A few months ago, the strangest thing happened one Wednesday evening: my apartment lost power, my cell phone couldn’t get a signal, my home phone doesn’t even exist, and I was left alone in the dark. I felt around for my one source of emergency light: a half used scented candle. I lit it and found myself sitting in the tiniest flicker of light for hours.
I was alone, unable to contact anyone I know and love, and I was sitting in a mostly dark, overly fragranced house. You’d think I’d learn from this. You’d think I’d go out and buy myself a flashlight and some back-up batteries. Nope. I went to the store for a new scented candle and that was that.
Last month I found myself in a hurricane. Luckily I was staying with friends who had more than just a scented candle to keep us going. It got me thinking… what if the light were to go out again? Would I be able to survive with a scented candle?
Listen… there isn’t really any good or easy time to talk about this. Do you have what you need should things turn upside-down? Weather is real. Earthquakes are real. Zombie apocalypses are (hopefully) not real. Crazy things happen in the world and it’s really important to be prepared for them… to help ourselves and to help the people around us. Cute and funny with a scented candle only goes so far… a headlamp and freeze-dried food go a lot farther.
Let’s talk about this.
A well-stocked First Aid Kit was at the top of my be-an-adult-and-be-ready-if-life-gets-really-real-emergency-bag. This kit is full of sterile bandages and gauzey things… and I totally saw George Clooney give some dude a chest tube on ER in like… 1997… so between that and this first aid kit, I’m set for emergency procedures.
Now… if you’re a survival enthusiast… right on for you… and please feel free to mock this list. This is just the beginning of my humble attempt at preparing myself for things I don’t want to think about.
So wait…. the power is out!? You mean this light switch that I always take for granted is no longer working!? Whaaaat!?
When the lights go out… that’s really unsettling. A headlamp goes a long way in dark situations. incidentally, this little gem is also great for bedtime reading and deep closet searching. I also have a Mini Solar Lantern with a hand crank. No batteries needed, just solar power or wheel spinning. These 100-Hour Candles are also in my kit should I need a romantic light source. With the right apparatus, these candles can also be cooked over.
I’m hungry and I’ve already eaten all of the cookies. The real emergency starts now.
These Freeze-dried meals are great for backpacking and totally have a long enough shelf life to live in my emergency kid. I’m also going to need some bourbon… because if I’m eating freeze-dried meals, it means that things are rreeeaaallllyyy hitting the fan. And… because I am also responsible for a pet cat animal, I have a stash of cat food in my emergency rations as well. These are the essentials. Think on it!
What do you mean I can’t charge my cellphone and read Twitter for all my news and information!? This emergency is totally cramping my style!
This is a big deal. You know it’s a real life emergency when you can’t Tweet or Instagram it. I’m equipt with this American Red Cross Emergency Radio. It has the capability to verbally tell me the news, it’s powered by the sun, batteries, and a hand crank, and… it also has the ability to charge my cellphone! I’ll be back on Twitter in no time. Thank heavens.
What do you mean the heater isn’t going to work? Don’t you know that my thin California skin can’t tolerate temperatures below 70 degrees F!?
I have never had the cause or opportunity to use one of these body heat reflecting Foil Blankets for warmth. Should I find myself in a situation where these are necessary… praise God, I’m be glad I have these.
This faucet that has always dispensed clean water no longer dispenses my awesomely clean water!? Madness!
I have a few gallons of bottled water on hand. But I can always make questionable water drinkable with these tabs. This is totally normal. Don’t freak out. Ok… freak out a little (that’s why I also packed bourbon).
Batteries are also totally important. I have back-ups and I’m totally willing to share.
I also have a few personal items in my oh-crap-things-just-go-so-real-right-now kit. I have a picture of my family. I have an old ID. I have a little change purse filled with coins and cash money.
I have tiny bottles of shampoo, wet wipes, toilet paper (let’s be real), lotion, and chapstick. I have a fog horn (in case it gets REALLY foggy), a pair of walking shoes, socks, and a sweatshirt.
