Author of How to Prep When You’re Broke and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course
The folks of the Appalachians in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee are still suffering a month after Hurricane Helene tore through the area and wiped parts of the area right off the map. At least 7300 homes were still without power as of Tuesday, and that’s just the homes that remain standing. The power outages could remain in mountainous areas for 9-12 months. The water in Asheville, though some of it is restored, is not safe to drink still, and a swath of the population in the mountains is still living without fresh running water. Hundreds of roads are still impassible, many bridges will be out for the foreseeable future, and life in the region is far from “normal.” In fact, it’s a disaster zone.
And it’s extremely widespread. It’s not like this was one little town that you can easily leave and stay someplace nearby. It was a large area and with the extensive road damage, leaving isn’t that simple.
It got me thinking about what supplies would be best to help a family through an event like that – and this is assuming your house remained standing.
Keep in mind that if your home has been washed away or buried in mud from landslides, it wouldn’t matter how many supplies you had put back, because your home and everything in it is gone.
I’m not trying to play Monday morning quarterback here. It’s essential to recognize that there was absolutely no way anyone could have prepared for an unprecedented event that destroyed every single building in some small towns.
But I think there are things we can learn from the aftermath that could help us to be better prepared for such a life-altering disaster.
Shelter
If your home is carried away, and your roads are washed out, and you’ve managed to keep everyone alive, that’s a major accomplishment. The next step is to continue to keep them alive.
Hopefully, you will still have access to some camping gear or tarps, but if not, you’ll need to be adept at using what is present to build yourself a shelter. A book like this can be very helpful to learn how to make yourself a viable shelter.
But note that the book probably floated away with the rest of your belongings. That’s why you must get out there and practice this stuff long before the disaster occurs. You can’t depend on having written instructions at a time like this – you need to master the skills to do this ahead of time.
Water and Sanitation
Water has been an issue for people whether their homes remained standing or not. First of all, thousands of homes still don’t have running water. If you have a well pump that runs on electricity, that water is staying underground unless you have another way to access it.
If you’re fortunate, you’ll have a manual hand pump to get the water out of the well. However, this doesn’t mean that the water is safe to drink. You may need to boil it or filter it before drinking, even if it’s coming from your taps. Your well may need to be shocked to make sure it’s safe to drink.
If you are getting it from an outdoor source, I’m a big fan of using a multiple-level method of purifying water at times like this: filter to get any chunks out, boil, and then treat with Aquatabs. You simply cannot be too safe when it comes to water. One of the primary ways that people die in the aftermath of a long-running disaster is from waterborne illness.
I also recommend a way to test your water. A kit like this can detect all manner of impurities and bacteria.
The problem is, in the disaster zone, most of the water is not just unsafe. It’s absolutely toxic, and there’s no way to purify it. People are having to find a way to bring water in to have safe water to drink. There’s no telling how long it will be before the water is pure again. The only way around this is stored water, and lots of it. And again, that assumes your home has remained standing and unflooded.
You’ll also need a way to go to the bathroom when the toilets aren’t flushing. If you live out in the boondocks, it’s a lot easier to go outside for these necessities. You can’t do your business too near your water source, and being able to bury it is probably the best way to handle it.
You will need a way to remain sanitary, which might be personal wipes and bleach wipes, hand sanitizer, and cautious strategies. After changing diapers, going to the bathroom, and before preparing food, you absolutely must make sure your hands are clean to help prevent illness.
The mud there is also toxic and making people ill. It’s something many of us haven’t considered previously. It’s ever-present, filling homes with muck and outside where there used to be roads. A way to take a shower could not only be pleasant – it could be lifesaving.
Power
Another major issue being faced is the lack of power. Thousands of homes don’t have electricity yet.
There are many options for generators. A whole house generator is great if you have the fuel to run it. But I think a lot of folks would be happy just to have a little bit of power for charging phones and communication equipment, and maybe running a light at night.
