jack: (Default)
[personal profile] jack
1. Have you ever experienced a hurricane firsthand?

No. Britain is blessedly free of natural disasters of all types. And no bears, poison ivy, dangerous snakes, etc, etc either. Or, I guess I was *in* England in 1987, but I don't remember it.

2. Have you ever experienced outside heat over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celcius)?

In butterfly enclosures. I think the hottest outside was in a heat wave in southern Croatia, I think that was... over thirty? Probably not forty? But I can't remember exactly.

3. When and where was the coldest temperature you have ever experienced?

Probably -5 to -10 one night in England, or something similar visiting northern france or southern sweden. Cold enough to notice, but not like you get in many places.

4. Is your household prepared for a possible power outage of two to seven days?

No. That is, if it's JUST our house, we'd probably be fine. When my parents house flooded we made do quite a while without power, but obv we could buy food, candles, etc. It means a lot of indoor camping, or going to stay with a friend or bnb, but we have resources for that.

If it's power to the whole city, then no. It happens sufficiently rarely it hasn't seemed worth having a plan for.

Although with Brexit looming and negotiations failing, the risk is not specifically power, but supply chains breaking down, and people are asking, "at what point do we make sure we have food for a couple of weeks?" If the situation doesn't improve that will become a necessary precaution. (And much worse for people with specific needs, e.g. medicines.)

5. Do you have a go bag?

No. I tend to keep some cash in my wallet so I can buy things for a couple of days if there's a problem with my bank account, but more from habit than planning. I could grab a change of clothes, phone charger, ID, etc in half an hour or less, I've done that enough when I go on holiday, but I don't have a specific "I need to leave in minutes, is there one thing I can just grab".

It seems sufficiently unlikely that that's a problem I'll need, it would be a little bit helpful to have it, just in case, but not enough to make the effort of keeping it current. If the city was more likely to be evacuated all at once, or if I was likely to be deported to a country where I'd be executed, it would be a much better idea, but as it stands, if I needed to evacuate in a hurry, I could probably stay with friends where not having toiletries, clothes, cash would be an inconvenience not a disaster.

Date: 2018-09-14 11:39 am (UTC)
green_knight: (Peregrinos)
From: [personal profile] green_knight
When the house a hundred meters from the end of my terrace went up like a torch, I had some underwear, my computer, all my current backup drives, and my passport packed in under five minutes; and grabbed my camera on the way out. I drove my car two streets down, walked back, and watched from a safe distance. (They had an oil tank at the back of their back garden. It going up and our row catching fire was a real possibility.)

You don't have to have a physical bag packed, but I found that having a plan of 'these are the things I'll grab in this order' made evacuation much easier.

And I probably should think about what mementos or other irreplaceable stuff I want to grab if I have half an hour to pack.

Date: 2018-09-14 06:51 pm (UTC)
magnetic_pole: (Default)
From: [personal profile] magnetic_pole
Reading the questions, your reply, and [personal profile] green_knight's reply below, I'm realizing I need to go buy some emergency supplies and think about what to take with me! We were always prepared growing up in southern California because of the chance of earthquakes, but here on the US east coast I haven't really thought through the systemic food-electricity-water problems that could come from disasters that seem, initially, to be less serious. M.

Date: 2018-09-16 06:29 pm (UTC)
lokifan: black Converse against a black background (Default)
From: [personal profile] lokifan
Although with Brexit looming and negotiations failing, the risk is not specifically power, but supply chains breaking down, and people are asking, "at what point do we make sure we have food for a couple of weeks?" If the situation doesn't improve that will become a necessary precaution.

Jesus Christ.

*considers making a shopping list*