I also have a plan. My parents know that if things get nuts, I’m putting on my walking shoes and walking the 8 miles away from my house (which is sooo weirdly in a tsunami zone) and to their house high on a hill.
But I don’t even want to deal with any of this!
I know. Neither do I. Seriously. I’d much rather buy a cute sweater than freeze-dried food. The deal is, no matter how comfortably in control we think we are, sometimes things change.
Life is so good. I don’t want to be afraid of it. I do, however, want to feel like I can handle myself if the lights go out and I have to pack up my cat and hit the road.
While this is certainly not an exhaustive list, I just wanted to give you something to think about. We have to take care of ourselves. We have to take care of the people around us if they can’t take care of themselves. It’s an agreement we all have with one antother, and I’m just trying to find my little space in that. The American Red Cross is an excellent source for Emergency Preparedness Information.
From here on out, scented candles are for luxury (not emergency) purposes only.
binoa
When I originally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get several
e-mails with the same comment. Is there any way
you can remove people from that service? Appreciate it!
joythebaker
there should be a way to unsubscribe at the bottom of those emails.
S.Lynn
I have a bug-out-bag (back pack) in my truck in case the levees break in Sacramento. I am SO walking the 30 miles up hill to my country home. I refuse to get stranded at work, even if it takes a couple of days. Look up Bill Quick on the net for lists of things you can pack.
Seanna Lea
I don’t know if I’m really prepared in an emergency, but before we sold the car I put together a car emergency kit which had many of the things you mentioned including the foil blanket. I just worried about my husband driving during the winter.
Nicola
This is a cracking list Joy! Top marks for cat food, cash and family photo. Not things I would immediately think of for an emergency. And you’re the kind of person we’ll take this advice from, maybe not from ads on TV, brochures in the mail or hearing about other peoples’ experiences, but from someone like ourselves who has got their Proper Grown Up Sh*t together, even if not always their Ordinary Grown Up Sh*t! (For the record, some days you could say that at 29 I don’t have my 18 Year Old Sh*t together.)
Rachel B
Thanks for your post, Joy! I’ve always held off on buying emergency supplies, not wanting to create a ton of waste if I’m lucky enough not to ever need them. Your post has got me thinking.
Aimee
Good on you. We had a 7.1 earthquake 2 years back and those survival provisions keep us going (and others too) we were lucky and had power and water back within 48h, others it took anything up to 3 week and in a few cases much longer.
It’s just good sense to be prepared.
Angela R.
That’s a fantastic kit. Throw in some hand sanitizer, though! With no running water it will be nice to still be able to keep germs at bay. :)
Lady Jennie
When we were looking for a little house outside of Paris, I said to my husband – wouldn’t it be cool if we had a well? And a vegetable garden in case of hard times? It was just a passing wish and didn’t go on our prayer list or anything.
But we have the cutest little house outside of Paris and it DOES have a working well, and a fireplace and a large vegetable garden. But we don’t have any freeze-dried food.
Cristina
Hi Joy, sorry for being dumb about this, but I can only see the most recent 6 (non-facebook) comments…. how do I see more? There are 78! Thanks! x
Morsel Shop
Yes! I’m having the same issue… i thought it was just me :)
Briel K.
Good post. I really need to get my act together. I do have a first aid kit at my apartment, a couple flashlights, and lots of bottled water but I know there is more that I need to have ready just in case.
meghan
Im kinda excited about this. I live in a tsunami zone, and we’re always getting warnings but i haven’t made a kit yet either. But we’re having a baby in 4 weeks and im thinkin its a good time to start pretending we’re adults….. Besides there is a freeze-dried berry cobbler i’ve been wanting to try (come on natural disaster!)
Breanna
Thanks for this post! I love that you talk about being prepared without making it all doom and gloom or scary. There’s enough stress in the world, and this is good sense stuff, but we don’t have to panic! E just bought some freeze dried food, but scented candles are all I have. Putting candles on my grocery list!
Sarah C.
