Emergency Preparedness – Food-1

Summary

• Residents should have food and water for at least 3 days per person, but…
• If possible, a 2-week supply per person is recommended
• For information on water supply (1 gallon per day per person) (Click Here)

 

Why do I need food? 

In an emergency, it will take responders, including RVM staff, many hours to a few days to assemble, set up operations, and begin addressing problems.  In a major disaster with regional damage, such as an earthquake, staffing shortages may be permanent, and supplies unavailable or limited for weeks.

How and What? 

There are 2 major approaches to emergency food storage: Get It and Forget It and Ongoing Management.  They can be combined.

1. Get it and Forget it: Buy freeze-dried or dehydrated food and store it.

Advantages:

• It has a very long shelf life – up to 25 years or longer.
• It does NOT require cooking – room temperature soaking works
• It does NOT require extra water storage – your gallon per day includes enough.
• It is durable in storage – room temperature is best but hot or cold does not reduce safety or nutrition.

Disadvantages:

• There is a one-time expense to stocking up.
• You need to pay attention to product descriptions – there is no standard definition of a “serving” for example, or of a “meal.”
• For more detail, including suggested sources, see Food-2 (in prep)

2. Ongoing Management: If you usually keep and prepare food at home, you may be able to adjust the amount and nature of what you store to create a back-up supply.

Food requirements:

• Should be edible without cooking.
• Non-perishable, with a relatively long shelf life.
• Consistent with your standards for taste and nutrition.
• Include food, water and other supplies for pets.

Notes and Considerations:

1. For short-term use; some perishable items count – refrigerated and frozen items do not spoil instantly when the power goes out, and items not requiring cooking can be eaten over a period of a few days.
2. Not sure how much you need? Count calories from the labels: 2,000 calories per day is considered a normal amount.
3. Expiration and “best by” dates are very conservative. Most canned goods remain safe to eat long after those dates, but discard any cans that are rusted or bulging.

How to do it:

1. The Charity approach – get and keep a large stock of suitable things that you use (example: canned fish or meat, nut butters), buying new inventory regularly and donating the older items to a food bank as their expiration dates approach.
2. The Ongoing Use approach – similar to the charity approach, but with attention to balancing food lifetime and your use so that you can keep a reserve without having to give or throw very much away. This requires the most effort and attention.

Whatever your primary method, remember to have some portable items in your car or available to take with you if you have to evacuate.

[To return to the contents page of the Residents Preparedness section, CLICK HERE]

While the Residents’ Preparedness Group  Manual of information and Operations is being developed, this website provides access to existing resources for Emergency and Disaster Preparedness.  An introduction to Emergency preparedness is presented on this page.  The following links provide access to the resources.  Additional information will be added as resource material is collected for final editing into the RPG Manual.

 

EMERGENCY PREPARENESS FOR RVM RESIDENTS (View/Download  PDF)
What to prepare for, and why — text displayed below

Preparation Information — How to Do it 
Water, Electricity, Sanitation, Documents, Medical, and Pets

RVM Information
Preparedness information from MyRVM or distributed by RVM

 

EMERGENCY PREPARENESS FOR RVM RESIDENTS
What to prepare for, and why

To download a PDF of this file, click here

Resident Resources — the Resident Preparedness Group (RPG) is a volunteer organization that supports RVM preparedness efforts by ensuring that every Independent Living resident is within a short walk of a volunteer with a commitment to emergency preparation and response.  Your participation prepares both you and your community for unforeseen hazards.

 

Why Prepare?  Jackson County has ranked the four greatest local natural hazards, with the worst first.

1. Earthquake on the Cascadia Subduction Zone This major fault lies offshore between southern British Columbia and northern California. On average, there has been a Very Large or Great Earthquake (magnitude 8.0-9.2) every 200-300 years.  The most recent one occurred in 1700 – 322 years ago.
2. Wildfire In September 2020 the Almeda fire destroyed large parts of the cities of Talent and Phoenix, and forced the evacuation of Rogue Valley Manor.
3. Infectious Disease The 2+ year coronavirus pandemic has been an emergency in slow motion for many people.  An overloaded medical system, hoarding, supply chain disruptions and severe staffing shortages have all caused hardships.  A more virulent infectious agent would create true emergencies.
4. Winter Storm In spite of drought and warming, the Rogue Valley area continues to experience some winter storms. Especially at higher elevations, these can block highways and roads, and impede both routine and emergency travel.
5. Power Outage  We add loss of electrical power to the list as it is likely to accompany many natural and human-caused disasters, and has other causes as well.

This list does not include human-caused emergencies such as industrial accidents, acts of war or terrorism, and civil unrest – all of which are possible.

All of those have happened, and will happen again.  You need to decide in advance whether or not you want to be a survivor, because if you don’t make that choice and act on it, you have effectively chosen to be a victim.

 

RVM has emergency plans, equipment, supplies, and dedicated employees — but it is a retirement community, not a response, rescue and relief organization.  There are major limitations on what support and protection we can expect if something really bad happens.

What to Do –

• Become familiar with the emergency information on myRVM and the Resident Preparedness Group website. Know about the emergency notification systems – One Call Now, Channel 900, and the RGP Coordinator network
• Plan your response to emergencies.
• Prepare yourself to carry out those responses.

How to Respond –

Follow RVM instructions or established procedures.

Shelter in place at home – except for certain fire conditions, if your cottage or apartment is habitable, it is best to stay there, but be prepared to leave if necessary.

Shelter in place in the towers – if a wildfire threatens the campus, RVM will evacuate cottage residents to the safety of the high-rise buildings.

Self-evacuate off-site – residents are free to leave in an emergency.  However, travel can be very risky, and should be undertaken only by the knowledgeable and well equipped

How to Prepare –

• Be ready to go at least three days without utilities or any additional supplies. In major disasters even the best relief efforts may take days to reach everyone.
• If possible, be equipped for at least two weeks on your own at any season – the State of Oregon has estimated that in case of a Cascadia earthquake, Rogue Valley recovery times might be 1-3 months for electricity and 1-12 months for water and sewer, and transportation will be severely impacted.
• Have a Go-Bag prepared to be able to take your most critical possessions such as medicine, contact and ID information, money and some basic emergency supplies in case you have to leave home quickly.

Does that sound overwhelming?  Others have done it, and there is help at hand.  For information, consult your RPG Coordinator, go to https://thecomplement.info/2022/03/03/resident-preparedness/  or access the information linked below.

Preparation Information — How to Do it 
With sections on Water, Electricity, Sanitation, Documents, Medical, and Pets

RVM Information
Preparedness information from MyRVM or distributed by RVM