, Kenya) – A school principal is one of four killed when Islamists rocket a vehicle carrying student exam papers.
2011.10.26 (Bajaur, Pakistan) – Four children are among the casualties when Muslim radicals shell their home.
2011.10.26 (Iskandiriyah, Iraq) – Sunnis enter the home of a Shiite cleric and brutally shoot his wife and daughter to death.
2011.10.26 (Parwan, Afghanistan) – Twelve locals are killed when Sunni fundamentalists detonate a fuel tanker.
2011.10.26 (Tank, Pakistan) – Two members of a peace committee are machine-gunned in their sleep by Islamists.
2011.10.26 (Iraq Iskandiriyah) – Sunnis enter the home of a Shiite cleric and brutally shoot his wife and daughter to death.
2011.10.26 (Afghanistan Parwan) – Six locals are killed when Sunni fundamentalists detonate a fuel tanker.
2011.10.26 (Iraq Mosul) – Two car bombs in the same neighborhood take down nine Iraqis.
2011.10.26 (Pakistan Bara) – Lashkar-e-Islam abduct and behead a defense volunteer.
2011.10.26 (Pakistan Bajaur) – Four children are among the casualties when Muslim radicals shell their home.
2011.10.26 (Pakistan Faqir Kalay) – Young children are among the casualties when religious extremists bomb a clothing market.
2011.10.26 (Philippines Sangali) – Muslim terrorists are suspected of planting a bomb outside a lottery office.
2011.10.26 (Iraq Hilla) – woman and her daughter are killed when terrorists blow up their home.
2011.10.25 (Iraq Baghdad) – Three Iraqis are killed in a two-day spree of bombings targeting traffic cops.
2011.10.25 (Thailand Yala) – Muslim 'rebels' set off a series of bombs in populated areas, killing at least three civilians.
2011.10.25 (Pakistan Lower Dir) – Sunni fundamentalists take down four people with a roadside bomb, including a 12-year-old boy
2011.10.24 (Nairobi, Kenya) – Islamists throw a grenade into a bus stop, killing one person.
2011.10.24 (Maymanah, Afghanistan) – A suicide bomber successfully takes out a child.
2011.10.24 (Nairobi, Kenya) – Fourteen people suffer horrific burns and shrapnel injuries when Islamists throw a grenade into a nightclub.
2011.10.23 (Narathiwat, Thailand) – A child and his parents are among five people torn to pieces by two Muslim bombs at a grocery
2011.10.23 (Tikrit, Iraq) – A teacher and his daughter are brutally murdered by Mujahadeen gunmen.
2011.10.23 (Cabengbeng, Philippines) – Five Christian plantation workers are massacred by Moro Islamists in a pre-dawn attack on their village.
2011.10.22 (Saminaka, Nigeria) – Radicals bomb and shoot up a bank, killing two, while chanting 'Allah Akbar'.
2011.10.21 (Mosul, Iraq) – 'Insurgents' murder a woman inside her home.
2011.10.21 (Bazai, Pakistan) – Muslim extremists throw grenades into a home, killing three family members including a woman.
2011.10.20 (Karachi, Pakistan) – A 22-year-old Shiite is shot to death outside his home by Wahhabis.
2011.10.19 (Maiduguri, Nigeria) – The owner and a patron are shot to death at a barber shop by Islamic terrorists.
2011.10.19 (Ramadi, Iraq) – 'Insurgents' bomb a health office, killing two innocents.
2011.10.19 (Lahj, Yemen) – al-Qaeda militants bomb a market, killing two civilians.
2011.10.19 (Badghis, Afghanistan) – A father and son are among three civilians ripped apart by a suicide bomber.
2011.10.18 (Karachi, Pakistan) – Three seminary students are shot dead in a suspected sectarian attack.
2011.10.18 (Mosul, Iraq) – A Shiite baker is murdered by Sunni hardliners.
2011.10.18 (Mogadishu, Somalia) – A Holy Warrior detonates himself along a city street, cutting down four innocents.