I have this solar generator, which has provided great service for me in the years that I’ve owned it. I haven’t had a single issue with it. The battery, once charged, is long-lasting, and the solar panels recharge it back up in about a day. I’ve also used and enjoyed the Jackery, but the equivalent is quite a bit more expensive than the Oupes.
Communications
We have seldom witnessed the importance of communications as much as this disaster.
Many people have been stranded at their homes for the better part of a month due to roads and bridges being out. They can’t call 911. They can’t let their families know that they’re okay. Cell service is down, there’s no internet and there are very few ways to learn what’s happening in the world outside their area.
One thing that has sprouted up is the ham radio network “Project Helene.” It’s an incredibly important service that gives briefings and information at a specific time each day and are helping people communicate their needs and let their families know that they are alive.
If you don’t have a ham radio set up, this may be enough to convince you that you need one. (Learn more about emergency communications here.) Look into building your own ham system but note that you WILL need some source of power.
Another way that folks are communicating is with Starlink. Elon Musk has been very generous in donating terminals, satellite phones, and expanding access in the area. You might be interested in your own Starlink set-up before the next disaster strikes. Keep in mind that you will need a way to power the receiver – one of the solar generators above would be ideal.
Food
The importance of emergency food has never been more obvious than in this disaster. With flood damage and an inability to cook, I think canned goods are probably the most useful at this point in time. Why?
- You can eat it without cooking it (or even without warming it)
- The can will protect the contents from water.
- The contents won’t be contaminated by nasty stuff flood water. (Though you need to carefully clean the can before opening it.)
At this point, I doubt folks are being excessively picky, but things like tuna, canned pasta meals, canned fruits and vegetables, and canned beans would be excellent to have on hand. You’re not in this for gourmet meals or perfectly balanced diets. You’re in it to survive.
Some people are cooking with campfires in the yard, while others use propane barbecues or cookers. If your home is still standing and you have a gas stove, then you’re ahead of the game.
This isn’t a comprehensive list.
It would take an entire book to create a comprehensive survival guide for this level of crisis. These are five of the things that have been deeply affected in the Appalachian disaster and they’re also pretty essential.
I can’t overstate the importance of skills at times like this. Knowing how to create shelters, purify water, snare animals for meat, and cook over an open fire are things that are vital to your survival.
We also need to remember that it took FEMA more than a week to arrive. Most people couldn’t reach 911, and even if they could, it was difficult, if not impossible, for first responders to access them.
Help is not coming from the government.
Most of the rescue efforts and aid efforts have been undertaken by neighbors and members of the communities. Hardworking Americans have come from far and wide to help out. Their efforts have been nothing short of incredible.
But with so many tax dollars going to FEMA, it’s a disgrace that this is what it has come down to. The agency has really shown itself to be unnecessary.
What other challenges have you observed? What other suggestions do you have for preparing for this level of long-term disaster? Do you have ideas that weren’t mentioned here? Do you think the federal government has done a good job?
Let’s discuss it in the comments section.
About Daisy
Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites. 1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2) The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.
Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.
I hope the survivors write about their experience. I’m sure everyone’s was different than others’, even between neighbors. I’m always reminded of Selco’s experience and how (over there) it did bring out the best and worst in people. I can’t imagine what’s going on up there. Are supplies getting there? Are they allowing drone deliveries? The media seems to have forgotten them.
I’ve been talking some to a lady who survived the floods and so did her family and home. She grows food in tall hydroponic stands. She has been sharing fresh vegetables with the neighbors, coordinating efforts to reach folks she knows in the more remote areas, helping her church group with meals and a place to let crews work building sheds on site to be move on newly repaired roads. Materials and men are there as other groups send things in or someone can drive out for materials. They are insulating and sheet rocking the sheds to be heated this winter. Others are delivering donated motorhomes and nice camp trailers for families to live in while rebuilding or as permanent homes for smaller groups or singles. Clothing is abundant and places to store are too full right now. Food is always needed. Willing hands to help clean and rebuild are needed. I’ll be doing what I can to send garden seeds to those wanting to garden when winter is past. Generators and heaters are still needed. They are trying to provide beds with the sheds.
