Preparing For The Apocalypse
Last weekend as the news started rolling in about COVID-19 and panic started to sink in we turned to our friends Tolan and Tyler Florence who, along with their families, are often at the front lines feeding victims and responders when disaster hits. We’re grateful they have shared their family’s personal checklist with The What to help us prepare for a pandemic or quarantine (if we ever get to that point). Certainly, it’s an investment to purchase everything on this list but you can also eat down your supply when times are good so nothing is wasted. Also if food is not your concern, jump down to the bottom and check out the FEMA checklist. Tracking down all of our documents and placing them in a fire and water resistant backpack is the best advice we’ve ever gotten and yet we still haven’t gotten around to organizing everything we need. One thing for sure, when the apocalypse comes we are headed to the Florences. Special thanks to Tolan Florence for taking the time to write out this list.
Tyler and Tolan Florence and daughter Dorothy (bottom center) with World Central Kitchen volunteers Thanksgiving Day at the Paradise Fires.
Florence Family
Emergency Supplies 2020
Pantry + Food + Water
It never hurts to have long-shelf-life foods on hand. People who live in areas that are at risk for earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes and other natural disasters should always have emergency food and water supplies. The coronavirus outbreak is an ideal time to update your home supplies. In the event of self-isolation or quarantine having things on hand will also cut your number of shopping trips and reduce your risk of exposure by having to get to a grocery store.
Basic list for a family of four:
Rice (50lb bag)
Dried beans (15-20 lbs)
Dried fruits + nuts
Canned vegetables (20 cans)- tomatoes, green beans, corn, etc.
Canned soup or chili (10-20 cans)
Tinned meats + fish
Canned fruit + applesauce (#10 can from Costco = 25 servings, so you need a few different types)
Oatmeal (1 container = 30 servings, so you need 4 large boxes)
Cereal and Granola
Honey, Salt, Flour, Sugar, Olive Oil, Yeast to bake bread (can be stored in your freezer for up to 1 year)
Broth and bullion cubes
Pancake and muffin mix
Maple syrup, peanut butter, jam
Pasta, pasta sauce, mac and cheese mix, instant grits, ramen
Boxed juices,
Granola bars, protein bars, chips, jerky, candy, cookies,
Hot cocoa mix
Protein powder
Almond milk (shelf stable)
Coffee, tea, creamer (Folgers is already ground and vacuum-sealed,
Coffee mate individual creamers, or powdered milk)
Water - 1 gallon of water per person, per day (Datrex pouches on amazon are 1/2 cup servings with a 5 year shelf life. Water storage container options are in emergency supply list).
Gatorade, pedialyte, oral hydration powder
Dog & Cat Food (one month supply or large Costco size bag - they have 40 pound dry food bags available on Amazon)
Storage tubs and labels to store your food
Basic Emergency Supplies
Everyday home items: paper towels, toilet paper, garbage bags, ziploc bags, cleaning supplies, anti-bacterial hand wash, Clorox wipes, Kleenex, feminine products, hand sanitizer, bleach.
Emergency items: first aid kit, flashlights, batteries, hand crank or solar radio, back up cell phone charger, face masks, medical gloves, candles, lighters, good old fashioned hot water bottle and fabric ice bag, water filtration/storage. Basic medical items: extra supply of prescription medications, thermometers, multivitamins, cold medicine, Theraflu, vitamin C, Advil + Tylenol (you can alternate in case of a high fever), cough syrup, Imodium, allergy medication, Purell (if you can’t find it: 3 parts rubbing alcohol + one part aloe vera gel + tea tree oil or essential oil = homemade hand sanitizer).
Pack a Go Bag: We keep a go bag in our front hallway closet with supplies, cash, a few blank checks, leashes for the animals, protein bars, flashlights/headlamps, face masks, ponchos, small first aid kit, protein bars, water and a portable cell phone charger.
Emergency contact list with everyone’s phone numbers written on paper with copies of passports, drivers licenses, medical insurance cards, etc.
Telephones and Communication: Consider purchasing a satellite phone, especially if you live in an area where power outages or other natural disasters can affect cell phone service. Most satellite phones come with prepaid minutes and all you have to do is activate the phone and keep it plugged in at home. Share your satellite phone number with friends + family and add labels to the phone that include your # and your friends numbers as well. These are especially important for earthquakes and wildfires. Wired, landline phones with a rotary or touch tone phone typically continue to work without power and can allow you to make and receive calls.
Important Documents and Valuables: Video each room of your home and store the videos in your cloud. This is helpful in case of fire, flood or earthquake damage to help you remember what’s in your home for a potential insurance claim. Photos of your family members and animals, also stored in your cloud.Store electronic copies of important documents in a password-protected format on a removable flash or external hard drive in your fireproof and waterproof box or safe, or consider using a secure cloud-based service. We use the app QUIP and have all of our records stored on their server. Any of us can access this information from our cell phones or a computer via a secure log in.
FEMA RECORDS CHECK LIST
Think about the documents you would need to identify yourself and your household members, including children and pets, your relationships, or status. These may include: vital records (birth, marriage, divorce certificate, adoption, child custody papers) Passport, driver’s license, Social Security card, green card, military service identification, other
Pet ownership: papers and identification tags
Housing: lease or rental agreement, mortgage, home equity line of credit, deed
Vehicle: loan documents, VIN, registration, title
Financial Accounts: checking, savings, debit cards, retirement, investment
Insurance Policies: homeowners, renters, auto, life, flood, appraisals, photos, and lists of valuable items, Health/dental insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, VA health benefits
List of medications, immunizations, allergies, prescriptions, medical equipment and devices, pharmacy information
Living will, medical power of attorney
Contact information for doctors/specialists, dentists, pediatricians, veterinarians
Home Repair Services: utilities, plumber, roofer, carpenter, electrician
Priceless personal mementos, family photos, and keepsakes.
Possessions with monetary value, including jewelry, art, and collectibles.
Want to take your preparedness to another level? Also check out our friend Pamela Cianci’s site ARE YOU READY. It’s a modern emergency planning tool that consolidates information, emergency best practices, and shareable planning forms, and shoppable lists of everything you need to be prepared. Stay safe and good luck out there.