Saturday, May 24, 2008

Omani Cyclone Emergency kit

A suggested Omani Household Cyclone Emergency Kit. Please add any suggestions for things I’ve missed by posting a comment!

OK, everyone is still worried about a cyclone. Apparently bread was out of stock yesterday, and certainly the supermarkets were doing an especially busy day. To help you prepare for the yet to actually appear cyclone, here’s a list of things you’ll need to be self sufficient for a week. It’ll also be useful if Oman has a big earthquake too, or just the usual big rain spell… Hopefully the list will remind you of things you’d otherwise forget.

Emergency List
Drinking water (at least 8 litres per person per day for a week)
Canned food, rice, coffee and sugar
Some fresh bread and vegatables
Can opener!
UHT milk (small packets)
Baby formula and pet food if required
Portable stove & spare gas
Basic pans, cooking utensils and cutlery
Disposable aluminium containers
Garbage bags
Torches and lots of spare batteries
Matches
First aid kit & any regular medication (insulin!), multi-vitamins
Toiletries - include toilet paper, nappies, baby wipes and sanitary products)
Panadol
Water free hand cleaner/disinfectant
Mobile phones, important numbers and some credit recharge cards
Spare mobile phone battery (charged!)
Radio (battery powered, with spare batteries)
Tarpaulin & wadi mat
Buckets, medium sized plastic bags & loo paper (emergency toilet)
Bucket and dish soap
Masking tape/duct tape (for X on windows, and emergency repairs MacGyver-style)
Jerry can petrol (plus move cars, filly gassed up, to higher ground)
Sandbags (put one sandbag into every downstairs toilet to stop reflux of sewage into your house!)
Your lap top computers, CD/DVD backups of anything important
Important documentation in zip-loc plastic bags, incl. mokia, passports, ID cards, credit cards, insurance paperwork and premiums which have been PAID, recent bank statements)
House keys and car keys
Some cash, in small bills, in zip-loc bag
A few soft carry bags & some rugged Spare clothes, esp underwear & socks,
Solid shoes
Pack of playing cards, tennis ball, copy of War & Peace.
Cigarettes, beer, whiskey and gin & tonic (ensure you have at least twice as much of these as you think you’ll need. Remember, they’ll probably be nothing else to do except smoke and drink all day)
Bottle of Clorox (a couple of drops in a litre of water sterilizes it after 10 min)

Secure family photo albums and any valuables in a big water-tight container.
Fill baths with water the day before. Make sure house water tank is full too.
If windy, tape windows in a big X and keep curtains closed.
Don’t go outside.
Secure pets.
Secure loose objects outside (like garden furniture)

Get squeegees and some flat bladed shovels for the clean-up afterwards!

2 comments:

  1. this is a very comprehensive list
    some of the components need to be regularly checked for expiry

    i wonder what purpose you think the following serve:

    disposable aluminum containers?
    X's on windows?

    i've been reading your blog lately. some very insightful stories you have.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bahman
    Yep. Its enough to get through more than a week of being totally isolated, in relative comfort if you still have a roof over your head.

    The X on windows is when you apply duct tape to the inside of windows in a big X. It helps stop them breaking in the high winds, or if they do break they don't explode as much glass everywhere. Thats why you should close your curtains.

    Aluminium containers are always useful for keeping stuff in, eating from, feeding pets, keeping dry cigarettes and matches,... and disposable, so you can throw them away. Washing up may be a problem you don't want to deal with.

    ReplyDelete

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