Implementing your Shelter-In-Place Plan
Your Shelter-In-Place plan should have multiple options. Of the many disasters that can and have occurred to people living near the coast of the Pacific Ocean, an earthquake is the one which gives no warning. Disaster Preparedness Officials from the State of Oregon have declared……. being earthquake prepared is the highest state of readiness.

An earthquake occurring while driving between your home and the grocery store, for example, may be the most challenging scenario to plan for. One must have enough water, food and warm clothing to subsist for at least 72 hours. Your vehicle, stocked for ‘car camping’,would be a suitable short-term Shelter-In-Place. A number of situations could force abandoning your vehicle, requiring you to take with you all of your water, food and shelter items, as you move to higher ground.

Water is critical for one’s survival with a minimum of 1 gallon per person per day of drinking water required. You need to store as much water as you can. One can never have too much. You should have at least two weeks of water on hand per person in the household. Water containers can be put on shelves in the garage, because extreme temperatures will not harm it. Don’t forget to plan for the water needs of your pets.

Online stores like www.beprepared.com and www.waltonfeeds.com are great places to look for emergency supplies. The ‘First Need’ brand of water purifier from www.waltonfeeds.com is highly recommended for your water purifying system. The cost is about $130 and should be considered an essential part of your Shelter-In-Place items. Put this item on your priority list and save for it. Many will want to include the water purifier in their 72 hour Grab-N-Go packs, because it will allow them to reduce the weight of their packs. One should not confuse a water purifier with the less expensive water filters which are good for removing dirt and/or improving taste, but will not remove harmful bacteria and chemicals.

Half gallon (64 0z.) juice containers can easily be cleaned/sanitized and used to store water for emergency use. City water from the kitchen tap, because of its chlorination, is ideal to fill bottles for storage. You will want to make sure to protect your stored water from direct sunlight. It is best to not store your water containers on wooden shelves, because the water picks up the flavor of the wood over time. Water does not go bad. It does, however, go flat. To fix flat tasting water, pour the water back and forth between containers. This will refresh it.

The most common Shelter-In-Place planning involves stocking your residence with extra water, food and medical/first aid supplies. Before you start buying, check what you already have. Do an inventory. Note the things that you use, whether it is food, supplies, or linens. You should expect to adjust your storage as you increase your stockpile. One should plan to add to the stockpile gradually and rotate on a regular basis from your stockpile to your pantry. The most important principle to follow is….buy what you eat and then eat what you buy.

Start small with your pantry or a linen closet and adjust as you go along. When you use a linen closet or other space, make sure to reinforce it, most food containers will get heavy and could pull shelves off of the wall. Place your extra linens in a plastic see-through box, so that you can see its contents and put them were they are easily accessible in your garage. “Food in the house, the rest in the garage” is sound advice. In small apartment size spaces you could use the under bed method to store either the food/water or linens.

Remember to put things at the level that you can get to easily. If you are short, use your top shelves for other types of storage. If you are tall, use the lower shelves for bigger items. Use the shelves that you can reach easily, because you will need to simplify the task of rotating your food.

Bookcase styles of shelving are much better for the smaller cans and other small items. Some of you may start your shelving units in the garage, take one wall and buy or build shelving units. Most of the shelving units that are purchased are about 2’ wide with adjustable shelves. These shelves are great for larger #10 cans and other items.

The following reference books, written by Peggy Layton, will be of great value in developing your particular survival plan. Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook (ISBN 0-7615-6367-9), Emergency Preparedness Made Easy (ISBN 0-9717-6963-X) and Food Storage 101 Where Do I Begin? (ISBN 1-8935-1900-7).

A well-stocked RV provides an excellent Shelter In Place option. Because they are mounted on axles and wheels, they tend to ride out an earthquake with little or no damage. Periodic usage will tend to keep the water supply fresh. Restocking after each use, keeping the water tanks full and the holding tanks empty will provide about two weeks of comfortable shelter. RV’s are excellent for installation of renewable energy “solar panels” to keep the batteries charged for extended stays without hook-ups. Many will find the RV a much more satisfactory choice than the “Tent” in the case where an earthquake has made their residence unsafe to live in.

Watch for programs that will be held in and around our community that will have suggestions for creating plans and developing systems for storing water and food. Western Lane Emergency Operations Group (WLEOG) sponsors these types of classes to help Improve Your Survive-Ability after a disaster. Classes are held at the Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue station, 2625 Highway 101, Florence, Oregon on the second Saturday of each month, starting at 9:30 AM. There is no charge for these classes and interested persons are requested to sign-up for a class by calling 541-997-3212.