I’m kinda disappointed in the post-it doesn’t point anyone to any actual professional emergency resources. I also really miss the actual baking posts.
joythebaker
yay for your opinion!
Angela R.
Good grief. This is just a blog post about what JOY has put in her emergency kit. She’s not a liaison for the freaking Red Cross. And 99 percent of her posts regard cooking/baking, so how can you be missing them?
meg
Okay, this is REAL. During Hurricane Rita a few years ago, we didn’t get more than a little gusty wind, so it seemed like no big deal in the end (in our area at least — not to the folks east of here.) Oh, but whoopsie — there was such a huge mess in other parts of the state that the trucks were delayed and stores and restaurants were running out of food about a day later. Moral of the story: You really should tap into your inner scout and be prepared.
That having been said, we lost power due to a blown transformer a couple weeks ago and I could not find one working flashlight. Good stuff. And I still haven’t remedied that. Thanks for the great reminder!
em prentiss
Skip the MREs and every week buy one extra can of tuna fish (or the shelve stable salad packages. The point is to simply have enough in your pantry to so you can survive for several days to several weeks. Also, buy a bottle of water, don’t buy the 99 cents soft plastic bottles but keep an eye out for the rigid plastic which don’t leak!
My parents gave me the greatest gift for sheltering in place. (No electricity …. no elevator since I’m a WC user sheltering in place!). They bought a large ice chest, table top battery lanterns, the great headlight, small sterno stove and batteries. Everything stores in the cooler so there is no searching in the dark. The cooler & its smaller cousin allows me to take thinks from the freezer & fridge without opening & shutting the door repeatedly.
joythebaker
great suggestions!
Michelle
Great post! I listened to the podcast where you and Tracy started talking about this and it made me decide to be a grown up and really think about putting an emergency kit together (a real one, not the box of bandages and the flashlight and, like, two bottles of water that we currently had going for us). All jokes aside, a bottle of something something up in there is brillant, because let’s be real, when the shit hits the fan, a little drink would be a God send.
Vicki B
Great list! Living in California is would seem logical that all of us west coasters would have such a kit but alas, I don’t either. Need to jump on this. If you really want to be smart, have a look at Shelter Box USA. I asked them to offer these for sale. I’d totally buy one and keep stashed but really, anyone can put one together and it would be the smartest thing to do. It’s so not fun thinking about this stuff but a whole lot less wishing we had.
Mei
Oh I lost power in San Diego at my parent’s house a few months ago. Luckily they had a huge solar umbrella with lights underneath it. You could also spin it around facing upwards as a signal.
Frances
Ladies (and gentlemen),
Listen up!
Buy (or dig out of your closet) a land line (preferably not a portable) phone. You are actually able to dial 911 on a land line even if you do not have phone service set up at your house. As long as there is a phone jack you should be good to go. 911 agencies are even OK with you dialing 911 to check to make sure it works and the correct address is displayed.
It is even good for non-apocalyptic situations like, “I think someone is breaking into my house” or “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up”. If you are in an emergency where you are unable to provide an address for the 911 dispatcher the land line will provide the address for you. Cell phones do not (I repeat DO NOT) provide a location for you. Some agencies may have the technology to provide a general area but, it is usually not completely accurate (sometimes a far away as several football fields).
You can buy a land line for as little as $10 OR you can shell out a bit more for a cool 80s See-Thru phone.
Sincerely,
Frances (real life 911 dispatcher :)
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel
Do you watch the show Revolution? It totally freaks me out thinking of the possibilities. We rely on so much these days. Can you imagine having to basically start over with no power. I imagine it’d be easier in the south than in the north where we’d all be goners come January. But in all seriousness…having a backup plan and supplies really are essential. I keep wanting to get an emergency radio and other backup items.
WolfSong
As a bit of a survival enthusiast, I never mock someone who’s building an emergency kit. Never. Half the battle is getting people to realize they *need* an emergency kit! So, I say, good for you! You’re off to a great start, and you’ve got one thing going for you that many people don’t. A sense of humor. Trust me, if you start to explore the wide, wild world of survivalist type blogs-even just for info and ideas-you’re going to need it! *grins* Some folks are very “stuffed shirt” about it all.
