Read the whole article. Not only is the new FEMA director EXPECTING you to have an emergency plan, he's tweaked his own staff that didn't have a plan.

The new FEMA is the backstop, not the leading edge. The new FEMA expects YOU yes YOU to be responsible for the beginning, and they will be coming later to help with longer-term support stuff.

I like the approach, I like the attitude (I loved the part where he comes in with a drill scenario he made up and he watches the screwups as they scramble to make it all happen).

anyway, please read the article. I think you'll see you have more in common with the FEMA director than you think.

Heat isn't the problem - I got lots of blankets. Cooling is the hard problem to solve.

I've got 30 days "lifeboat" food & water in the house aside from whatever normal food I have. There are 7 days of the same in a crate in the back of the car - with other emergency gear - and 2 days in the driver's door storage (and another 2 days in the passenger's door).

I've been without electricity for weeks three times after hurricanes so that's doable.

I have a lot of work to do, but I think I'm at the point where in a community disaster I can wave off responders for a couple of weeks with "no I'm not having fun but I'll live - check the lady next door".

My "personal disaster" approach is a little different since I'm in a wheelchair and live alone. I place greater emphasis on signaling and waiting for a responder than most people should.

PS. the car kit isn't a BoB but rather a reduced version of the home survival-in-place kit. The point is that I spend a lot of hours each week away from home and I want the bare essentials with me.

Martin:
after reading your post it got me to thinking. I as many on this forum went down to New Orleans to help. (actually we were stationed in Baton Rouge and flew down New Orleans several times a day) The very first thing I notice was the utter failure of the local services, and the county and state wasn't much better.

Today I tryed to find out where I stood if my neighbors and my self need any help. We stand alone I live in a small city (2years as a city) and as I found out today not much has been done, There is a county plan and a staste plan but there is not as of yet a city plan. I am good for at least a week plus on food and I have a 1500 gal pool in the back yard and one more pool in the neighborhood. I went to Wal Mart and bought and replaced all my back yard lights with solor lights(about $3.00 ea.) so now I have food,water and light.
I have a lot of camping gear so shelter and cooking is taken care of, but if it is a long duration problem or I have to bug out we go to plan #2. We have several older women (older than me anyway) that have lost there mates and will need help, but we also have a lot of young strong males to take care of that problem. We have reglar block meeting and I try to get them to be prepared and I think a little has sunk in but only the next problem will tell. As far as the community goes as I stated before WE stand alone.

Plan #2
I have two ways out of my area, I know how to get around the bridges if they are down. And I can get water out of the San Diego river (1.2 Miles.) I also have people I know in each of the directions I would be going and I will have enought stuff so as not to be a burden on them, and may be of some help to them.

To answer your last question "could I stay in my house for 5 days " you bet, and take care of my neighbors also.

What about having a 'Preparedness Block BBQ' in your neighborhood and invite everyone?

How to cook without electricity, how to cool without electricity, examples of GetHome kits, some printed lists of stuff (food, first aid, water, etc).

I think that the basic problem is that many people aren't really used to thinking for themselves very much. Maybe get them started?

Sue

We had one of those! Called it hurricane Ike...
-Blast

Um, so how does a 4-day plan differ from a 3-day plan? Is it more than an extra day's supplies?

That's the beauty, it's not that much different. Once you have a 72 hour kit, shifting to a 96 or longer kit is just a little more food, water and storage.

blast:
Did you have a problem with "Rita"?

Yes...after getting all ready for her she swung north too early and missed us.

The main issue we had with Rita was the amazing traffic jams that kept us trapped in our subdivision and the resulting trash left behind by all the evacuees.

Rita blog post #1
Rita blog post #2
Rita blog post #3
Rita blog post #4
Rita blog post #5 (after action report)

-Blast

I put my BOB together to last me one week, whether bugging in or out. For bugging in, the BOB would be the last resort though, as I've been putting aside supplies for longer periods here in the house.

I've been working on stockpiling Campbell's Chunky soups (one can is definitely a filling meal for one person, vegetables, meat and all), Ramen noodles, and the $.68 gallon jugs of drinking water from Wal-Mart.

My goal I'm shooting for right now is to have one month of food and water set aside. Every payday I stop into Wal-Mart and pick up another 4+ gallons of water, maybe another 4+ cans of soup, and maybe another flat of Ramen noodles.