2011.10.18 (Karachi, Pakistan) – A 32-year-old Shiite is murdered by Sipah-e-Sahaba assassins.
2011.10.17 (Algeria Boumerdes) – A 7-year-old barely survives a fundamentalist bombing that leaves his mother dead.
2011.10.17 (Pakistan Orakzai) – The chief of a local peace committee is murdered by Islamists while on his way to a funeral.
2011.10.(17 Iraq Baghdad) – Fundamentalists set off a bomb near a liquor store, exterminating seven.
2011.10.16 (Faryab, Afghanistan) – A child of about 3 bleeds to death following a Taliban roadside blast.
2011.10.16 (Gombe, Nigeria) – Boko Haram bombers set off a blast that kills three civilians and a cop.
2011.10.15 (Narathiwat, Thailand) – A 48-year-old woman is stalked and murdered by Muslim 'insurgents'.
2011.10.15 (Panjshir, Afghanistan) – Two civilians are taken out by Shadid suicide bombers.
2011.10.14 (Kharkai, Pakistan) – Islamic militants kill two civilians with a mortar attack on their village.
2011.10.14 (Hilla, Iraq) – Sunni bombers target a Shia funeral procession near a mosque, killing at least ten mourners.
2011.10.14 (Spin Boldak, Afghanistan) – A Fedayeen suicide bomber murders three local police officers.
2011.10.13 (Sadr City, Iraq) – Eighteen people at a market are torn to shreds by Sunni bombers.
2011.10.13 (Pattani, Thailand) – A married couple and their relative are brutally cut to pieces in their own shop by Islamic gunmen.
2011.10.13 (Pattani, Thailand) – Two people riding in a pickup truck and a teenager standing nearby are machine-gunned by Muslim militants.
2011.10.12 (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan) – Children are among the casualties of an Islamist drive-by and mortar attack.
2011.10.12 (Baghdad, Iraq) – A powerful Shahid car bomb blast leaves at least fourteen Iraqis dead.
2011.10.12 (Baghdad, Iraq) – Nine people are reported dead after a Sunni suicide bombing in a Shia neighborhood.
2011.10.11 (Dasht, Pakistan) – The Taliban set fire to an oil tanker, burning the driver and helper to death.
2011.10.11 (Mogadishu, Somalia) – Islamists send a mortar round into the maternity ward of a hospital, crushing a staff member.
2011.10.10 (Dangam, Afghanistan) – A road construction crew is the target of a vicious double bombing that leaves six dead.
2011.10.10 (Baghdad, Iraq) – Jihadi bombers murder ten Iraqis in a string of bombings, including first responders.
2011.10.10 (Maiduguri, Nigeria) – Two Nigerians are killed by a Boko Haram bomb.
2011.10.08 (Kirkuk, Iraq) – Muslim gunmen shoot an elderly Christian and a woman.
2011.10.07 (Rawalpindi, Pakistan) – About two dozen students and teachers at a girls school are thrashed with iron rods by fundamentalists for dressing "immodestly."
2011.10.07 (Itafiyah, Iraq) – Mujahideen set off a bomb along a crowded street, killing five Iraqis.
2011.10.06 (Narathiwat, Thailand) – Islamic gunmen fire on a Buddhist couple sitting in their truck, killing the wife.
2011.10.06 (Gereshk, Afghanistan) – Taliban snipers pick off a child riding a bus. Sixteen other civilians survive with injuries.
2011.10.05 (Narathiwat, Thailand) – A Buddhist woman is shot to death in her own house by Muslim militants.
2011.10.05 (Mian Channu, Pakistan) – A Christian trying to build a church orphanage is murdered by Muslims in a "land dispute."
2011.10.04 (Tanjol, Nigeria) – Muslim militants gun down two Christian villagers.
2011.10.04 (Mogadishu, Somalia) – Over seventy people are blown to bits in a powerful truck bombing by Islamic fundamentalists.
2011.10.04 (Quetta, Pakistan) – Thirteen Shia pilgrims are pulled off of a bus by Sunni gunmen, lined up and mowed down.