Me, well, I try not to be (a stuffed shirt), and really, I just want to know I have some sort of resources on hand, when the poop comes down the pipe. The part of me that I call my Inner Survivalist Girl wouldn’t have it any other way! ;)
MJ
Know what? You’re right. I’ve got 2 kiddos and we are making an ER plan and stocking up this weekend – thanks!
Samantha
p.s. letter to Santa will DEF. have “hand cranked emergency radio” on it. SO COOL!
Samantha
Fabulous. I’ll get to work.
One thing I thought of when y’all podcasted about this, and then HEARD it from a doctor re: key ingredient for emergency kit is H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide). It’s SUPER cheap (as in less than a dollar) for a plastic bottle, lasts forever, and will disinfect the heck out of any scratch or cut you get. And whiten your hair & teeth, if you have time for vanity.
I remember years ago I saw a woman (whom I inferred was homeless) buy 2 things for less that $2 at a convenience store: generic grape soda (’cause you gotta enjoy life) and hydrogen peroxide. She immediately got my “smarty pants” stamp of approval. Mega impressed.
Last, because of time I’ve spent around mountaineers, ENSURE your warm set of emergency clothes are NOT made of cotton. Wearing wet cotton in the cold is literally worse than being naked (weird-but-true science). Climbers in the Pacific Northwest call it “Death Cloth.” ‘Course back in Cali I’d die w/out it in summer, but please make sure little Joy has some nice fleece or wool or some such. & a cozy, fuzzy hat. =)
Thanks for the excellent into & motivation!!
anna
aw, joy this post is so sweet. because you care. it’s really good advice. i try to be prepared, but it’s so easy to say naaaah that’ll never happen here. but! i have definitely watched enough house to be able to perform a tracheotomy when and wherever necessary, so at least there’s that.
erika
Joy, I have been loving you secretly for months now and have not decided to post anything until now. I love that you are always talking about how difficult it is to deal with what is real and what it is to be a grown up. It’s awesome, and this post is so real, so grown up, so right on – you do totally deserve that “You are a great grown up today!” award. Because not only did you face reality for yourself, look how inspired everyone else is to do the right thing and think about getting prepared for emergencies thanks to your “let’s get serious now/ Can DO!” spirit. I think I hear the Red Cross calling you for a spokeswoman deal . . . I just wanted to remind you and everyone else on here that is cool enough to read the comments – even if you don’t do anything other than buy yourself a lighter and carry it with you, you will be giving yourself a lot of options when you can reliably produce a flame with which to create fire (heat, light, certain illegal passtimes . . .) Even matches don’t really cut it compared to a lighter, emergency or no. Just saying. Also, for those of you recommending a leash and harness for Joy’s cat – have you not noticed the delightfully wild spirit of this cat ?! – she’s going to have one heck of a struggle to just convince it to take a ride in the carrier!
Jayne
Joy, this is a really really good list. I’m starting to take this more seriously now. Our 1st aid kit at home isn’t the best stocked one. I think half of the stuff in it are either expired or not really that good. Perhaps a well-stocked 1st aid kit will be a good Xmas gift to ourselves. Safety for Xmas.. not too bad of an idea.
Ana F
Great post Joy. You are hilarious, I so enjoy your humor. I’m very familiar with hurricanes living in South Florida and have experienced no power after many storms and they are no fun at all. When we got hit with hurricance Andrew years ago, we had no power for over two weeks and sterno set was a life a saver. I was able to make expresso in the morning and for me life is easier to deal with if coffee is involved.
Lisa @ Blithe Moments
Looks like you have a great kit there, but the other thing you need is emergency plans.
I live in a bushfire prone area. Our plan includes at what point we stay or go and what we will take with us if we go. If we stay it includes what we will do to be safe.
