I live in Guam and i want to make a typhoon/tsunami readiness kit, any suggestions?

Question

I live in Guam and about two weeks ago we had a huge typhoon warning and a tsunomie warning, (it turned at the last minute so we didnt get hit) but i realized that for my small familly of three and three dogs we had nothing but water and a few things in our pantry to be prepared with. So i went to the commisary (military grocerie store) and bought some non perishable foods, some flashlights and candels and then waited in line for almost two hours as it was rapped literally all the way around the store. My husbands commander did a phone "recall" telling us to stock up on food and fill up on gas as well. So we waited in another line that was like 2-3 blocks long. It was absolutley crazy, so the next time we get a warning i want to be already prepared. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Airline ticket to California.

Answer 2

Guam is relatively unique in that typhoons are a way of life here. That being said:

Get enough Food, Drinking water, and water for other uses such as bathing, flushing the toilet, etc. to last you and your family two to three weeks. Be certain your family's medical needs are addressed (including your dogs') and you will be fine. Gas is a good idea as well, just be sure any canisters are stored safely.

For typhoon preparedness this is what we use in my home:
six 5-gallon jugs of drinkable water
3 clean garbage cans full of water for bathing & etc.
misc flashlights
battery powered radio
assorted batteries
misc candles
portable gas stove (with a case of gas to go w/it)
two 5 gallon canisters of gas (the stuff for cars)
food (is up to your personal taste)

Though the amount of each will vary, thats a fairly standard setup on Guam. Some people keep coolers with ice on hand, others bbq their stock from the freezer before or after the power goes out, and others like to go surfing or jet skiing during peak winds. all a matter of taste =)

The thing about dealing with long lines is because (it looks like) you limited your endeavors to facilities on base. Granted its cheaper money-wise, but time-wise you would have been better off hitting up a mom and pop store on the outside. Most of the bigger mom and pops have all the essentials (other than gas for your vehicle or generator) you'd need as well as some extras like portable gas stoves small battery operated radios, etc. and there are usually a handful of them servicing an area.

Answer 3

Having lived through many hurricanes, particulary Betsy (1965 -- Flooded our area with massive storm surges), Andrew (1992), Jeanne and Frances (2004) Rita, Katrina, and Wilma (2005), etc. here are a few tips to give you:

1. Relocate to a high point, well away from the shore!
2. If you can't relocate, have a car or vehicle gassed up at all times with dry goods in the trunk, enough for a couple of weeks. If you have canned goods in there, make sure they can't spoil in the heat. You should have plenty of fresh, potable water to take with you. Sterile water, or distilled water is good because it has few impurities which in turn keeps it fresh but hard to boil.
3. Obviously, plenty of flashlights and batteries. I would suggest getting a flashlight that has LCD's in it and can be charged by hand. There are plenty of these available in the states. Cost about $7 apiece. They have a little magneto in them. You shake the flashlight and it charges a tiny lithium ion battery inside. They tend to be waterproof and are available at boating stores.

4. A radio. Get one that runs on batteries, electric and has a magneto crank on it. Those have internal rechargeable batteries in them and can run without batteries if they die. These cost about $50 and are available at a boating supply place too. They are generally waterproof.

5. Plenty of spare clothing especially underwear. Living a week in the same pair of underwear is disgusting!

6. Buy a voltage inverter for your car. This will help you charge small items like a cell phone battery. When the charge is done, unplug the charger immediately. The voltage inverter hooks up to your car battery. You run the engine every hour or so to recharge it when necessary but don't abuse it.

7. If cell phone service is available, bring a charger with you and the cell phone.

8. Get a Coleman LP Gas-operated camping stove. Have sufficient LP gas to keep it going. Bring plenty of bug spray too.

9. If you have room, a small tent to fit everyone in there.

10. Survival gear like a large first-aid kit, flares, LARP's or MRE's, a good knife, and if possible a firearm and ammunition.

11. For the luxury survivalist, a GPS system, and a SatCom Phone.

12. Also for the luxury survivalist an LP Gas operated generator.

13. Night vision goggles. You might not need them but they are fun when you're trying to see the no-see-ums that are watching you at night. Remember, they're food to you and you're food to them!

14. With kids tagging along, stuff to do. A couple of games maybe.

15. Several spare containers of gasoline that can be safely stored so you will have gas in the event you will need more.

16. Since we generally don't know what a tsunami will do without absolute 100 percent warning, your house could get washed away, and that's why relocating to higher ground is so very important! If you can get a place higher up away from shore your chances of survival go up dramatically. Also, if you have a hut, shack, or other structure to run to and keep all of the above stored, then while everyone else is panicking to get to gas and food, you will be prepared and safely in your high place when the water hits.

Answer 4

canned meats and meal kits, can opener, disposable utensiles, ziplocks, waterproof matches, biodegratable toilet paper, keep all prescriptions and copies of important papers in a ziplock. Flashlights, candles, drinking water(small bottles and gallons), individual kool-aid mix and go packs(u may need the sugar), juice boxes, trail mix, nuts, dried fruit, rope, an army knike, a pair of sissors, first aid kit, ponchos, rubber boots or hiking boots, a cell phone charger, a generator, a few quick light logs, powdered milk. Keep a can of gasoline in the garage and keep the tank 3/4 full.I keep items needed in an emergency in a rubbermaid container with a handle. They have kits that will sanitize water--camping stores. If u have realatives in the states see if they can get some of these items 4 u. Animal food in rubbermaid container.

Answer 5

You are on the right track. Canned foods w/can opener, dried fruits, bottled water, matches in zip lock bag, toilet paper, paper towels, candles, flashlights & batteries, dry dog food for your dogs. Crackers etc are also good, be sure NO bread, it molds, don't forget disposable utensils. A first aid kit is also necessary and any medicines you might be taking including aspirn or tylenol and some neosporin for cuts. A small bottle of peroxide and bleach would be nice too. Hope you never have to use it.

Answer 6

Hi, my husband's family is from Guam. They live in Yigo. I live in Florida and we have our hurricanes here. My husband is with the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and gets activated during hurricanes. He's also a retired Marine. We always keep items on hand so we don't have to go through what you had to. Make sure you have enough water for everyone in your family for about a week. Canned food, flashlights, tarps, candles, a battery operated radio, dog food, powdered milk if necessary, blankets and sleeping bags are just a few things you should always have on hand. We keep most of our items in our laundry room/pantry and garage. You want to take pictures of everything in your house for insurance purposes. Hope you don't have to use them while you're living there.

I forgot to mention the first aid kit. Very important.

Answer 7

Water, Canned Foods (and can opener) and bleach (to disinfect any nasty water when you run out of fresh), first-aid kit, radio and batteries.

From New Orleans, a hand-ax if you need to bust through walls or roofs. Some tools in general, but you're at home.

Please see the link below for a very long list... I tried posting, but it would take a lot of room in the post.

Best of luck

Answer 8

A disaster preparedness kit should be the same for any emergency and include enough food/water for a week; a battery powered radio/flashlight; medications you may need and adequate clothes for all weather. An AK, Ithaca and/or S&W are optional

Answer 9

an inflatable raft, matches in a waterproof bag, candles, water, extra clothes, chocolate, a bible, flash lights, batteries and life jackets

Answer 10

water, water-resistant stuff, maybe some medicine, some bright colored clothing to alert rescue teams...