A look at 'personal disasters' - Part I

So, I went through the mental exercise, and tried to identify personal 'disasters' or events that would affect me, but not adversely affect my family. Initially, I thought this to be an exercise in futility; after all, I am the bread winner, and anything that affects me, affects my family. After pondering the thought a few minutes, I realized how self centered that was. Sure, that is true in matters directly related to my ability to earn a living, But there are times when I am out and about by myself when I am not conducting activities related to bread winning.

I would like to pause here, and look at an interesting mental/emotional quirk before we progress through the rest of the thought process. I find it interesting that I was so wrapped up in my role as the bread winner, that it was difficult to imagine a scenario that did not have any direct bearing on my ability to provide for my family. That aspect of my life is so important to me, that it was difficult to consider situations where that element did not come into play. Be on guard for this short sightedness in your own preparations.

Once I broke through that mental hang up, I started thinking what do I do, and where do I go that my family is not with me. Then, the ideas started flowing!

I spend a lot of time by myself in my vehicle. I commute back and forth to work. I travel forest service roads on hiking trips. I drive back and forth to visit my parents. You get the idea. For the most part, I stay on well traveled roads, and take the same routes every time. If something happens to the truck on the way to work, there are at least 5 or 6 people I could call that could come to my aid easily. But, here looked like a good place to start.

VEHICLE BREAK DOWN

Let's face it, if you own a vehicle, sooner or later, you are going to experience a breakdown of one sort or another. For this blog post, let's look at a vehicular breakdown as related to the shelter critical system.

In a break down situation, the vehicle itself should provide sufficient shelter in most cases. Exceptions would include those dealing with cold. If the vehicle is broken down, it is entirely possible the the engine will not run. Heat in a vehicle is a by-product of the internal combustion engine running. If in a well traveled area, leaving the vehicle (ie. Shelter) should not be necessary. Exception may include leaving the vehicle to change a flat tire, or walking to a gas station for gas, or for communications (in the event that cell service is not available. In a remote area, leaving the vehicle may be a requirement for rescue.

After thinking through shelter needs when a vehicle breaks down, I came up with some action plan items.

1.Store blankets in vehicle – Every house has spare blankets around somewhere. Maybe they have holes, are faded, or have stains. Don't throw them out. But them in a box or duffel type bag, and let them be the foundation of your emergency breakdown kit.

2.Store rain gear in vehicle – Even in moderate temperatures, no one likes to be drenched to the bone unless they are swimming. If you have a flat in a thunderstorm, waiting for the storm to pass may not be a viable option. Don't forget a 'grippy' style of glove. You understand if you have ever had to change a flat in the rain. When a hand slips off of a lug wrench, and pounds pavement; especially if it is cold, you have just found a new definition of pain. If you do have to use your rain gear, be sure to bring them all out and dry them thoroughly when you do get back to 'civilization'.

3.Store sweat shirt in vehicle – When in a vehicle, we tend not to think about exposure except in the depths of winter. A chilly spring or fall day can turn downright miserable if you have to walk to the nearest gas station not appropriately dressed. Again, throw an old sweat shirt in your box. A word of caution here. Sweat shirts are great! They are warm and comfortable. They are also made of cotton. The hard core backpacking community has a saying, “cotton kills”. When cotton gets wet, it stays wet for a long time, and sucks the heat out of you. If you have a cotton sweat shirt, don't let it get wet. This is where the rain gear comes into play as well.

4.Store gloves in vehicle – Aside from the 'grippy' gloves mentioned above, thermal gloves are a good idea in your box as well. Every gas station (especially in the winter) carries the cheap 'jersey' style gloves. They are commonly brown in color. They are not perfect, but they are cheap enough to have a pair everywhere, and they will keep the feeling in your hands on your walk to the next gas station.

5.Store knit cap in vehicle – Most body heat is lost through the head. Don't neglect insulating it in an exposure incident.

6.Store $100 emergency cash in vehicle – Let's face it; that little piece of plastic in your wallet is not 100% reliable. Cash is king. If you can't stash $100 somewhere in the car, stash the average cost of a tank of gas. Something is better than nothing. This is not exactly a 'shelter' related prep, but it came to mind here, so I included it.

7.Join AAA – I can almost hear the groans on this one! It is expensive. They are slow to respond, ect. I agree. What if you are in unfamiliar territory? You break down. Let's call it an engine failure that you can't diagnose and repair on the side of the road. You need a tow. You have no idea what facilities are in your area. That call to AAA will get a wrecker to you, and in all likelihood, the driver is going to know a bit about available facilities in the area. It may take him a while to get to you, but an hour or two waiting on a wrecker may be better than some of the alternatives, and that phone call allows you to stay in the relatively sheltered confines of your vehicle. Think of it as another layer of insurance.

As always, I would enjoy constructive feedback. I will go through the other critical systems if subsequent blog posts. Is there anything you would add to this list? Take away? Why?