09:04 – Thirteen days left until the election. Even if you don’t really expect anything catastrophically bad to happen–I don’t–it’s only prudent to be prepared for violent civil unrest, even if it’s only localized. It may be your local area that’s affected. Particularly if you’re in an urban environment, stay away from crowds. If I worked in a large city, I’d go as far as taking a vacation day and staying home from work that day. Just ask some of the people from Charlotte, who didn’t realize that they were driving into a life-threatening situation. And be aware that the worst danger of civil unrest won’t necessarily be on Election Day itself. It may be on the following day or the following several days.
If you’re not at all prepared, there’s still time. Make a Costco/Sam’s/Walmart/supermarket run. Pick up several cases of bottled water, at least one or two cases for each family member. Pick up enough shelf-stable canned and dry foods to last you at least a week. Two weeks would be better. Buy foods that require little or no preparation. If you don’t already have them, pick up some LED flashlights/headlamps/lanterns, batteries for them, and a battery-powered radio. Buy a Coleman dual-fuel camp stove and a couple of gallons of Coleman fuel for it. Make sure your cell phone is charged, and charge the extra battery for it, if you have one. Refill any prescription medications that you’re down to less than a month’s supply of. If you don’t own a firearm, buy one now, along with at least 100 rounds of ammunition for it. A short-barrel pump-action shotgun is a good choice for most people, but even a .22 rimfire rifle is a whole lot better than nothing. Fill the gas tank(s) of your vehicle(s). If you have a propane grill, make sure the tank is full or nearly so. Buy an extra tank. Keep as much cash on hand as you can afford, mostly in small bills with at least several dollars in change. If you live in a densely-populated area, be prepared to get out of town if necessary. Keep your food and other emergency supplies in or near your vehicle, and make arrangements with family or friends in a more lightly-populated area to visit them if things go downhill in your area. Tune your radio to a local station, and keep an ear on it. And if violence breaks out in your area, be prepared to evacuate on a moment’s notice. Don’t wait around to see if things get better. They may, but they may also get a whole lot worse, stranding you and your family in a dangerous situation.
More work today on science kit stuff and repackaging the remaining bulk staples we have sitting in bags.