Tag Archives: urban prepping

City Cousin: My Plan

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WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, AND HOW

Using my template (see my last post, Making A Plan) this is what I did, and am doing, to be prepared. I’m specifically focusing on the very real earthquake peril here in Seattle.

Prepare Short Term (72 hours) Medium Term (Six Months) Long Term (over Six Months)
Who Me.  (Single man, no dependents)

Done

 Putting the “prepared bug” into friends and coworkers.

Ongoing – but I am surprised how open people are to it!

 Compile a list of resources in my neighborhood then circulate to my neighbors.

To Do
What Peril:  Earthquake – at home

Done

 Earthquake – for additional 7 days and being mobile if needed.

Done

 Review what I’ve prepared, have things changed?

Ongoing
Where Prepared home.

Done

 Preparing home for additional 7 days.

Done

 Storing additional provisions at friends’ place in case home is unavailable.

Ongoing
When Goal was establish years ago.

Done

 Items I need to replace and or secure:

  • Replace sleeping bag
  • Replace camp stove
  • Water purification system

Ongoing

 Annually, on April 1st, I inspect my provisions and make sure everything is current, rotated, or if anything new needs to be done or secured.

Ongoing
How Research needs:

  • Set goals with start and end dates within financial constraints
  • Secure what is needed.
  • Figure out appropriate storage.

Done

 If things were not done you can set up start and end dates in your “when” columns.

This has been an ongoing process including choosing where to live. My apartment building is a wood frame building that meets or exceeds earthquake building codes and having been in it during the 2001 Nisqually quake, I am reassured that this building will be standing after another earthquake. This does not address preparing your home itself for an earthquake (i.e. securing bookcases to walls, etc.). This was just used for basic resources (food, water, medical supplies, etc.) needed if those resources are not available after a major earthquake or other disaster. My goal is to be prepared after the incident until help arrives or I can safely leave the area.

After securing your supplies, in a small home where do you store them? Creativity is the key. Since I also want to make sure things are mobile, I have put my supplies in a backpack and fanny packs that can be Bug Out Bags, if necessary. A backpack fits nicely in the back of my closet.  Fanny packs can be hung over the coat rail in the closet. I have a large cooler, on wheels, that I can put food and water in if I need to leave my building; this fits under my hanging coats. Remember to keep together where they are readily available. You don’t want to bury things and have to dig them out if you are in a hurry. I feel better knowing that I am prepared even if it is just with basic needs.

Commercial emergency packs are available. That may provide an easier way to get started for you. I put my own kits together, but looked at what these sites had in theirs. Two good sites are: BePrepared.com and EssentialPack.com.

Prepping in an ongoing process. As circumstances change, what you need to do to face unexpected challenges ahead may change as well.  Once you know the road you are taking, having the mindset and a method for preparing will give you a peace of mind. And I have a simple challenge for you if you think you’re all prepared: Go a week without going to a store or gas station and see how you do. You’ll find out what you missed and it’s a chance to use and replace items you have store. In any case, enjoy the journey.

The City Cousin’s Bio
I come by prepping by growing up watching the example my father set; he was always prepared for whatever situation would arise. Now, as a single man living and working in Seattle, I have opted to live near downtown in a small apartment. For me this is a comfortable space; trying to be “green” it has reduced my use of resources from electricity to gas for my truck. With limited space, I have reviewed what I can reasonably be prepared for in my urban environment.

(Friday: What We Did This Week To Prep)

 

 

What I Did This Week To Prep 2/24/12

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I work in Seattle, so most of the people I see at work live in the city. When I first started writing my blog and discussing prepping at work, there was a friendly support of my efforts, but not that much interest in the topic. As time has passed, that has started to change; people are asking more questions, awareness is increasing, and people are letting me know when their preparations (even very minor) are paying off.

Recently I was asked about prepping if you live in the city, by yourself, in a small apartment. The comment/slight complaint was that I always write about prepping for a family in a suburban home. I explained that I write about what I know; that the main purpose of my blog is a reflection of the preparations I’m learning about and making in my family’s life. My immediate thought was that any prepper who lived in the city should be actively looking for a way to move out! But then I realized that some people don’t have that option (work, family, finances, support systems) or just really like to live in the city.

I agreed that a discussion of urban prepping, on the blog, would be a worthwhile topic (it was briefly addressed in Location, Location, Location). And though I was willing to research more about city prepping, I decided it’d be better if it came from someone who actually lived that life. I approached a good friend, Shawn, who is somewhat prepper-minded and reads my blog (so he understands my baseline); he lives alone, in a one bedroom apartment on the fourth floor, near the city’s center. Shawn agreed to write the post (possibly a short series) about his insights, choices, and ideas about prepping in the big city (it will be posted the last week of March).

As mentioned above, our blog is starting to reach further. Both in people I know personally, and especially in the online community. As I look at the stats that show the number of visitors to TraceMyPreps.com I’m humbled at how many people are reading on a regular basis. It’s a validation that what I’m doing here has meaning and purpose (we all need that from time to time).

Not a whole lot else of actual prepping this week. We have some things planned for next week that hopefully will get done (finally ordering seeds, getting more compost, getting the garden ready).

Some follow-up. As mentioned in my posts Walk A Mile In Your Shoes Part 1 and Part 2, my workout regime now incorporates regular walks with Kate (our 6-month Border Collie). My new Danner boots (now nicely broken-in) work well hiking on the trails through the woods behind our neighborhood. I’m now carrying about 60-70 pounds in my pack (about 1/3 my body weight, which is kind of the recommended upper limit) for about an hour, several times a week. I’m enjoying my workouts (I had gotten very tired of just going to the gym, year after year), and–after a few weeks–I, again, feel much more comfortable and competent about walking greater distances.

FYI there is a gun show at the fairgrounds in Puyallup, WA this weekend, March 25-26. It’s put on by the Washington Arms Collectors and open to all. They, of course, have a wide selection of guns, ammo, and related equipment, but also a good variety of prepper items and books. Definitely worth checking out if you live nearby.

What did you do?