2011.10.03 (Maiduguri, Nigeria) – A tea seller and customer are shot at point blank range by local Islamists.
2011.10.03 (Arab Jobour, Iraq) – Hardliners open fire on a schoolteacher, killing him and injuring his wife and young son.
2011.10.03 (Baghdad, Iraq) – Terrorsts kill a child with a bomb.
2011.10.03 (Kandahar, Afghanistan) – A Shahid sucide bomber takes two civilians with him, including a child.
2011.10.02 (Mogadishu, Somalia) – An al-Shabaab roadside bomb takes out two civilians.
2011.10.02 (Kirukuk, Iraq) – Islamists murder a 30-year-old restaurant employee in a targeted attack against Christians.
2011.10.02 (Gardez, Afghanistan) – Nine Afghan soldiers are torn to shreds by Sunni fundamentalist roadside bombers.
2011.10.01 (Buhriz, Iraq) – Two family members are among three killed during an al-Qaeda home invasion.
2011.10.01 (Maiduguri, Nigeria) – Two civilians at a wedding are taken down by a Boko Haram bomb.
2011.10.01 (Narathiwat, Thailand) – Muslim gunmen assassinate a 50-year-old man outside a mosque.
2011.10.01 (Torghar, Pakistan) – Four police trainees are sent to Allah by Taliban bombers


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Check out this great piece of art on Saatchi Online. Fighting bull by Chico Sanchez
Check out this great piece of art on Saatchi Online. Fighting bull by Chico Sanchez
The fighting bull, the bullfighter & the meat and potatoes activists
While animal activists pressure society to stop the tradition of bullfighting Enrique Reyeslira, a taurine journalist, supports his son Mariano R. Liceaga, 17, to realize his dream of becoming a bullfighter.
They defend this tradition and defend it from some activists they call: the "meet and potatoes" activists.
The pictures have been taken in Apizaco plaza and Piedras Negras and De Haro ranch, in Tlaxcala, Mexico. And in the 82nd birthday of Luciano Rovira in Mexico City.
(Source: youtube.com)
Twin fighting bulls - Toros bravos gemelos
Mexico City, Mexico
In danger of extinction - En peligro de extinción


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Oxford University Computing Services (OUCS) is the University's central IT provider. OUCS runs the campus network and central network services including the email service, the Weblearn Virtual Learning Environment, the HFS backup and archive service, and wireless and remote access facilities.
All new University members automatically get an Oxford account which gives them access to a range of services, including email. Account details are sent through the internal post within a couple of working days of the University Card being issued. The central Oxford email service is part of the Nexus service which offers access to a range of features in addition to email (such as calendars, shared address books, and opportunities for collaborative working). Nexus can be accessed in a variety of ways - directly online using a web browser or via a program installed on your computer. The Oxford account, also known as a Single Sign-On account (SSO), also gives access to a number of other web-based services including Weblearn (http://www.weblearn.ox.ac.uk) and OUCS self-registration system (https://register.it.ox.ac.uk).
OUCS is based at 13 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6NN - tel: 01865-273200. The main building is open 8.30am-8.30pm Monday-Friday. Other OUCS services include:
- a large and varied IT Learning programme - see http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp
- an online shop selling software and providing an OUCS service payment centre - see http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/shop
- a Help Centre with open access PCs and Macs, facilities for scanning and printing including large posters, and a helpdesk for assistance with user account problems, general IT problems etc. - see http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/helpcentre
- Computer Breakdown Cover - rapid on-site repair of faulty hardware for a small annual subscription - see http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/pcms
OUCS has an extensive web-site (http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk) which includes information on all its services and facilities. Its help pages (http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/help) provide the answers to all the most frequent questions and problems, plus a problem report form.
The WelcomeToIT! web pages (http://welcometoit.ox.ac.uk) also give a good introduction to IT at Oxford.


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'Mad Money' Lightning Round: I Like Franklin Resources
Search Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" trading recommendations using our exclusive "Mad Money" Stock Screener.