If there is a fire in the house we know our plan of how to get out, which is important because if we forgot and went out the back we would be trapped by locked gates. Etc.
Pre-planning and thinking it through calmly is really important for when you have to do it fast and panicked.
Bakerkat
Joy this is a great post. We all need to figure out what we need to have around if there is am emergency situation. It’s easy to think about it when something like Sandy happens but to think about it before the emergency can really make a difference. Your right we all need to figure out how to take care of ourselves.
Laura
Thanks for putting this out there. Preparedness is so important and people seem wary to bring it up. My friends and I started a little preparedness club when we realized it was time to be adults about being ready for anything. We enjoyed putting emergency kits together as well and now we stock the pantry with a lot more food. It also helped start a new hobby of canning for me! Great post!
Rachel
This is a really great post! In other news, I first thought this when you said this on the podcast but since moving here I have realised only a Southern Californian could be surprised by the fact weather is a real thing – it makes me laugh so much, but I love you guys for it at the same time!
Kathleen, Frugal Portland
Great idea but honestly? My favorite part was “(in case it gets really foggy)” — I laughed out loud!
Louisa
I’m from Ireland, and although I haven’t experienced it for a while, long power cuts were not that uncommon when I was young. And even now, with the cold weather we’ve been getting in recent years, pipes freeze and lots of people have been left without water too. So although we don’t have as extreme weather as you do in other parts of the world, I still love these tips: good to have in all sorts of experiences.
Katie @ Blonde Ambition
Very neat post. i went to visit my aunt and uncle on long island in new york this past weekend for a 5 day trip and was very grateful that their power came back the morning of the day of my arrival. at least now i know all of this for backup!
Natalie
Thank you so much for this post. I had been thinking lately I need to get prepared for an emergency. I live in CA and we don’t get warnings when earthquakes come…and after hurricane Sandy it got me thinking of how few “emergency” items I have. Last night I dreamt there was a big earthquake and then this morning I read this. I think it is a sign. I am off to buy most of the items you suggested. This really is a life-saver of a post!
Mary
an emergency kit has been on my to do list for longer than I’d like to admit – thanks for reminding me to get my butt moving! I just went on Amazon and ordered some of the things I was lacking… now I’m hoping for no major disasters before my shipment arrives…
Aryanna
Is New Orleans just backwards enough to be able to handle no electricity better? Our power goes out often. You learn quickly to have your stuff together. Board games and electricity free hobbies, like knitting and puzzles and that one sudoku book you picked up in the airport and reading (you know with actual books) are essential. And never underestimate the value of a good neighbor. This is why you should bake something and make friends with them before the sh*t hits the fan. Then they can come over and hang out and entertain you instead of you, sitting alone, staring at your cat wondering what the heck the two of you are going to do next.
Jody
Speaking of your cat, my cousin just got a carrying case that has a shoulder strap so that they can scoop up the kitties and still have hands free in an emergency (maybe someone else has brought this up). As a dog owner I wouldn’t have thought of this since I have a reasonable assumption that my dog will obey a command to follow, but with an animal that might not, it pays to be prepared for a quick and comvenient exit.
Marisa
My power went out for the fist time last month, and it was out for about three hours. I was surprised and disconcerted it was by how dark and silent it was when there was no power for a mile. I too, realized that I was woefully unprepared.
Jim the eater
Don’t forget a regular can opener. If you rely on canned food when the power is out…assuming you have a means of heating the stuff up…getting at the food is the first step. That electric beauty from William Sonoma may look great on your counter but is little more than a paper weight when the power is out.
Not sure about the reliance on candles. I like the crank radio. Good idea. Have one myself that is a combination radio/light/cell phone charger. You crank it or set it in the sun, has back-up solar panels.
Mandy
Seriously Joy you are awesome! This post is awesome, your food is always awesome, could you please just be my best friend already??!!
Jenna | The Paleo Project
I’m one of those people who has a full-blown panic attack every time the weather man puts out an advisory but literally has zero plan for the worst. This was a legit wake up call. Thank you!
