I arrived in East TN just prior to the flood. In this post, I share what I had on hand that was useful.

What to keep on hand for emergencies.

I'm sorry it has been so long since my last post. I just got Wi-Fi a few days ago after going without it for over a month. I was limiting my hotspot activity.

Then, just as I was writing this, I got sick (again) with a severe stomach bug that my husband had first. For the record, I do believe that viruses exist, just like bacteria and fungi, but that doesn’t mean that all viruses are pathogenic, just like not all bacteria are harmful.

I think that a stressful period, not being able to eat the way I usually do, and not taking my regular supplements increased my susceptibility, weakening my terrain.

We moved to East Tennessee, and I arrived about a week before the flood. I had to deal with the Nolichuceky rising and collapsed bridges.

It was an interesting experience that I learned from.

Eight days without water will make you rethink your prepping strategy.

What threw a loop into all this was that I drove to East TN from CO with a bag of clothes and a few other items that I felt would hold me over for three weeks until the movers arrived and we were in the house.

The plan was to stay in the cabin on the property and get some work done on the house before our move-in date.

Well, plans changed!

Here is what I did right

Water Filters

I took my Berkey filtration system with me, which had new filters. This came in handy during the eight days without water, as I could filter the bottled water and the water from the Aid stations that had a strong chlorine odor.

It was also helpful when the water came back on but required boiling for two weeks. I continued to put bottled water into the Berkey and did not boil any water.

I also used this filtered water to clean my gas-permeable contacts and to brush my teeth. I admit I took the risk and took a shower once the water came back on.

In addition to my Berkey, I had my bottle with a water filter and packed an additional bottle filter for tap water. I always keep an extra filter in my car for outdoor water, such as when backpacking, and a Life Straw.

So, I felt pretty safe that I could access clean drinking water.

This is a good video about the water quality in East Tennessee and West North Carolina during/after the storm and even before. I have not gotten through the entire video yet, but it reminds me that we all must filter tap water to remove a wide range of contaminants.

What I did not realize that I learned from the video is that East TN/NC will have the most extensive lithium mining and processing for EVs.

Glass Breaking Device

I also keep one of these devices to break a window if my car ends up in the water. I have never needed it in CO, but seeing how fast the Nolichuckey water rose, I was relieved to have it, and now I make sure it is within reach in the car.

Silver, MMS, Supplements

I packed a few other essential items for the trip, including colloidal silver in liquid and gel form, which I used both, and MMS (which I did not use but was glad to have with me).

I took silver daily as a preventative measure during the storm since I could not wash dishes, the counters, or my hands as well as I would have liked.

I used the colloidal silver gel on a wound I got while keeping myself busy scraping, sanding, and painting. (I collected rainwater in any bucket I could find, including garbage cans, and used this water to rinse my paintbrush).

Since I was minimizing my water intake, I took D Mannose at least once per day since I am prone to UTIs if I get dehydrated.

Headlamp

I was also grateful that I packed the headlamp and its charger. Although I lost power for only a brief period, it was handy.

Cash

Cash was handy when you could only buy food and gas using cash. Credit cards were useless for about a week in my area. On my first trip out after the storm, I waited an hour for gas, then found a local open store. I keep emergency cash in my car and am glad I did because I had to rush out and get gas before the pumps were empty, so I forgot to bring some money.

When I got to the small Mennonite store, I was short $7, and a very nice man in line behind me covered the rest of my purchase.

Which is why I like this post below so much!

What I did not have but would have been helpful

Gas and Water

Since I was here without all my belongings, I was without large water storage containers or gasoline containers. It would have been ideal to have both filled for an emergency. Sorry, any EV owners. I am not getting an EV unless forced to do so.

Generator

A generator is ideal when the power goes out. Many people in the area were without power for a week or longer, and most had generators. Some people had just a small generator for their fridge/freezer so that they did not waste their food.

Charger, Flashlights, Supply of Batteries

Even though I had the headlamp, having flashlights with batteries would be nice. I would have needed flashlights if my headlamp went out and required charging. Extra batteries and a solar charger would also be helpful.

Ways to Communicate and Maps

I have read about Ham radios (I think that is what they are called), but I think you need training or permission to obtain one. I am not sure what an effective device would be, but being alone and not communicating with family and friends was an extraordinary feeling when we are used to being connected to people worldwide so easily with technology.

Additionally, I was new to the area and did not know my way around. Many bridges were and still are closed. I had no idea how to get anywhere without using an online map. Once my phone service was restored, I looked up directions to various places and wrote down the directions in case I lost service again.

Hence, I think a map of the area is essential. And knowing how to read one! I recall that we had a class on map reading in elementary school. Can our youth even decipher a map?

Food Supply, Food Storage, Cooking

I would have had this had I already resided in my new home, but I only had a minimal amount of food.

But this also goes back to having a generator. If your freezer is filled with beef from the half-a-cow purchase, it will do you no good if your power is out for a week or longer.

We also now have several Yeti coolers, which I think would be useful during a long power outage.

A gas stove is also ideal. We have always had a gas stovetop in every house we have lived in. You want to ensure you have propane and some gas cooking devices.

Neighbors

Know your neighbors.

This was a quick way to get to know my neighbors; everyone was terrific. They checked in on me regularly. They also brought me water in a large container and bottled water, and they would stop by, call, or text to make sure I was okay.

It made me realize that we all must be prepared, rely on our neighbors, and help one another during catastrophic times. It also made me realize that it is your local community that is going to help you when you are in need. Local volunteers cut down trees, helped clear debris, offered their skills to people who have flooded homes, checked in on the elderly and frail, and found ways to get to people in West NC (such as via goats, llamas, mules, and planes with supplies).

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What is essential for your prep for unforeseen (or foreseen) events?

What do you think we should all keep on hand for unexpected events or due to the ever-changing climate (no, not climate change)? What I mean is the increase in lies, deception, taking away our freedoms and choices, and so forth)?

But, on that note, I want to mention that while I had family and friends checking in on me frequently via calls and text messages, I had one person who said, “This is what I get for moving to a state that does not support climate change and the flood was a result of climate change.”

The last bad flood the area saw was around 125 years ago. I used to spend time with an old, lifelong CO rancher who would tell me that severe storms typically come in 100-year cycles. I think he was right.

Again, I apologize for being so behind in my posts. A few things have come up in the news that I wanted to address, so I hope to return to a regular schedule soon.

Thank you for your patience and understanding

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