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text: Vote up! 1 UTS Library asked about Catalogue 2 years ago: How do I search for the Classic Catalogue? Answer question 1 answer 9707 views Answers Most VotedNewestOldest The old Catalogue (now the Vote up! 1 The old Catalogue (now the Classic Catalogue) is still available. Answer question catalogue Updated: 21/12/2012 - 09:41 Tweet


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REMINDER: Laughs for Loved Ones this Friday at Waterworks
By kevinmarshall On November 8, 2012 · Leave a Comment
This Friday!
$10, 9pm. All proceeds collected at the door will go directly to the Alzheimer's Association of Northeastern New York.
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/397891530284787/
If we get enough people to show up, Alzheimer's will be eradicated!*
* Note: going to this show will not actually eradicate Alzheimer's.
Recent entries
- Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye…
- Listen to me LIVE as guest co-host of Alternative to Sleeping tonight at 10pm!
- Realtors: "WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH" George Hearst III: "NONONOO SSSSHHH IT'S OKAY, it's okay…here. Here's a pacifier." Kristi: "#oops."
- Open Mic web series premiere tonight @ Lark Tavern
- Trust Me, You're Going to Want to See This
on Twitter
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- Paul McCarthy
- Santa Monica, CA
- United States
Director - UCLA Martial Arts Program, Inosanto International Martial Arts Instructors Association
This conversation is closed.
Talent pool being robbed in schools
Food for thought, do you think that Beardyman learned to do all that in school...which standardized test gave him the ability to make whatever sound he likes from his voice!? His school education probably had nothing to do with it, following his passion for life probably had everything to do with it. Imagine how many other talented people there are out there being stifled by a shockingly closed minded education system that cuts music, sport and arts programs faster than we cut down the rainforest!
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Aug 23 2013: the need for creativity is inherit in every educational discipline. We continue to look for the preferable silver bullet to fix an antiquated educational system .Measuring success and/or failures using a sheet of test scores numbers...no I can't wrap my brain around that logic. How about taking a look at curriculum, how about taking a look at what keeps a kid engaged with his/her education? I would guess that about 20% of a school's population would choose math, sciences, etc. Baseball, dance, theater, football, music, creative writing, sketching, soccer, etc.,etc.,etc...highlight of their day,and worth showing up for and maybe keeping up grades? one more thought.......the traditional size of a H.S. population is far too large
Ben Jarvis 50+Aug 24 2013: it depends on how the test is done. if it's just a test of how many and how well facts have been remembered then you're right, but test questions that require understanding and actual thought process are very valuable. remember that the standardized test (thought up and written by people who have never even been teachers, no less) is a modern invention, not antiquated.
Aug 24 2013: Thanks for the reply. A great conversation. The problem with testing is the notion that the students and teachers individual achievement are a direct link to testing scores. What happened to curriculum and instruction? This data should be used for improvement not accountability. A large part of our public educational system is funded by a community's property tax. State and federal funding don't cover the bill. With all the financial strife community members are experiencing, to get a vote of "yes" to increase property tax rates that just covers the increase in fixed expenses, well is a battle all too often lost. So, where is a school budget cut? Teaching positions and curriculum.. The Arts, and Sports, (some communities have a pay-to-play policy too many families cannot afford). Additionally, the cost of procuring a contract with a for- profit company to produce not only the test but prep materials surely costs millions. Who foots the bill? The state and the expenses are passed on to local school districts receiving less funding.Ben, every time there is a shortage in funding, curriculum that supports the beautifully and much needed creative talent is cut.
Aug 25 2013: "This data should be used for improvement not accountability" - I think this is a very poignant point. This pic demonstrates it well, where the attitude of the parents has shifted from their responsibility to making the child do well in school to complete lack of accountability on their part and blaming the teacher.
Teachers should be supported alot more and not judged by scores that have no connection to how much effort and aptitude they put into their teaching.