I listen to talk radio when driving and Clay & Buck (they took the place of Rush) talk about how their families have used the Rapid Radio with this last hurricane with great success.
Wonder if you would want to look into Daisy.
One topic not discussed above is cleaning water to complete purity by distillation. No matter what the contamination whether chemical, pharmaceutical, radiation, or anything else you can think of … distillation can be a guaranteed remedy, but it does require energy. Back in the Y2K era I bought a portable non-electric distiller, similar to one on this page
https://waterdistillers.com/collections/emergency-non-electric-survival-water-distillers
long before the prices doubled. It can be powered from the heat of a campfire, a stove top, or even the concentrated heat from sunlight coming through a giant UV-resistant Fresnel lens. In the latter case a giant mirror can be used to reflect the light back upwards to be absorbed by a flat-black painted boiling pot underneath the distiller and the cooling pot above it. When acquiring the Fresnel lens either make sure the seller can immediately assure you of its UV protected status (to keep it from turning black and then cracking from sunlight). Without that assurance you can only test it for a few weeks of actual use to see if it can withstand the sun’s UV light.
Another topic not covered is an alternate way to dispose of human waste. Back in the late 1800s after the buffalo herds had largely been killed off in the midwest … new settlers would use the huge piles of dried buffalo manure as fuel to heat their homes in winter time. In our discussion today we are not discussing such large quantities but the point is that human manure can be dried in sunlight and then burned. Urine is another issue. It could safely be run through your distiller system to remove all its contaminants instead of risking it poisoning a local water supply.
Obviously such preparations as acquiring the equipment mentioned above and learning to use it successfully must be done before you lose power and can’t look up how-to videos on YouTube, can’t power up your laptop or desktop computer to read the details, and can’t receive volunteer help from Americans flying in via their private helicopters because the federales have threatened them as has been recently reported.
–Lewis
A solar distiller can be made of window panes. The disaster destroyed many houses to the point that no crime would be committed to take out the window glass. I would like to see kits with full instructions, so that many can make their own water distillers. One caution: the man who cloned Dolly the sheep was cloning frogs in the 1970’s. I read his papers and others’ at that time. They had to use triple distilled water to get the embryos to grow. The tadpoles died in single distilled water and many of them died in double distilled water, but they grew well when the water had been thrice distilled. That was starting with tap water. Appalachians would be starting with toxic muddy water, so maybe even more. Such instruction kits would let these people help themselves somewhat, allowing relief efforts to shift to other things somewhat.
We have several relatives impacted in the area. It is heartbreaking how much still needs to be done and the wickedness that has happened to hinder efforts but it is heartwarming to see at the same time God using ordinary people to serve sacrificially. Thank you, Daisy, for your work to document and help think through ideas!
The volunteers still going to help after a month are a blessing. People aren’t forgetting.
Might be helpful to have a well bucket ( a long metal tube, open at both ends with a sort of valve at one end that permits the tube to be filled from the bottom and then closed, enabling the filled tube to be hauled to the surface with a rope.). And be sure to have a rope long enough for your well depth.
I got mine from Lehman’s Hardware. If you haven’t checked out their website, please do so. It has about everything an off grid homesteader could need, and tons of things for preppers. (And no, I am not affiliated with Lehman’s. Just a happy customer for decades.)
And while the folks in Appalachia could not have known the scale of this tragedy, for folks who do have advance warning, evacuation might well be the best choice.
PS –
a good skill to have is to know how to build a rocket stove from cement blocks or even rocks.
It will burn about any burn-able stuff and makes a fast, hot fire for cooking with very little fuel. Good for boiling water.
