Have you ever looked into your state’s disaster recovery plan? Or even checked to see if they have one? I don’t know about all states, but my state does have one. And if you look into it, it has some pretty scary stuff.
I first encountered my state’s Resilience Plan about three years ago and there were some time frames in there that scared the crap out of me. I wrote an article about earthquake risk and discovered this document. I already had a lot of camping and hiking gear and felt prepared for when basic things go wrong, like losing power for a couple of days. But the time frames in this document are what prompted me to up my prepping game. Here’s what I mean:
Critical Service – Estimated Time to Restore Service
Electricity inland – 1 to 3 months
Electricity in coastal areas – 3 to 6 months
Police and fire stations inland – 2 to 4 months
Drinking water and sewage inland – 1 month to 1 year
Drinking water and sewage in coastal areas – 1 year to 3 years
Top priority highways (partial restoration) inland – 6 to 12 months
Healthcare facilities inland – 18 months
Healthcare facilities in coastal areas – 3 years
Personally, I think the time frames are unrealistic and shorter than what will actually happen. If the highways are’t working, that means there’s no gas. That means the electricity repair vehicles can’t get around to fix things.
I recently had a conversation with a friend who is well-armed, but not well-prepared as far as back-up food, camping gear, first-aid supplies, etc. I asked him what he would do in an emergency…would he stay in his small house in the city or get out? Would he stay as long as he could or get out early?
His response was that he planned to load up his car with his guns and stuff and drive to a family’s home in California. Well, I reminded him, if a partial restoration of major highways takes up to a year, how will you cross the rivers with your loads of guns and ammo? That made him think a little bit. Then he planned to fortify in his home until he couldn’t anymore. Then? Who knows.
What is your state telling you about its disaster recovery plan?