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Safety snapshot of mobile work before merging upstream chat-v2: - Qortino AI: QDN pack discovery/download (Q-Share ids), external app storage, install validation, teach/report Q-Mail, PDF thumbs+zoom - Android share target "Quitter" with native ShareReceiver plugin - Categorized device saves (Images/Videos/Audio/Documents/Apps/GO state) - createNamedFile helper: cordova-plugin-file clobbers global File Co-authored-by: Cursor <cursoragent@cursor.com>
117 lines
5.5 KiB
Markdown
117 lines
5.5 KiB
Markdown
# Household Preparedness Basics
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*Educational preparedness information for emergencies. Follow local laws and
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official guidance during real events.*
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## Priorities in order
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A useful ordering for any emergency: shelter and warmth, water, food, light
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and power, communication, security, sanitation, and morale. Most household
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emergencies are mundane — storms, blackouts, supply disruptions — so prepare
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for boring problems first and exotic ones second.
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## Water
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Store a minimum of 4 litres per person per day; two weeks is a solid
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household baseline. Rotate stored water yearly. Have at least two ways to
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make questionable water safe: boiling (a rolling boil for 1 minute; 3 minutes
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above ~2,000 m elevation), a quality filter, and unscented household bleach
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as backup (about 2 drops per litre of clear water, wait 30 minutes).
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## Food storage
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Build depth in food you already eat: rice, oats, beans, lentils, pasta,
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canned meat/fish/vegetables, salt, sugar, fats, coffee/tea. Store cool, dark,
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and dry; first-in-first-out rotation. Dry goods sealed in Mylar bags with
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oxygen absorbers inside buckets keep for years — note that sharp pasta can
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puncture vacuum bags, so pad or double-bag it. A pressure canner extends
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storage to meats and low-acid foods.
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## Backup power
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Size backup power by asking two questions: what is the peak wattage of the
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devices you must run, and how many watt-hours per day do they consume? A
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small power station covers phones, lights, a router, and a CPAP; a ~2 kWh
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unit can keep a fridge cycling. A UPS (ideally line-interactive with
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automatic voltage regulation) protects routers, computers, and NAS boxes
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through short outages and dirty power. Fuel-based generators need
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ventilation, fuel rotation, and carbon-monoxide awareness — never run one
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indoors.
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## Heat, light, cooking
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Blackout basics: headlamps beat candles for safety, wool blankets and
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sleeping bags concentrate warmth in one room, and a camp stove or propane
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burner (used with ventilation) covers cooking. A standard 9 kg propane
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cylinder holds roughly 18 litres of fuel — know how many you have and check
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fill levels rather than assuming exchange tanks are full.
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## Home security fundamentals
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Fix the weak points before buying gadgets: solid doors with long screws in
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strike plates and hinges, locked windows, trimmed shrubs that remove hiding
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spots, exterior lighting, and lived-in cues when away. Cameras and alarms are
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layers on top of hardened basics, not substitutes.
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## Documents, cash, comms
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Keep copies of key documents (ID, deeds, insurance, prescriptions) in a
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waterproof folder and encrypted digital backup. Hold some cash in small
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notes — card networks fail in blackouts. A battery/hand-crank radio covers
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official broadcasts; agree on an out-of-area contact person with family in
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case local networks jam.
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## Severe weather awareness
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Learn your region's specific hazards and the warning signs. For example,
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tornado clues include a greenish sky, sudden calm after strong storms, large
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hail, a persistent rotating wall cloud, and a continuous freight-train roar —
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when in doubt, take shelter in the lowest interior room away from windows.
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## The 72-hour bag (bug-out / go bag)
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One per person, packed and by the door — for evacuation (fire, flood, gas
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leak), not adventure. Core contents: water (1-2 L carried + filter or
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purifier bottle + chlorine dioxide tablets), calorie-dense no-cook food
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(nuts, bars, tinned fish — ~8,000 kJ/day), full clothing change with wool
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socks and rain shell, sturdy shoes stored with the bag, shelter (emergency
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bivvy or blanket + compact tarp), fire (lighter + ferro rod + tinder),
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knife or multitool, headlamp + spare lithium batteries, first-aid kit with
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personal medication for a week, hygiene kit, powerbank + cables,
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hand-crank/battery radio, cash in small notes, copies of documents in a
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waterproof pouch, paper map with rally points marked, whistle, work gloves,
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duct tape, heavy contractor bags (shelter, poncho, water carry — a dozen
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uses), and comfort items for children. Total target under 10-12 kg — a bag
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you can actually walk with. Review contents every 6 months (clothing sizes,
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medication dates, batteries).
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## Vehicle kit
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Blanket or sleeping bag, water, snacks, first-aid kit, headlamp, jump pack
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or cables, tow strap, basic tools, work gloves, reflective vest and warning
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triangle, phone charger, paper map, seasonal additions (ice scraper,
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traction aid, folding shovel in winter). Keep the tank above half — fuel
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stations fail with the grid.
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## Community, cash, and barter
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Lone-wolf survival is a myth: know your neighbors before you need them —
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skills nearby (medical, mechanical, electrical), who has generators or
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wood stoves, who is vulnerable (elderly, disabled) and will need checking
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on. Hold two to four weeks of expenses in cash at home in small
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denominations — card terminals, ATMs, and online banking all ride on the
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grid. Practical barter depth beyond your own needs: extra fuel canisters,
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batteries, lighters, water treatment, soap, salt, coffee, and skills —
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these trade better than gold in short crises. Guard operational security:
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casual talk about your supplies invites problems; the best preparation
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looks boring from the street.
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## Practice runs
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Preps that were never tested fail in creative ways. Run a "grid-down
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weekend": main breaker off Friday evening, live on your systems until
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Sunday. You will discover which lantern eats batteries, that someone's
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medication is at half, and that the camp stove's regulator is missing — on
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a weekend when it's funny rather than fatal. Cook from deep storage
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occasionally; rotate and re-date as you go.
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