Understand from an interview with Grindstone Ministries (Bear Independent on Youtube) that flood waters contained sewage overflows, and most dangerously barrels of radioactive waste. Cadaver dogs and horses getting sick and some dying, unfortunately.
These poor people! It’s agonizing, to think what they’ve been through, and all because of the federal government’s greed and interference in natural weather. There is no way these people could have prepared for this tragedy.
And after finding out (thanks to Jim) that the FEMA was originally intended as a way to keep patriots at bay, it makes me believe that all of them should be exiled to the arabian desert, naked and afraid. The death toll from this murderous tragedy will only ever be known unto God.
Bless them, God.
OD
Having lost a house and it’s contents in a severe flood there were a few things that stood out for me.
1. Community- neighbours near and far rallied around even those affected themselves. So build community by acts of kindness now. Get to know people nearby. Share excess veggies from you garden or help out if there is a need BEFORE the disaster.
2. Churches- no matter what denomination, got together to coordinate a constructive response. One group provided refreshments and lunches another became the place to donate and receive clothing another had teams repairing damage to homes. You get the idea. Even if you are not a believer, there is the Lions Club, Rotary, Country Women’s Association etc.
3. Layer your plans.
For example Bug In, Bug out – by car then bicycle the back pack then EDC. We were fortunate and blessed to have left two weeks previously on an extended sailing voyage when the floods swept through town. Hundreds of other boats did not survive. Because of our situation the disaster for others was only very inconvenient for us but we were freed up to return to help clean up without major concerns for the future. All that said it is wise to remember words ascribed to Mike Tyson, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
We were on the outside edge of the hardest-hit areas by Helene. We are grateful that we were only without power for seven days. Our takeaway was that we were underprepared with water. We now have a plan for rainwater collection and drinking water storage. (We have a well but could not access the pump – our neighbor had a hand pump, but the water was pretty nasty.) We had access to about 50 gallons of rainwater, which helped to keep the inside plumbing working. I aim to store around 50 gallons of drinking water for our next outage. My husband and I went through about 3 gallons daily between drinking, cooking, and cleaning dishes. We tried to find refill stations for water but could not find a source. A neighbor got water from her sons and filled a tank, which we shared.
The other challenge was our freezers. I knew we had about three days without power before I needed to be concerned. On the first day, I combined all the food into two chest freezers. We were not concerned about the refrigerator because we quickly went through that food. We had a solar generator, which was useless to us through this event. We ran it for around three hours and then could not recharge. We have a lot of tree cover, and between it being overcast and shaded, the generator did not draw enough through the solar panel. A neighbor had an extra gas generator, which got us through and saved the freezers. We are working through the freezers now to use them up before restocking.
I also thought I would just be able to cook the food if we had no power, but with no water (and no access to water), it didn’t feel safe to contaminate the food. Our community came together, watched each other’s backs, and ensured everyone had food.
Our radios kept us in contact with our neighbors since we had no cell service. This experience taught me a lot.
Thank you so, so much for sharing your experience. I hope your family recovers from the storm quickly and fully.
My heart goes out to those dealing with the hurricane and flood damage.
We buy bottled water in the Summer when we’re out, but I never toss the empty bottles in the recycle bin. I flush them out with very hot water and refill with tap water. I then store the bottles under our house, so they are not taking up any space.
The other thing we did was to buy more of enzyme solution for Portable/camping toilets and put it in a safe place – just in case.
We went through the eye of a Cat 5 cane in the 90’s and went 6 weeks without phone and power. This was also right before cell phones became as popular as they now are. We survived off a generator and pooled our resources with our neighbors for many weeks. I don’t recall ever seeing FEMA or hearing anyone talk about them. All we saw was National Guard patrolling our neighborhoods and enforcing curfews. There was a Goodyear blimp that flew in the air the first couple of weeks with directions to a tent city 30 minutes away. I’m assuming that may have been FEMA, but nothing in our area.
