The Great Calif Shake Out Pt III

It's over. All that's left now is to tot up the statistics. For my part after this mornings post, written in simulated panic, I was able to contact my wife and affirm she was safe at her place of employment. She stays there until I am ready for her to come home or go to a shelter. Since the house is uninhabitable shelters can be created from several sheets of 9x12ft 2mil plastic painters tarps I have since I'm painting the house. Parking the cars back to back with the tailgates open provides a basis for a 3-4 person shelter. City water works so toilets are in use however I am sticking to the 20+ liters of water that were in the cars for drinking. The dinner fixings I bought this morning before the quake were cooked on a propane BBQ, I think most of us have one and at least we eat well tonight. Tomorrow, we'll see about salvaging the kitchen and the food there. There is still no power. Entertainment is whatever I can play on my laptop or listen to in the car. I also have a couple of books in the car, Rock Climbs of Joshua Tree, a couple of light novels and of course several Desert Bandannas. Light is provided by a Coleman lantern, light sticks, and other battery operated lights. There are extra batteries in the car. Not necessarily for emergencies but because my GPS and handheld radios eat them. Bedding was salvaged from the bedroom, however there are emergency blankets in each car. Using my HAM, FRS/GMRS radios, Radio Shack scannerand listening to broadcast radio I was was able to stay in touch with what was going on around me. I would imagine that if shelter and evac point instructions had been issued I could have availed myself of them. Yet considering the panic at an evac point it's probably better to stay where I am for the moment.

After I saw to my own self and made sure the neighbors were OK I was able to take the time to enter the garage back door and was able to grab out tools, rock climbing gear including several hundred feet of rope and anchors and checked in again with the EOC making myself available for ant Search and Rescue work involving climbing and rigging. There aren't going to be enough of those kinds of people around.

Initial panic is going to be the first problem to deal with this you need to be proactive until your settled in for forst few days. That's the goal. The second problem is dealing with the boredom while waiting for emergency services to wind up to full capacity and for relief to come. That could be anywhere from 2 days to a week or more. That makes the immediate priority food and water. Water is not a problem since I can treat it from my survival gear or with some bleach or chlorine from the pool. Food is another problem, there is only a limited amount. A few days salvaged from the kitchen and maybe 3-5 days worth of whatever in the packs. On the other hand *evil grin* I do have a .22 rifle and could walk over to the wash to hunt small game. Maybe find one of Sarah Palin's moose ;) Just kidding. I borrowed a neighbors chainsaw (mine's electric) and with that an the axe form the jeep tomorrow I'll try to cut into the kitchen to see if I can rescue the food from the 'ol Frigidair. If successful I'll cook what I have smoking some of it to make it last longer. Any ice or cold packs left shall be transfered to a cooler along with everything I can put in there. Need to find more ice.

Does all this seem far fetched? Fiction? Man vs Wild or Survivorman? Beyond the abilities of most people? Not at all. I've had a charcoal smoker and a propane BBQ for years so cooking is not a problem. My existing household kit includes a basic cooking set kept in it's own pack. I am ready for disaster to strike, not prepared, but ready since no one can ever be prepared. As far as I know everything including communications at a basic level this is doable by everyone. Unless your severely injured or dead and as long as there are others nearby it shall work itself out. All you have to do is have a survival kit of some sort and take an active part in your survival. I figure we (three of us) are good to go until relief arrives.