Aug 26 2013: i think teachers' and students' individual achievement should be linked to test scores, but the important part is what that test is actually testing. eg in chemistry a bad question would be 'what colour does litmus turn in a low pH solution?' because all it tests is whether or not the student can remember a fact which is easily looked up anyway, while a better question would be 'why is it important to test for the pH of a solution?' as it demands the understanding of a concept and its implication.
also people have to get over the idea of 'bad' test scores. a low score is as useful as a high score as it tells both student and teacher that the student hasn't yet grasped concepts and either needs special tuition (if it's basic knowledge, necessary for living in the real world) or to shift into another course to try to find something the student will be better suited to. it's ridiculous for students to get upset at receiving a low score and even more ridiculous for parents, unless it's because their son or daughter hasn't been making enough effort.
Rohit DanielAug 24 2013: Mary, you've got a lot of things right. It really does not make sense to have a standardized testing system based on how much a child can or cannot remember. We are only testing the the retention capacity of the brain and not the creative power. Human beings are not machines that need to go through a standardized test to receive the OK TESTED badge in the form of a school certificate (reminds me of the toys that I had as a kid with those little round stickers that say OK TESTED). It's really demeaning to think that we make out children go through such a rigorous process just to prove them fit in the eyes of the modern capitalist world!
Ben you are absolutely right about having more conceptual and analytic questions in contrast to factual questions. I wish those bigheads who sit in cozy offices and shape our education system spent some time actually teaching in a school to understand what's really happening at the grassroots. But we can't blame them entirely. We teachers and educators leave the policy making to these Ivy League scholars. Unless we take things in our hands and play an active role in shaping our education system, it's not going to change for the good anytime soon.
Besides sharing ideas, I believe we need to get together and do something tangible about the situation. Doesn't matter where we come from, education needs a new system worldwide! Individually we may not count, but together we can force our governments and bureaucrats to stop playing with the lives of our children. If we sit back with our hands folded, these children will just become a part of the system, and the vicious cycle would go on, until someone braver and more determined than us stands up to it.
Aug 24 2013: I agree Rohit, standard testing is really a test of memory. more often then not. when a student is tested in the class room regarding a particular lesson, once tested I would suggest that about 50% (?) of learning is discarded.
Rohit I also strongly agree that all this countless educational mandates created by "these ivy league scholars " should come with a prerequisite to procure the job; Minimum of 3 months in the class room teaching assignments to include observation by school officials. Then, at the end of a school year a standardize test relating to the subject(s) they taught be given.
The only way I see to combat this and "take things in our own hands" is far greater community engagement, Parents, teachers and yes even students.
Aug 25 2013: Someone else mentions this above...what does the change look like? What are the actions we can take. Does anyone have any tangible ideas on what to do. Right now I am only in the stage of educating myself more about the system and its faults. How can we make the changes that all teachers agree need to happen? I think a nice first step is to somehow get more money into the education system and here in California it all goes to the prison systems! :(
Aug 26 2013: Paul, it's wonderful that you are educating yourself about our mediocre education system, but let me remind you that true education always involves change. Change in ourselves, and a change is our immediate surrounds:could be the system, people around us, etc. Unless we reflect this change, we aren't benefiting from our learning process.
We mustn't wait for the right time or to equip ourselves with the right amount of knowledge before we step into the arena. We have to be a part of that ongoing change. As we learn and change, we have to influence our environment and initiate a change without too!
The US is still better off than some countries like India, where all the money ends up in the pockets of corrupt politicians and government officials. You wouldn't believe me if I had to describe the education system over here, unless you experience it yourself. Well, no matter where we come from, the education system needs a new face. The phenomenon is global, and I guess it's somehow linked to the modern technology-driven civilization.
Ben Jarvis 50+Aug 26 2013: thanks daniel. the only thing i'd add is that creativity isn't everything and can actually be a negative - creativity needs to be tempered by a solid understanding of reality. eg gravity doesn't care how creative a building design is, it'll bring anything not designed with a solid understanding of basic forces crashing down!
Aug 26 2013: Exactly Ben!
The aim of our education system should be to teach us how to use our creativity in the most efficient way that would benefit humankind at large and not just give personal satisfaction. Alas! Our education is just turning us into selfish, career-driven, money-minded shortsighted individuals. We have to bring back the humanity in our education!