We now live in Appalachia, 20 min from the border of WNC. There was no way WNC could have prepared beforehand – the cane wasn’t even supposed to hit that area. It was actually projected to come straight over us until it shifted a little east below Athens before it trekked up north.
A couple of thoughts and observations:
The Appalachian people know more about survival than most people understand. While Helene took all of us by surprise, the aftermath is kicking in a generations old survival mode. I’m not talking about transplants who bought and built for a view. I’m talking about the generations who have always lived in these areas – those are the types that can teach things most would have never known. I remember when we first moved here, and was sharing with a local about my concerns if the SHTF – and what would the locals do. He told me quite bluntly that the locals in the area have spent a life time of survival and that it was not something I needed to worry about. I never forgot about that with my modern day survival knowledge and experience.
I think it’s critically important that we all realize and accept the fact that it is best not even to include FEMA in on the equation. If they come and offer some help, that can just be an added bonus. But, what I have witnessed is the community. The community is who has been there for the survivors of Hurricane Helene. This community has not just been the neighbors who live close by. Instead, it is the community across this country that has been pouring in with private helicopters, packs of mules, and dedicated stubborn bayou folk such as the Cajun Navy. People who own AirBNB’s have offered free lodging for a month or more – others have offered homes with transportation. This community has either brought or sent clothing, food, water, generators, fuel, dog/cat food, hay for livestock, fencing, the list is endless. The community were the first boots on the ground and continue still today.
The most effective catchall stations have been fire departments, churches and organizations such as Samaritan’s purse and a few others. Not FEMA or the Red Cross.
I’ve never felt I’ve needed flood insurance living in the mountains. The waters would hit my land and either pool in the valley area, or flow west off my property to my neighbors and beyond. But, after seeing how water actually flows in catastrophic circumstances has caused me to seriously contemplate adding flood insurance with the foreknowledge that the insurance/government entities may not be there when needed, but I’d rather have it in place just in case.
For me, after watching the aftermath of Helene, I’ve decided not to even count FEMA as a source of relief if we ever were put in a position of such devastation. Their response is beyond pitiful and while some may testify that they’ve received help, the majority would say otherwise.
I’ve lived extended periods of time without communications due to natural disasters and to be quite frank, after a while it became enjoyable, and more simpler, so I do not have any concerns about that. The locals were and could be enough (although it would be hard to not be able to contact family to at least let them know we’re still alive). Sanitation, housing, food, etc is not my #1 concern either because we live in an area with renewable resources and/or abilities to concoct Plan B’s, C’s and D’s. The one concern I do have is water. I have a ton of water on the property – a couple of wells, natural mountain springs, creeks and a pond, and have always relied on the fact that I have easy access to that. I did not consider, however, the contamination part of it…for the humans, livestock and livestock guardian dogs.
Watching the issues with water from Helene has been a huge eye opener, and is something I need to figure out. I have several filtration systems, but I do not know if they are enough.
Most people are still in their homes but lack clean water and/or electricity. Those without electricity make up a smaller percentage but are looking at a hard winter and will continue to need help. (Not making light of those who have lost everything.) Private individuals and organizations, both local and from far and wide, have by far been the greatest help.
I bought one of these disaster water filtration systems 15 years ago to have on hand.
https://www.justwater.me/?origin=serp_auto
I also have a Berkey water filter for daily use.
Shelves full of your favorite home canned food, ready to eat, is invaluable and comforting if you have little or no water for cooking.
Good sanitation practices are crucial. DIY wet wipes helps a lot.
https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-wet-wipes-from-paper-towels-229046?origin=serp_auto
A geology professor has made some excellent videos explaing why what happened, happened.
https://youtu.be/PBsUAsjkzp8?si=XIosD0sLe8aEVDVC
Dear Daisy,
This is where technology becomes useful. If you have access to water and electricity, you could use vapor for some cleaning tasks.
Using an UV sterilizing lamp could be another option.
J.
Helene has created food for thought.