Leaving or staying? One of the concerns that has not reared it's ugly head yet, is lack of working sanitation. We've all heard that "you can go three days without water, three weeks without food", but how many times a day do you need to "go to the bathroom"? I don't now if the toilets are still working at the Houston Convention Center or if the Houston sewage treatment infrastructure is above ground and still working, but I suspect there to be human waste disposal issues soon (think sewage flowing out of restrooms of the New Orleans Superdome during Katrina). Another reason to avoid large shelters if possible.
The floodwaters themselves are by now a toxic soup. In a radio interview, a farm wife said that they could see their pigs, cattle and horses drowning or starving. Think dead animals, fuel, oil, chemicals, sewage and God knows what mixed in with the flood water. Got a cut or scrape exposed to that, and you could be looking at a serious infection. You want to be someplace where you aren't exposed to that and if you do get soaked, you want to shower off as soon as possible. You don't want to be in "Dodge" with a serious infection or disease (think cholera).
On this mornings news, they said that the Convention Center, capacity 5,000, now has in excess of 9,000 people. They only have cots (as of now) for 5,000. More rescued are expected and someone stated that no one will be turned away. I guess food for 20,000 is on it's way. So why don't you want to be in a shelter?
Think how fast a cold can spread through a crowded, stressed out, tightly packed population. Think of that group with nothing to do (no T.V., video games, books, etc.) except sit and worry. Think of children and adults with ADHd and no meds. Think of those addicted (drugs, cigarettes, booze) who can't get a fix and now have to go cold turkey in the worst of situations. How about those unfortunate to need daily medications and can't get them or who have lost medical records or don't even know what they are supposed to be on. Think of those who may be violent and will prey on others.
I'd rather be camped out on a dry patch (or better yet with friends or relatives), far from the urban area (or whatever danger), with the supplies I had packed in my truck, until things had settled down a little because I saw what could be coming.
If the idea of leaving home, admittedly a last ditch option, can't work because of a fast moving or unforeseen "disaster", the supplies needed to "bug out" can still be used to "bug in". It gives you more options. If you live in a flood plain or area that could even possibly flood, do you keep you supplies on a second floor? Most of us keep our stuff in the basement or garage. Is that the best place, given your location? One problem with standby generators in commercial, urban buildings is that either they are in a basement, or their fuel is stored where it can get infiltrated with flood water. Where you store supplies is as important as what you store.
How you store things matters too. Loose racks of canned good can't be easily moved. Large containers of heavy items may not be easy to load up if you have to get out. Do you have "bug out" bags, graduated in size and manageable weight that you can grab and go? So many of those in Texas that are wading through the flooded streets seem to have, if anything, only a garbage bag loaded with stuff. Think how much better off they'd be, no matter where they ended up if each had a pack with food, a liter or two of water, the ability to heat water and a good filter, flashlights and batteries, basic first aid and all medications, including medical records (and copies of all personal documents, both paper and digital), dry clothing and sleeping gear for the climate and a shelter system of some sort and maybe a book or deck of cards; you know what I'm talking about.
Bugging out is just another option to consider; whether it's the best for you depends on the situation. If you don't prepare yourself that option, then you better be darn sure that staying put, come "Hell or high water" is the only thing that you will be prepared to do.
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