Building, stocking a safe room in house

Bob - April 27, 2021

https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_taking-shelter-from-the-storm_p-320.pdf

Good evening,

Above FEMA link is hot off the presses. It’s the updated version.  

I’m posting this for 2 reasons: good info on subject AND just the exposure to FEMA stuff. Not only for a house, the concepts in doc can be used in an apartment, condo, etc.

Be careful re the page 9 definition of hurricane categories.  Our US system has “cat 5” as the worst … heaviest winds in the series of 5 categories.  Yet, a lower number hurricane can be more dangerous because of the flooding. It is the flooding … especially infected waters … that causes the most hurricane deaths.

Page 58 has an email address and a phone number for additional info and publication.

There’s a web-seminar or one of those national conference calls pending.  I omitted this but if really interested, inquire via the page 58 contacts.

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Does anyone have a safe room in their house? Like a room where you have access to your guns, ammo, food, and water where you could bunker down for some time.

 

Good evening Conrad,

Yes, I have a safe room here but not for a long duration.

My worry is less about hunkering down and more so having to get out of place.

In my safe room, plenty of water and no-cook food in an ender the bed storage box. Can make coffee but must consider O2 depletion since hiking stove uses cartridge fuel.

Warm weather hurricanes = bugs and rodents in this area.

 

What are some of your no-cook food options? Sounds like a good idea to have some with my supplies.

 

Good morning Conrad,

For under a week’s duration, some of my typical no-cook foods would be:

tree nuts in plastic container, pop-top canned kippers, pop-top canned sardines, raisins, prunes (dried plums), a couple of bread types that hold up here, eg bagels, raisin/cinnamon bread, a few various “Granola” / “Clif” type bars, some bars of chocolate, milk choc, dark choc, a couple of packs of hard candy, honey, olive oil. Some well-packed cookies and crackers get added if not not already opened.

Above go in an under the bed storage container. Next to this food container, is another one with small plastic bags, paper towels, “wet ones” brand of moist paper towels, a small sprayer of pine oil (for anti-bugs) and a container of moth balls (camphor). In warm seasons, this is bug country.

A tangent; Besides no-cook foods and disposal items like plastic bags per opened can of kippers,etc, a preparedness aspect places emphasis on HOW something is packed. For example, tree nuts come in plastic screw on caps, chocolate bars only bought if packed in quality packaging that can be resealed………and can also be used for an evacuation.

A footnote; For no-cook AND NO REFRIGERATION items, diligent attention must be focused on product label.  Only a couple of thr almond butter jars advertized as not needing refrigeration after once opened. Ditto some of the jellies, jams, preserves that are store bought.

 

You’ve made some really good points bob.

• I’ll pass on the kippers and sardines though… I’d rather stick with spam
• Baby wipes are great for cleaning up messes, cleaning your hands, and also giving yourself a little bath if no water is available.
• Getting foods that can be resealed or at least having some zip lock bags to put things in are important to prevent foods from spoiling
• Don’t have smelly foods. If you are trapped in your safe room and ate some smelly food like sardines but don’t like the smell then you are going to be sitting in that room with an empty can that still stinks.
• Keeping an eye out for refrigeration after opening.
• I like that you’ve included some sweets. If you are trapped somewhere, those sweets can really take your mind off of the crappy situation you are in. 

 

Good afternoon Conrad,

All empty cans first loaded with some camphor and then double plastic bagged.

My vapor issue is not me; it’s bugs.