Government Shelters Are Your Last Resort
I look at an emergency shelter as a defeat of this plan and an absolute last resort. But the fact remains that you might have to fall back to one of these shelters if all else fails. Therefore, you must be prepared for what you will need and what you find at these shelters.
I have to assume that if you are considering going to a government shelter that your primary shelter is destroyed along with your supplies. You may only have the clothes on your back and not much else. That would be about the only way you will get me to go to a government shelter.
What You Will Find at an Emergency Shelter
Shelters are not meant for long-term stays and will quickly be overwhelmed with unprepared people who are scared and desperate. Scared and desperate people do stupid things.
Most often a building will designated as a shelter as long as it has power and sewer facilities. Think of a local school. These are most often designated as a shelter because they are well known, have underground utilities and bathrooms. They have limited cafeteria facilities and the gym can hold a large number of people.
During Hurricane Katrina the SuperDome was designated as an emergency shelter and that turned out very badly for all those who went. It didn’t take long for supplies to run short and for the bathrooms to become filthy. Paper supplies littered the bathrooms and hallways, making them truly unsanitary. The smell and stench soon became too much to handle. I look at this instance as an example of what I want to avoid by having this plan.
You will be required to leave certain things behind in order to enter a shelter. The most important of these will be pets and weapons. These are 2 sacrifices that should make you think twice before entering an emergency shelter. You become dependent upon the government for your protection and your pets suffer alone. Still want to go to a shelter?
What these shelters don’t have are:
- Beds and bedding
- Food for hundreds of people
- Medical supplies beyond bandaids and aspirin
- Sanitation supplies for large numbers of people for long periods of time
In a very short time supplies will run low or totally out. This will mean that the people who were once only scared and desperate now become agitated and possibly hostile toward those who are prepared.
What to Bring To A Government Shelter
If you have to fall back to an emergency shelter here is a list of items that you should bring;
- Your 72-hour kit
- Pillows, bedding and blankets
- Change of cloths, especially underwear and socks
- Sanitary supplies
- Medicines and medical supplies
- Meals and snacks
- Entertainment (Electronics will be prime targets for theft)
Emergency shelters have to be a last resort. Your plans should include emergency shelters but they should only be used when your primary shelters and supplies are destroyed or inaccessible.