Thursday, August 12, 2010

missing duct tape

One of my many passions is emergency preparedness.
I HATE tornados! Never been in one, and never want to be. When I found out we were moving to Oklahoma I was less than excited! I was horrified! I made sure I had a storm shelter on my property, and right out my back door. (Now I have seen really nice ones you build under the garage, wish I would have seen those before we moved in!)

(I know a little trashy looking-summer time fun. The kids stack the bricks into a chair and play king on top of the cave. Looks like time to edge trim again)
In the spring we were doing our annual tornado drill. I thought what a better time to pack an emergency kit and everyone gets to climb in the the shelter to put theirs inside. This would help them familiarize themselves with the cave, so if we ever have to use it they would be more comfortable.
I put together 72hr kids in advance. Then we packed everything into a 20gallon bucket. These buckets are great! They seal enough to keep bugs and rodents out, they hold a great deal of stuff, and they DOUBLE AS A SEAT!

We let each kid pack their own bucket with thier 72hr kit, toys, coloring books and pencil crayons (or colored pencils as Americans call them- crayons would melt in the summer heat). Then whatever room was left over we added other common things like our emergency candles, matches, blankets, radio, water purifier, personal hygiene stuff...you know.
Recently I was looking for some duct tape for a project I was trying to quickly put together. I couldn't find it anywhere! Last night while coming across some photos I found it.

Do you see it? the pink roll in the top left bucket. Well at least I know I will be well prepared in an emergency.

1 comment:

  1. I live in SE Tennessee but I grew-up in Southern OK and Kansas. I know tornado's and I too, HATE them. I have lived in only one house that had a basement and that was in Kansas back when I was 8. With all the tornado outbreaks last year and this year, I have been pricing in ground storm shelters (btw...prices have skyrocketed due to these outbreaks) and I looked hard at those garage floor shelters thinking they were awesome. However, as I researched them, I saw....
    1. Slide Door - what happens if debris covers over the top of the slide door? Or worse... a car or riding mower lands over the door? No way to get out on your own and pray a neighbor can dig you out.
    2. Location - what happens if a fuel tank on a vehicle gets punctured with debris? The gas can pour down into the shelter through the slide door.
    I think I would prefer a shelter like the one you have over the garage floor shelter. And, I'm still not convinced that an EF5 or better couldn't uproot a safe room shelter.

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