Assessing Yourself After Hurricane Helene

Help your neighbour. Assess yourself.

Barber shop damaged by Hurricane Katrina. photo by library of congress

How do you react to a disaster that doesn't happen near you? My current answer is do at least two things: help your neighbour, then assess yourself.

My heartfelt best wishes go out to everyone affected by Hurricane Helene, as well as those hit by other disasters happening right now. There is a lot going on.

Mercifully we were not hit by Helene. This means we have an opportunity to help. It also means a good opportunity to review how you would have done if you had been hit, what preparations you have in place, and what you still need to improve.

The First Step: Helping.

Even though Helene did not hit our area, after it was over we were able to do the following:

• Check on our neighbours. We tried to contact people we knew about and see how they were doing. This is much easier being outside of the storm area.

• Donate what we can. Even though we're not there, I can still take steps to help out in my own community. I made a financial donation and a food donation to the local food bank. I made a donation to a local youth shelter. I went and donated blood. None of this will help people affected by Helene, but it will help people near me, and it's something I can do. So I did.

• Start conversations about being prepared. Never let an opportunity to get more people preparing go to waste. Over the past several weeks I have started conversations with multiple friends, family, and neighbours talking about the hurricane. "How would you have fared? Do you have any water stored? How are your power supplies?". This is a good way to bring up the subject and get people thinking about it. I am glad to report that several friends and neighbours said that they already store backup water supplies. That's good for all of us. Let's normalize doing it.

• Volunteer. I volunteered with a local community project. Hopefully this will be a good way to meet some good people and build rapport in the community.

• Review our preparedness. Part of that is this writeup, which I am sharing as an example and to inspire others.

Ben Falk continues to be right - living a life with wood heat and your own water source seems like the best way to go. If your everyday life is already an "off-grid, no power" lifestyle, and you already have your own methods for getting clean drinking water, then losing power lines and water lines doesn't affect you, and you can just continue about your day. That's great. Not all of us are able to do that, however. So we'll continue with the review.

Let's walk through some categories you might care about.

Shelter

Do you live in a flood plain? Do you live on a steep hill prone to mudslides? I saw several news stories after the hurricane questioning the building codes and construction standards for housing. But wherever you live you should at least know the types of natural disasters that are a risk for you. We are fairly prepared for storms, cold, and maybe drought. We are not good against fire or flood. Over the past few years I have realized we need a better long-term solution for fire protection. Tornadoes are a toss-up; we have a plan and a space, but who knows.

Standard advice here is to review your home insurance and see what you need covered. I think our protection is okay. Insurance only ever seems to get more expensive. Every year when your insurance is due to renew - call three other companies and compare rates. Then let them know you have a better offer. I have used this several times to fight against price increases and keep the bill slightly slower. It's something.

This is a great reddit thread saying: one per year go through every room in your house and take a video while spinning 360. Narrate all of the items you see. Save those videos somewhere as a backup.

I have done videos for us several times. I need to update ours.

Power

Would you be able to power a phone, radio, or flashlight after a disaster?

We have a small portable solar panel, a Big Blue. It would be better than nothing. We have several power banks / battery blocks.

I had fun calculating the power use of all of our appliances, per Paul Martin's power mapping exercise. We don't actually have a battery to use with an inverter though, so I should get on that and get one.

If we did have a battery + inverter + battery charger setup then we might be able to go quite a while if we could charge the battery with solar. That makes me want to have two batteries - one to use and a second to charge during the day.

Writing this causes me to realize - I did not measure the power use of our backup sump pump / submersible water pump. I should do that so we know whether we can use it with our current inverter.

Food

Do you have some food you could eat, especially without cooking?

We have some food stored and sealed in buckets, thanks to Josh's article. I would be able to share some with neighbours or help people. Most of it needs water to cook though.

We have a propane BBQ with backup propane so we could cook meals. One tank should last us several weeks even if we had to cook three meals per day. So if you have one hot meal per day it should last for a while. The bbq and tank are securely chained down to something solid so they don't fly away.

I have personally been practicing eating plain breakfasts that can be eaten cold, to exercise some restraint and see how I respond in such a situation. It has been fun. Of course, you want to keep morale high for your whole squad, family, or group, so you may need other solutions for other people too.