Kathy Rodriguez
Don’t forget to have a way to cook those freeze dried meals. Might want to add a small backpacking stove, fuel and matches to the list.
Kristen
Maybe you should also have a harness and leash for your orange kitty (along with a pet carrier). that way he can get a bit of freedom and walking around if you have to leave your home but can’t go someplace where he can roam freely.
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes
I love this and love how well-written it is! You can never be too prepared…
Linda Grothe
Thank you for the thoughtful give away. I also think this would be great to have in the car. Thank you
Annie R
My friend has an amazing website that’s all about being ready for a disaster. http://www.emergencymama.com
Katherine | Gathered Heart
You know what, this is legit. I never think about stuff like disaster preparation…. I guess it’s one of those grownup things that I need to deal with and get real about. Thank you for sharing this… it really has shined some light and I will be using your post as a guide for my own emergency kit.
Stefanie @ Sarcastic Cooking
Good for you Joy!!! The award for most adult person of the day goes to you!!! I’m heading to Target now I am going to check out with some preparedness things and about three to five unnecessary nail polishes!!!
Maggie @ A Bitchin' Kitchen
This is a great list! You should add a leash + harness or a kitty carrier of some sort as well! A couple years ago there was a HUGE snowstorm here in DC that caused the government and all public transportation to shut down, and I was snowed in to my 500 square foot studio apartment with my then boyfriend for 5 days. Ever since then, I’ve been a big believer in storm/disaster prep, but this list has a lot of stuff I never even thought of!
joythebaker
I definitely have the cat carrier ready to go.
Tiffany
Great tips! I have also been mulling this topic over. I’ve thought about it a couple of times before, but after Hurricane Sandy I finally got serious – real first aid kit in house and each car, hand crank weather radio, new flashlights, external battery for iphone, etc. I’m still not as prepared as you are, but I at least feel a little better about how prepared I would be for another such occasion!
joythebaker
it’s think it’s a slow accumulation of things. You’re getting there!
jaime @ sweet road
These are great tips. One thing people tend to forget is extra pet food – always good to have extra. I would feel so terrible if I couldn’t take care of my best furry friends! Paper plates are also very useful. I hate the idea of wasting paper, but if you live in an area where no power=no running water, paper plates are a must for conserving water and preventing scummy, dirty kitchen situations.
joythebaker
Good call on the paper plates!
Brittani
Great post, Joy. While the topic is daunting, the preparation is smart and shouldn’t be taken lightly! I appreciate you getting this process started for me. I am curious, where do you store your emergency kit? I can’t think of the best place. By our front door or somewhere in our bedroom (since I spend at least 8 hours of the day there) are what I’m thinking. Thanks!
Chineka (savorthebaking)
I love this post. I have a mini emergency kit, but I know see that it is essential that I upgrade to a bigger kit. Thanks for the insight Joy. 8-)
j.cro
I live at the beach in Monmouth County, NJ – a place hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. Thankfully my town dodged a major bullet compared to many of our neighboring towns and other places all along the NJ and NY coast.
Joy’s list is no joke.
It may seem silly right now, when there’s no pending emergency, to go spend money on things like water and batteries and freeze-dried food, but I guarantee – when the emergency is pressing up against you, those essentials are in short supply and hard to find.
Get prepared now – living without power for a week (or more, a LOT more, for a good deal of people) is NOT FUN. If you have a propane grill, get and fill extra tanks. If you can get a generator, make sure you have multiple gas cans to power it. Have a battery operated radio – we have one that runs on solar and a hand crank too but the power drains quickly. A headlamp is a brilliant idea (pun intended) – trying to balance a flashlight while you’re reading in the dark is an added (minor) stress you just don’t need. Get a battery operated lantern. Make sure your car is full of gasoline.
I am fortunate for how we made it through the storm – my life is pretty much back to normal – but a lot of people are not so fortunate and have NO IDEA when their lives will resemble anything close to normal.