Aug 27 2013: actually that's not what i meant. i mean we should learn the unavoidable basics first, then learn to apply those things creatively. back to the building analogy, you can't start with making it look like a giraffe. what you first need is to plan the plumbing and elevator shafts, then you can start to work on some creative look for it. the torsion force on a length of steel has nothing to do with our humanity.
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Vlasak adds two more to tennis
By HEATHER KENNEDY
GREELEY – Northern Colorado women's tennis coach Brenda Vlasak announced Friday her final two additions to the roster for the 2012-13 season in Claire Uhle and Madison Henning.
"I am extremely pleased with the two final additions to our roster," said Vlasak. "I believe these two young ladies have what it takes to join our team and immediately become part of the family."
Uhle is a National Letter of Intent signee from Blue Bell, Penn., and Wissahickon High School. She was the No. 1 singles player as a freshman and junior and No. 2 as a sophomore. In her senior year, she played No. 3 singles on the boy's team, earning a total of four letters. In that senior campaign, she was undefeated at No. 3. She was the 2010 conference champion, the Suburban One League Player of the Year and reached the state quarterfinals. In her freshman and sophomore seasons she reached the conference finals and the quarterfinals at districts in both singles and doubles.
"Claire is a tough player who will come in and make an immediate impact," said Vlasak. "She is the type of player that never gives up and is very determined. She is a crafty all around player that will give her opponents headaches and I can't wait to see her start competing."
Henning comes south to the Bears from Bozeman, Mont., where she is a four-year letterman in tennis. She is the fourth-best player in Montana according to the USTA and ranked 56th in the USTA Intermountain rankings. She is a three-time all-conference selection heading into the end of her senior year and was an all-state pick and finished 2nd at State AA as a junior. Also a member of the National Honor Society, she has been named to three academic all-state teams the past three years.
"Madi Henning is another great addition to our team," Vlasak stated. "She is a hard worker both on and off the court and will bring a dedicated work ethic. She has a ton of talent and will only improve.
The pair joins Hilary Walters-West, who signed during the early period in the fall.
"There is no doubt in my mind that our incoming freshman Hilary Walters-West, Claire Uhle and Madison Henning will help us get to the next level," concluded Vlasak.


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PUMA News Archive
March 2013
Terms and Conditions of Participation in PUMA South Africa's "Twitter Mobium" CompetitionMarch 06, 2013
Following Terms and Conditions apply for participation in the Twitter Mobium competition:
Win with @PUMARunning #MobiumMarch 06, 2013
August 2012
Help to raise funds for Project Pink by tweeting!August 10, 2012
March 2012
Jamal Edwards Q&A Today on TwitterMarch 05, 2012
At only 21 years of age, Jamal Edwards has already achieved his goals through his determination and passion. In the course of that, he also became the 'voice' of the youth in the UK.
WIN 3 Pairs of PUMA Suede'sMarch 02, 2012
To celebrate PUMA's announcement yesterday that online youth broadcaster Jamal Edwards is our latest ambassador, we'll be giving away 3 pairs of the PUMA Suedes featured in the JD Sports 'My Suede' campaign TODAY!
February 2011
Epic JengaFebruary 23, 2011
Anyone for Jenga?
October 2010
Two days left in the great WPS Project Pink giveawayOctober 15, 2010
Support breast cancer by tweeting #projectpink and win WPS prizes
PUMA Football & WPS Project Pink Twitter GiveawayOctober 12, 2010
Retweet #projectpink for the chance to win WPS gear!
Everything is Turning PINK in Support of PUMA'S PROJECT PINK!October 05, 2010
October is here, and you can join PUMA in the fight against breast cancer.


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Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning!by Corey Carter
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One of the comments on this video was, "a baby's laugh is one of the most wonderful things in the world because it isn't fake". ...Read More »
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Just a reminder, Father's Day is on the way. I can assume this hardware store will have something that I would want from the ...Read More »
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My wife and I walked past this at the Department Store the other day and thought "this would be a fun thing to do with our daughter!...Read More »