How to Prepare Yourself for Unforeseen Disasters

- Things you can do -

On September 24th of last year (2024) I was staying on a small farm in North Carolina that ended up being just minutes away from the enormous destruction brought about by Hurricane Helene when she dumped tons of rainwater on several small communities located just minutes away. As a result we lost all our electricity for 8 days along with no Internet or phone service. What follows are some suggestion on how you can prepare you and your family for an unexpected disaster. Over time more will be added to this list. You are welcome to add to this list, yourself. Just send us an email with your suggestion (see Contact).

"WaterBOB" Bathtub Storage: This is a 100 gallon emergency drinking water container (BPA-Free) that fits inside your bathtub and uses the bathtub faucet to fill it. It comes with hand pump. it is only $34.95 on Amazon. When Hurricane Helene struck we lost power for 8 days. This in turn shut off the electricity to our water well. Unlike us, not everyone had a large generator that saved the day, however, even then it was touch and go because maintenance on the generator had been neglected and only by luck were we able to find a spare spark plug and a kind neighbor who knew how to get it started.

Personally, I was there just visiting and had no idea about the danger and destruction that was about to destroy 3 communities just down the road. Not only the four of us, but two cows also needed drinking water. The WaterBob is something that I suggest you consider buying.
Water containers are also items I suggest you purchase. The 5 gallon size may be too heavy to lift when full and is why I suggest the 3 gallon size that you can buy at Walmart. I have about 12 of them. Seven are full of quality water from our local "water store" and kept in a compartment in our living room, under a 32" flatscreen TV and out of sight. The others I keep out for everyday use during the week. Many people in North Carolina did not have water containers or enough of them. For five days all the local roads were blocked or washed away, preventing any hope of going to buy water containers, and to make matters worse, all the stores were closed because they didn't have electricity. We had a very generous neighbor who had a working generator powering their well and they gave us some of their well water. However, they did not have any extra containers. However you look at it, having water-storage containers full of water is essential for your survival. BTW, when finally open, most stores quickly sold out of their water containers (full or empty), so basically there were none for sale.

I also have about a dozen 1 gallon water bottles filled with tap water that I keep for flushing the toilets. I certainly don't want to be using our quality drinking/cooking water to flush our toilets. So this is another item you need to think about and have on hand.
Gasoline was a major issue for many. Although the tank on my Toyota Camry was half full, it should have been completely full. Keeping your gas tank topped off is a good habit to adopt. I also noticed that when stores finally opened, empty 5-gallon gas containers were completely sold out. The same with those propane tanks that you switch out at the store: "your empty tank for a full one." All of these essential items were quickly sold out, things that you don't want to find yourself without of during a major disaster.
Cash was another item that I experienced the need for. Once we did find a gas station that was open (and had gas to sell) they only accepted cash. I also experienced this at one of the first grocery stores that opened. Although it was a large store, they only allowed 20 people inside at a time and then they, too, only accepted cash. Luckily, since I was on a long trip, I had a thousand dollars with me, tucked away safely in a belly-band wallet around my waist.
In the trunks of both my Toyota and Jeep I have a backpack that I always have with me. It contains basic first-aid items, two change of clothes, some extra water, and some long, shelf-life nutritional bars. I also have a couple of knives, waterproof matches, etc.