Please consider donating to local NJ/NY groups to help those who have literally lost everything. Here is a list:
*The Foodbank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties – http://www.foodbankmoc.org/ – In the first 12 days, we have provided the equivalent of over 450,000 meals, including hot meals from our kitchen, military rations (MREs), shelf stable food, disaster boxes, and fresh and frozen items for organizations cooking for victims and rescue workers.
*Waves for Water – http://www.wavesforwater.org/project/hurricane-sandy-relief-initiative – Though we normally focus on clean water, this time we will be addressing the initial survival needs on many levels from first responder assistance to rubble removal and ultimately the rebuilding efforts. We have extensive experience with disaster relief that puts us in a unique position to help organize, mobilize and deploy a strategic response initiative for the victims of Sandy.
*Occupy: Sandy Relief NYC – http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/
*New York Cares – http://newyorkcares.org/volunteer/disaster/?gclid=CO3Yj_eU0bMCFQSg4AodnHIA6g – New York Cares is now the city’s largest volunteer organization, running volunteer programs for 1,300 nonprofits, city agencies, and public schools. Today’s volunteers share our founders’ vision that we all have a role to play in making our city a better place.
Thank you!!
Jim the eater
My heart goes out to you guys. I spent a year in Little Silver when I was in the service. I can’t imagine what a 12′ storm surge has done to the Jersy shore I remember. Hang in there!
Synne
You and your blog are so complex, Joy! I love how you seem to always know what to do and write and bake. You always understand what’s right and important. Some days it’s lipstick, some days it’s heating blankets, some days it’s chocolate. That’s how life works. Thanks for your food for thought, as well as your food!
Christy @ My Invisible Crown
I think it’s a great list! Here in Alabama we have tornadoes A LOT that take our power and even though I am equipped with more than a half used scented candle…it’s NOT by much! And when we lose power for days on end, I just sit in my car and charge my phone because we all know that’s the priority! My parents (who live also somewhere around 5-7 miles away and up a big hill) have a generator that they brought to each of their children’s houses each day to hook up for a few hours so that we didn’t lose every last morel of food in out fridge the last time something big happened. But you make me more determined than I was before to go out and grab my own. Small ones aren’t THAT expensive. Hey, if all else fails you could just go next door to John Lithgow’s house and crash, right?
Kitchen Mommy
Great list! We watched just enough episodes of Doomsday Preppers a while ago, to get all good and freaked out and motivated, but then never did anything about it. New motivaition – and that Red Cross radio sounds awesome!
Loretta brooks
I just finished your emergency post and thank you for doing this. I started reading your column when I found your tomato cobbler recipe. Love it! The funny thing is that I love to cook but I hate..well maybe not hate..to bake. But I signed up for your posts because I love your writing and every now and then get a recipe that takes minimal baking????
Also just watched the video about your book tour and visit to the French Laundry. I’m going to order your cookbook because even though I hate to bake, I know I’ll find something to make and I can also give a copy to a wonderful baker friend for Christmas.
May your days be filled with the joy you spread through your wonderful writing.
Cristina
Great list! Think about adding a stash of Ziploc bags. They are key for protecting things you don’t want to get wet, and also isolating things that are icky. Ziploc bags, incidentally, are great iPhone cases, as you can still use the screen through the plastic! (think: texting from the pool)
Jenn
Ha! Durning that same hurrincane I was sitting in my house with only scented candels too. This being an adult thing and buying those kind of things is not fun.
Laurie J Ronan
I just love your wit. You’ve taken a serious subject which I probably would have quit reading a third of the way through, and pulled me right through the end, smiling. Terrific post.
amy
Great reminder. One year ago, I wrote a list of items that we need for our emergency kit. Those items remain on paper. Perhaps this weekend I will pull on my big girl panties and do some shopping and organizing. Thanks for the nudge, Joy
Calantha
Great post, Joy! This is something I really have to do. Despite living in an area that isn’t prone to many natural disasters, human error or human malice are also things that can put us in situations where the services we rely on for survival become jeopardized. With Sandy, we were warned to have at least 72 hours of food and water on hand. As someone who only eats direct from farms and non-processed food, I realized how detrimental this was to “survival”…. Well, at least enjoyable survival… my freezer IS packed full and raw potatoes would just have to do. But even keeping water on hand–the most important item for survival, is something a lot of us don’t do. So thanks again for the reminder!
