News for the Week 2024-04-29

The Prepared Support - April 29, 2024

News

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Live threat modeling exercise this Friday evening, May 3, on Discord at 6PM Pacific / 9PM Eastern. This is a good way to think about what we’re preparing for and ensure we’re addressing the most important issues. Learn more about the technique from this article.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/07/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-mostly-and-love-my-threat-model/

Join our Discord now at this link so you’ll be ready when the event starts:

https://discord.gg/aWWeSHuX?event=1225995579868446811

Prepper Chat Nights are on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of every month. Last time our chat spontaneously turned into a threat modeling session. We learned a lot and had a good time, so we’re going to try another round this week.

 

Notes from last Friday’s flood-themed threat modeling session:

= threats =

floods
surprise you’re in flood zone and don’t know it
insufficient drainage
dips in road flooded
standing water flood
running water flood / mudflow
mold

= assets =

basement home
life (drowning)
house in low lying neighborhood
house damage
house contents damage
pets
access to hospital
access to store
access to gas
sanity
neighbors

= protections =

higher foundation
house on stilts
sandbags
quick dam – quick deploy inflatable sandbags
plastic liner around sandbags
pruning trees
buy home with fewer risks
no large trees near house
move horses to high spots
sump pump – maybe multiple – battery backup
drainage for water to flow around house
parks that soak up water
french drainage
evacuation plan
stay with friend in safer home during storm
signup for local/county alerts
watch local news
don’t drive during storm
don’t drive through high water
know the low spots in roads and avoid them
know how to evac car safely if car caught in flood
plastic (waterproof) containers for items in garage
keep garage items off the ground
fans
dehumidifiers
roof tight
downspouts lead away from house
clean roof gutters
windows have no leaks
doors secure
move important stuff to high spots
backup copy of documents to cloud
list of plumbers/handymen/etc for emergency contractor help
cats in carrier upstairs
riskfactor
review topographic map
bioswale – pit for collecting water
HOA monitors and improves drainage
monitor nearby storm grates for trash buildup
green space to absorb water
widen river channels to allow more swell before homes/businesses impacted
alternate routes to clinic/store/evac/hospital for when lowlying roads flooded
get to know your area – topography/resources
don’t build/buy/rent on edge of river
checklist for storm prep
acclimate to discomfort
physical fitness
waders
life jacket
check in on neighbors before/during/after storm and exchange numbers