Water

Are you storing water? The easiest is to fill a blue camping water container, add some drops of bleach, and leave it somewhere dark.

We have some water stored and have three rain barrels. Reading posts from several people hit by Helene - even having half a bucket of non-potable water is a big help - you can use it to flush the toilet.

I have a water filter but I've never used it. It's something I should practice but I don't want to wear it out.

I have spent a long time having bucket showers instead of regular showers and using that water to flush the toilet, so I'm well practiced. I can get by with less.

Backups - Cash, Documents, Medicine, Photos, Shoes

We have enough cash to fill up the car or buy a few groceries if the stores are open.

Our finances are mostly automated so the bills would keep getting paid if there was money in the account. Who's to say what would happen with your job or paycheques after a disaster; that's probably very situation-dependent.

Our wills and paperwork are all squared away. It really does help me sleep better at night. I should store a backup copy of my Death Letters so the executor can get them.

Medications - I have some extra supply of mine, but my partner would run out after a few weeks. After a disaster I would want to check with our pharmacist right away about getting more supply. Thankfully my meds are cheap. I do keep some cash on hand to be able to pay for them if the electric banking system is down.

We need better backups of data and photos. Some places say a fire safe won't help, you need a specific data safe. Have to research.

I have a set of good running shoes, a second set of shoes, and a pair of warm winter boots. We have lots of socks for everybody.

Tools

I do not currently have a chainsaw, so I would be mooching off the neighbour. I have several hand saws and hand tools as well as shovels. We have work gloves and some spare wood, tarps, straps, and 2x4s. We have safety glasses. It looks like the official cleanup instructions after Helene were to: clear out an area or make a road passable, and then sort the debris into: organics, appliances, and building/construction materials.

Pets

We have extra dog food to last at least a month. If I knew in advance of a flood or hurricane I could bring the storage bin up to the top floor or attic to keep it dry.

We have a dog rescue sticker, microchip, and collar with name and phone number.

I always keep a container of dog food, and a spare harness and leash in the truck.

Communication

Do you have a radio? Land-line phone? A backup or pay-as-you-go phone on a different carrier?

We have a battery-powered radio so we should be able to receive local news, if the stations are running. I wrote down several radio station listening frequencies and taped it to the unit. We can charge the batteries with solar.

We have a set of small handheld radios for 2-way communication but they drink power like crazy. I wouldn't want to spend the batteries on them during an emergency.

I want to learn more sign language. I have been practicing and taken a few very basic steps to start learning ASL. I have a sign language reference book, and a set of flash cards with signs and text on them.

Mental Health + Group Stability

How well does your family or group get along? Would you be able to stand each other, or tear yourselves apart?

Our family gets along well and doesn't fight. We have people in our immediate social circle that we could band together with to help out, check on each other, share supplies, and coordinate. That feels good.

We should plan a camping trip with them to see how well or poorly we all get along when hanging out is a more rugged situation, and practice getting better at it.

I have been studying Stoicism philosophy for many years now and it has helped me a lot to become calmer, a better thinker, more patient, more confident, and a better partner and parent. Let's keep that up.

I have a physical copy of "Emotional First Aid" so we can re-read and use as a reference.

Community

We're on good terms with our neighbours and haven't made any enemies that I know about.

I did discover one neighbour that is very aggressive and antagonistic, so we might have to be careful. For the record I would help anyone who needed it during an emergency; I don't care what your stripes are.

I volunteered with a local community project. Hopefully this will be a good way to meet some good people and build rapport in the community.

I am unfortunately not badass enough to own a pack of mules I can use to deliver supplies on foot. That's just wonderful. A great example of what can be done.

Vehicle Travel

I don't store gasoline because I don't feel I can keep it safe and stable enough. But I always make sure the car is at least half full. If the roads wash out you may not be able to go far, but you might be able to use your vehicle to carry supplies to a neighbour. Our car maintenance is up-to-date and the vehicle runs well. I have at least one spare headlight but another would be good. The biggest risk might be getting a flat tire from debris. This person from Hurricane Irma in the Virgin Islands says there were a lot of flat tires.