Lillie
Reading this in the dark, power outage for 4+ hours now. Should be back on soon, but we’re prepared if not. Great post!
The Savory and The Beautiful
Whoa, you is prepared now! Thank you for this list. It’s gives me a great starting point to create my own. Btw….love your writing.
tnt
Great post! I live in Central Europe where survival-kits are not part of usual public discussions as well as earthquake or flood survival strategies are not. But they should be, it just seems that we do not learn anything from the news because we try to think news are about “other people”, not us.
Beth
I’m an American living in North Africa. Power cuts, internet and cell phone outages–even the country running out of sugar for a couple of weeks or no one having any running water for days–these are pretty standard things here. I deal with it fine, but I know I wouldn’t cope quite as well back home. Way to be prepared!
Maike
Yesterday I would have thought ‘Meh! I live in Germany, we don’t have Tsunamis or earthquakes.’ But then I woke up today and all the power went out. And the internet. So I had no idea what was going on and had no way to check except for my shower radio which is battery powered. At least that headlamp seems like a really good investment now. Let me tell you, applying make up with only your cell phone flash light – NOT easy. Also a very good investment: a camping stove. Or else there’s NO COFFEE in the morning. Smeared makeup and no coffee – I cannot deal with that at 7:30 on a Thursday.
So thanks for the post!
Sera
Thank you thank you for being real. I really need to organise myself something like this… Back at home I always had something like this (NZ is like, earthquake, tsunami, volcano central…) but here in Austria it seems like I’m so safe from natural disasters (in comparison!) I hadn’t really thought it through….
Sera
Nicole
Hi Sera, I’m also in Austria! Where are you? I’m in Vienna. There are natural disasters in Austria!! The Danube has this crazy tendency to flood Lower Austria just about every year and just this fall there was a huge mudslide somewhere that took out homes–don’t hold me to it, but I think it was in Corinthia. Then there’s Vorarlberg where it has been known to snow so much that some of the mountain villages get cut off for a few days until someone can clear the roads out. Hmm now that I think about it, I don’t think my little first aid kit, the candle by the electricity meter and the one flashlight are really enough :)
vera@growntocook
Funny thing – I was just comtemplating emergency situations yesterday, thinking that getting some emergency food supplies would be a good idea. Because emergencies never happen – until they happen.
Also, I want a woodstove. Because combinng cooking and heating seems so efficient, even in other than emergency situations.
Suzanne
I use my wood stove as my primary source of heat in the winter, even with central heating available. The wood stove provides us with heat and a way to cook and heat water if the power goes out. We usually experience one or two days of a power outage each winter.
vera@growntocook
I hope we’ll get there, too. We’re aving for a wood stove now and I alredy picked one – that has an oven too. The only problem – wood is not that cheap here in the Netherlands.
Coughey
I’m from the Czech republic, which – in the middle of Europe – is quite distant from tsunamis and earthquakes, though… I really like this post of yours. It feels so ‘responsible yet human’ – everyone can make a mistake, we all might panic a little… But the main thing is not to forget that candles are great just in specific situations. :)
You’re taking it from a different perspective than eveyrbody else and that’s what I love about your blog and words. Keep going and hopefuly without a need of the first aid kit!
Amy W
But not all that distant from rain and snow! ;)
Averie @ Averie Cooks
Joy this is a great post – no one likes to think about this stuff, the what if’s, or dwell on the scary things but better safe than sorry.. We lost power randomly in San Diego two summers ago for about 48 hours and losing power when it was just me was one thing, but with a small child, it was so scary and my mama bear survivalist mode came out. This post reminds me to get my ducks in a row!