As a general rule, I agree. An once of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

From what I understand though, many people, in NY in particular, simply don't have the space. In a city where 500 sq.ft apartments sound positively huge, they need to be very creative when it comes to storing supplies. Use the space under the bed, etc.

Another consideration is that a 20 gallon bucket of water is heavy. I believe a gallon weighs a little over 8 pounds. Some people simply can't lift that much. Again, they need to be creative. Use smaller containers or a hose to fill those buckets, etc.

Here is a Wall Street Journal article of some creative people in the storm:

McGyvers born in the Superstorm

You should not need a login for this article.

Even if someone duct taped the drain and filled the tub-- thats 3-4 days of fresh water right there..But you have to do that before you loose power.

Im not impressed,more like appalled.

If I was so dependent on a cell phone I'd at LEAST have a car adapter to charge with,not to mention a small solar charger.

Talk about prepared for nothing,wow! "I see dead people" and Im not kidding,these folks are in bad shape for a serious event.Say hello to FEMA at the stadium,sheesh!!

Seems many folks need a phone more than alcohol,the old trade standby.
I think it was Blast who said he's going to sell electrons when the tipping point is reached.Thats seriously a good idea.

Spuds Edison....I like it!

let's see... at a $1 a cell phone charge, one of these would have paid for itself in about 2 hours

http://www.tractorsupply.com/sportsman-trade-2000-watt-portable-gasoline-generator-4458506

+1. Thanks for the article.

After the initial shock wears off, people begin to form ad hoc communities based on mutual need and benefit. I'll bet this is happening all over the place, but it isn't as newsworthy as the dark side so we hear little about it.

Im not impressed,more like appalled.

If I was so dependent on a cell phone I'd at LEAST have a car adapter to charge with,not to mention a small solar charger.

Talk about prepared for nothing,wow! "I see dead people" and Im not kidding,these folks are in bad shape for a serious event.Say hello to FEMA at the stadium,sheesh!!

Seems many folks need a phone more than alcohol,the old trade standby.
I think it was Blast who said he's going to sell electrons when the tipping point is reached.Thats seriously a good idea.

Spuds Edison....I like it!

[/quote]
First of all, you shouldn't fault people for wanting to inform family that they are OK. Second, the focus of the article was on certain actions of individuals which overcame problems that they were facing. There are many uses for electricity, and making a bicycle generator is exactly the type of thinking that this site encourages. However, the article did highlight some individuals who were prepared and found creative solutions to their immediate problems. One individual was fairly courageous. This was the point of the article.

Yes, most of the people in the area were not prepared at all, and many still chose to remain, shame on them. Especially the ones who appeared in the news media screaming and blaming the government for not getting to them sooner or preventing the problem. Very few people think much about preparation for emergencies, much less catastrophic events. This is no longer even noteworthy. It is the norm for most populations around the world. As is the case with most populations, they expect someone else to protect them or bail them out of trouble, usually the government. Self reliance and preparation are they focus of this forum, but we have a very small forum population.

Even with the public education efforts of the government and other organizations like the Red Cross, most people will not heed the simplest instructions and prepare in the most basic way.

First of all, you shouldn't fault people for wanting to inform family that they are OK.
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No,not my point,my point was alcohol/tobacco are always referred to as THE great trade item,in todays world electrons seem to have supplanted that as a 'necessity' and would be a fine trade item.Point,the world has changed (cell phone vrs land lines,for example) and being at the forefront of change is beneficial.

I was watching CNN and of course you have the typical come rescue me types who just cant cope with much,that will never change.

Then they had some guy probably in his 50's,he was cleaning up his yard and pulling out the debris from his damaged home.Said he too wished the power had been restored,until then he was doing what still needed to be done,be it now or later.And that he wasnt going anywhere.

So this guy gets it.Get off your duff,get down to business and get it done! Obviously he was prepared enough to be self sufficient,be it less than optimal.

Kudos to that kind of thinking and doing.Not trying to cobble something together after the fact.

Proactive,Reactive and Inactive,I want to be in the first group,but most arent.

Now the people that think that just in time delivery systems will keep em supplied,or are clueless that system even exists,those folks are going to suffer.And these look like the so called brighter people in the populace too,thats scary IMO.

I think it was here somewhere someone said I bet they start looking at preppers in a more positive light going forward,I hope so too,every person who prepared in good times is one less person in dire need in bad times which is good for all in the major scheme of things.

My 2 little old ladies neighbors and the family next door with the 2 young kids wont starve in an earthquake until supplies arrive,but we may eat a lot of bread and soup until then.But I,and they,will eat.Barring zombie scenario.

As for genny's,as many many people go on without any power (power by Christmas,maybe??),more and more can see that a genny is a wise prep,they tend to be poo poo'd by many,IMO its a rather good prep.If you only use it to keep batteries charged light at night is a very comforting thing and important defense item.A cheapo fast NiMH battery charger (many batteries come in a pack with em),while hard on batts,is a super thing to have in grid down times.

A Honda EU genny might get you 15-25 DAYS from a single gallon of gas running it 30 minutes a day.You can do a lot in 30 minutes of power,for sure you wont be huddled in the dark.

Please remember that like there is a spectrum of folks who are prepared or unprepared, there are a lot of folks who are also rendered vulnerable by a disaster, to different degrees. The woman screaming in the street for assistance might require dialysis or daily meds, or she will die. The fact that no one has been in their neighborhood for 3 days is a very big thing in a scenario like that. We don't know from watching CNN. We've already established the physical impossibility of being prepared to our standards of preparedness in a 500 ft NYC apartment - now try that while on public assistance, or a limited retirement income. Try it with a physical disability, or mental illness. I'm hearing from friends who have deployed to H. Sandy, its pretty much like every other large scale disaster. Being prepared before hand can help a lot, as long as you avoid the path of the tornado - not everybody can do that, and I think its cruel to assume it when you look at people on the news. With all our generators and water caches, it doesn't do you a whit of good if your home is destroyed and takes it all away.

The vast majority of people are like the guy bailing out his basement and salvaging what he can, starting over. The next largest category are folks who are thanking Jehovah for their electricity back. But we're also seeing a lot of folks who can't cope with cold, lack of food, lack of meds, and lack of human comfort - those folks are entering Red Cross shelters. That ultimately is who we shelter at the RC, not so much the folks with other resources and options. The images of angry wahoos fighting for the gas pump are an amazingly small, small fraction of what's going on, but it makes news. I think its a mistake to allow the images of the wahoos to color your perceptions about who is really asking for help here. There but for the grace of allah goes the rest of us, safe and comfortable many miles away.

From the safety of our perches, lets give all of them their allotment of dignity and respect for the day.

Well said, Lono.

I expect most generators won't start so easily, after being submerged under 5 ft of salt water? All that rice you have cached might not taste so good then either.

Being self reliant and prepared is a noble idea. But some folks get way too self rightous about it. Even the most prepared among us could easily find ourselves in a situation where we desparately need the help of friends, neighbors, the red cross, or even (dread to think) the government.