Human-powered Travel

For human-powered travel we have pedal bikes and an air pump. I should pick up some spare bike tires or patches and practice fixing a flat. We have a bike basket and a hitch to tow behind, but no trailer. That would be nice to have.

We have a folding wagon cart to hold supplies. That would be very useful to move things around. In a pinch I could zip tie that to the bike trailer. When the wheels roll it is loud, so everyone would hear you moving.

Personal Defense And Safety

Do you have first aid training? Does anyone else in your group have first aid training, so they can take care of *you*? You probably want both. My training is out of date, so I need to fix that ASAP.

Where is your First Aid Kit? Do you know how to use the items inside? Do you have a kit in your vehicle? Do you have a first aid reference manual (a physical book)?

Do you have a way to securely store and transport your firearms? Are you maintaining them? If your house flooded would firearms be underwater?

Even if you do not own a firearm - taking gun safety training and being able to safely disarm and unload a firearm is a useful skill to have.

Sanitation

We have a toilet seat and a bucket. Could use rain barrel water to flush in the summer or possibly snow in the winter. I have a good shovel. We have tarps and garbage bags.

I was amazed to read stories of people setting up toilet-building workshops. Practical.

Heat

Do you have a way to stay warm without electricity?

We have a camping tent + sleeping bags. In the cold of winter we could set up in the living room and stay in a small space. We have reusable hand warmers but they require boiling after one use to put the chemicals back together.

We have cots to sleep on so it can be more comfortable.

Our heat is natural gas. The fireplace works without power, but if there was a major disaster that broke the natural gas line we would need to huddle together or leave.

I have a non-sparking shutoff wrench to turn off the natural gas pipe at our meter.

Physical Fitness

Are you regularly getting your heartrate up, practicing flexibility, and lifting heavy things? Several times per week.

I am continually working to do regular exercise - cardio, strength training, and balance / flexibility stretches - so I can stay in shape, help myself and others, and not be a burden/not need help during an emergency. I read "Outlive" recently and loved it. I want to get a book review posted here (currently 10k words so it needs to be chopped down a bit).

Docs

I have emergency plans written out for scenarios I think we might face, with steps for each. I need to print off physical copies to keep at hand.

Probably one of the first things I should do after a disaster is to make a checklist of what to do. It has been heartwarming to see communities organizing after Hurricane Helene, and doing daily meetups to see what people need and organize getting it to them.

Even if you can't make a complete checklist in advance, something is better than nothing.

We have paper, pencils, and drawing supplies.

What’s Missing?

What categories and actions are missing from this list? One thing I notice - this page is full of “things we have” but it’s missing so many “skills I have practiced”.

Gratitude

I am very lucky to have what I have and I am very fortunate. Thank you. I will continue to approach life with humility and try to learn and help others.

Now remember - my list of preparations and activities to improve our situation didn't all happen overnight. Building these resources has been decades in the making. Like owning a house - it’s a marathon, not a sprint (though if you want to sprint, Paul Martin’s Ready Citizen Manual and this blog post are great places to start). My personal master checklist has over 1200 items. Just take it one step at a time.

Final Self Grade

Okay, but could be better. I'll keep working at it.

Look for the helpers. Good luck with all of your projects.

Personal Action Items:

• Easy:

  • Set a calendar reminder to take new house insurance videos every year

  • Take new videos of our rooms for insurance

  • Practice our fire escape plan

  • Call the vet and order more calming medicine for the dog

  • Print updated paper copies of my emergency plan guides and checklists

• Medium-term:

  • Review this summary and pick out the skills I need to be practicing regularly. e.g. Changing a car or bike tire.

  • Make a more formal written routine for exercise

• Costs money:

  • Book a first aid training class

  • Start budgeting for a battery and inverter

  • Bike tire backups and patch kit

  • Get a hand truck for carting things around

  • Get another dog harness  for the vehicle

  • Set up better digital backups. A more robust system. We have something but it is not guaranteed

• Long term wishlist

  • waterproof printing paper

  • camping toilet

Further Reading

• Disaster planning for regular folk - lcamtuf

• "Just in Case: How to Be Self-Sufficient When the Unexpected Happens", By Kathy Harrison. A great overview book with lots of detail.

• The Ready Citizen Manual, by Paul Martin