With a bit more time post Katrina is the general consensus still to prepare for 3 days?

I see so many posts with people talking about 3 days, although I remember some people talking about 10-14 days right after Katrina.

How many people prep for 3 days (home, car, on-body) and how many people prep for longer? What is your reasoning?

3 days, stretchable to 5, between my BOB and Ditch Kit, becuase in a worst case scenario I should be able to get to my folks in 5 days on foot. Unless I'm dead or detained as a suspicious looking individual. :P

Once there, set for about three weeks if everyone shows up.

In the dorm, I tried to keep about five days on hand; with more storage space, I want to be able to bug in for ten days without stretching. That is before I hit BOB.

Like Ironraven, I have a 3-5 day BOB. My bugout location in the Catskills is a max (I hope) of five days, even if it is at a brisk walk. Though that wouldn't be my preferred mode of transportation.

I have supplies (except for stored water) to shelter in place 30 days. I'm in NYC, and as a few threads have alluded to, if the SHTF, transportation will probably be impossible for a significant period of time.

I have a few stray thoughts, not yet well organized - so what else is new?

- If your plan is to head out on foot, carrying large quantities of water can be a problem. Depending on the terrain you're going to be covering, it might be better to have enough water for a day or two and the means of filtering and purifying the water in the area. That goes out the window in a desert environment, obviously.

- Ditto the above with respect to fuel for heating/boiling water/cooking. Fuel takes up space and it has weight, whether it's wood, butane, alcohol, etc. If you're traveling through a typical wooded area, great. If it's prairie or hurricane-soaked wetlands, not so great.

- IMHO food is a little bit less of an issue. 3 or 4 days-worth per person should see you through to the point where you can get more. Even if it doesn't, you can keep moving for another few days with no food (unlike water). A week's worth of groceries is a fairly hefty load to carry, especially when you're in a hurry to get someplace else.

- If you need them, don't forget medications.

- You probably need an alternate shelter-in-place plan in case you are not mobile - injured, sick, or taking care of someone who is. If you are sheltering in place, I would say plan and provision for not less than 10 days of no utilities, no food or water from outside sources, no medical assistance, and no or limited communication with others. 14 would be better.

I suspect that having just 3 days home preps would leave you between a rock and a real hard place by the fourth day.

I believe that most agencies are now saying two weeks is better, and a month is better than that.

Bugging out with a reasonable, set destination in your plan, 3-5 days should be the minimum for a pack, I would say more for a car kit.

IOW, the more, the better.

Sue

Based on some local experience with flooding 5 days is the minimum for in-place sheltering.
I carry more water than anything. And Fuel. Plenty of Fuel.

I think Katrina is the best answer, but it depends on what your disaster is. If you live in Oklahoma or Kansas, I'd guess your premier disaster is a tornado. That means long-term survival is probably less necessary as the disaster area is smaller and easier to reach and rescue than the huge flood that New Orleans suffered that wiped out bridges and left scores of thousands in need.

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I expect a major earthquake with Katrina-like results. I plan on survival in place, so I expect a minimum of 2 weeks without aid of any kind. I expect to have fresh water handy, so I have filtration systems, and I expect to have lots of cars around, so I'll have unleaded gas and batteries. That leaves me with food and shelter, and I have that covered in a variety of areas that I can get to just steps from my house if the house goes under. My major fear is fire, as they always follow earthquakes, and I'm downwind of a downtown area and a block full of apartments. Fortunately, the Bay Area has the mildest weather around, so we won't freeze or fry. We've lived here over 10 years and never had an air conditioner in our house, and it's never been below freezing.

I plan on survival in place because I expect the freeways and surface streets to be impassable and the only rail line in town to be unuseable. I also expect all the rescue attempts to be made here, not miles away in some place that's overrun with refugees trying to get somewhere else, emptying out all the stores and gas stations along the way, filling up all the motels, and blocking highways with broken down, out of gas cars and trucks.

My wife and I are ham radio operators with General licenses, and we have HF radios along with UHF/VHF handhelds, so I expect we will have outside communications for whatever that's worth and for as long as we can scavenge working batteries from all the cars in town. We also have 12V lights, inverters, and other gear to allow us to use batteries in a variety of ways.

I have absolutely no expectation that three days of supplies will be sufficient in the disaster most likely to occur in my neighborhood.

I have a 3 day kit in my vehicle and a BOB that is essentially a 3 day kit with one day of water. However, I have a larger cache of supplies at home for inplace sheltering that should last 4 people two weeks.

Even my 3 day kit in my vehicle can easily be stretched longer but only has 3 days (for 2 people) worth of food and water. I choose 3 days because it is a resonably portable amount of supplies and I can expect to be rescued anywhere in AZ in 3 days or less should I become stranded in with my vehicle or I need to make it back to one of my caches of supplies.

Stocking the house for two weeks was actually easier then I initally thought it would be. Although in the event where I would need the supplies, I will probably be at work

As martinfocazio noted... water and fuel are the key ingrediants in any home or vehicle survival kit! Fuel for cooking, generators and vehicles. Remember to maintain and start generators weekly.

I guess it all depends on what your experience is.. And Tolerances..

As someone who went thru 2 hurricanes here in florida I would say this:

In my jeep when a storm is inbound I prep for 5 days. That means fuel (twin 7 gallon fuel tanks ) , some food, water, etc. Granted, I'm a fed and have to report to work in emergency situations if called on, and there is always (well, almost ) a rudimentary amount of supplies on hand..

In my home I plan on being able to feed, shelter, and provide for myself and a few of my neighbors for a minimum of 2 weeks. This is not "Chez Ritz, or Maxim's" accomodation at all. But it is enough to stay dry, fed, hydrated, protected, and cared for for a while. I have mre's, dried grains, canned fruit, meat, paper and hygene products, etc.

My personal carry is designed for roughly 48 hrs. This is carried in a medium sized "book bag"- actually the USAF black bag. 3 fresh MRE's 2 liters of water, my PSK, knife, water filter, mosquito net, small tarp, hygeine kit, 880 cord, fresh socks and underwear, the standard stuff..

my home kit is much more extensive than either my car or carry kit. I has a lot of construction items in it. Liquid nails, real nails, visquene, hammers, chainsaws, etc, etc..

I was not in college that long ago and I will say that every time we were told to stay put....it was better to leave, and every time it was better to stay we were told to leave. A dorm is like a big apartment building on steroids. I would check with your residential advisor and campus police to see what equipment/method would suit you best. If you've already moved on then even better.