Typhoon/Hurricane Preparedness at 2:06 PM

Typhoon Preparedness

Guam is located in "Typhoon Alley", which averages about 31 typhoons a year. In 2011 alone, there have been 34 storms ranging from tropical depressions to category 5 super typhoons. Fortunately, Guam has not been impacted by a typhoon since 2002. Almost a decade without a typhoon to prepare for, I'm sure a lot of people are not ready due to complacency. For a prepper a typhoon or hurricane is an easy one to prepare for. Most items needed, a prepper will usually have and will have a backup, and a backup to the backup. I don't remember where I read the saying, but it goes; “One is none, two is one". I've also read about the one third failure factor. The one third failure factor is having three options, and it’s pretty much a guarantee that two options will fail on you. Leaving you with, you guessed it, one third.

Typhoon/hurricane preparedness is a good gateway into overall prepping and survival. Prepare yourself for a typhoon now and just build upon that. Typhoon prep this month, earthquake prep the next, then fire and tsunami. So by the time that SHTF (Shit hits the fan), you'll be ahead of the game, while the masses are out trying to get what you compiled in months, in a couple of hours. I'm sure even those who have been at it for a while don't mind comparing notes and going through their inventory. Just in case they have missed something or replace gear with something that's more efficient, takes up less space, is lighter and so on.

Now for those of us that are relatively new to prepping and just getting started, it’s nice to have things broken down "barney style". The basics of any preparedness or survival situation are food, water, shelter, health and tools. Below is a list, which in no way a complete list, of items that you should have to start out with. Do not go out and get everything at one time. Evaluate your financial situation and make a plan to buy an item or two every pay day. That way when a warning for a typhoon is given you'll be ahead of the pack and won't break the bank trying to get everything. I won’t go into depth about what types of food to buy and store. For now, just buy more of what you eat. An extra can of spam, corn and mandarin oranges every pay day is a good start. (Just an example).

Food:
-Enough for 3 to 7 days:
- Non-perishable packaged or canned food / juices
- Foods for infants or the elderly
- Snack foods
- Non-electric can opener
-cooking tools / fuel (propane, charcoal)
- Paper plates / plastic utensils
-Pet food (don't forget the pets)

Water:
-1 to 2 gallons per person per day
-Fill the bathtub and other large containers with water for bathing, flushing toilets, and cleaning, but do not drink this water.

Health:
-First aid kit
-Prescription medications for at least a week

Tools:
-candles
-flashlights
-Regular flashlights
Battery operated/dynamo AM-FM radio (with Weather-Alert)
-lanterns
-Duct tape
-matches/lighters
-cooler with ice
-batteries (all required sizes)
-rags and mops

Shelter:
-Bring in/secure all loose objects around the house.
-Close shutters, but if none, placing plywood over the windows always works.

Other Misc:
-Cash ($500) Banks and ATMs may not be available for extended periods
-Full tanks of gas.
-Entertainment:
-board games and coloring books for the kids
-good book for you
-Important documents in waterproof container
-Cell phones with extra battery
-Traditional corded telephone
-Check home insurance.

From experience have rags and mops at the ready, because with hard enough wind and rain, it'll find a way in. I recommend placing some sandbags in front of the doors and trying to seal up the window cracks with gorilla tape. Always keep a window on the leeward side open to prevent pressure buildup. I've seen a window mounted air-conditioner fly five feet after we closed all the windows. Have lots of entertainment for the kids to keep their minds off of what's going out outside, and have a good book or two for you.

Again this is just to get you started. I'm sure you already have a lot of this laying around the house already. It’s just a matter of putting it all together and slapping a "Typhoon kit" label on it to make it official. I'm just hoping that reading this has got your hamster spinning his little wheel or the mental juices flowing. Please feel free to let me know what you think and if you can share your kit.

A really great link about Typhoon/Hurricane preparedness:
Modernsurvialblog.com