Bottom line is 30 days! Katrina shows areas still under flood waters, well after a week. The object is NOT rescue! I maintain 6 months food and water in my food cellar. This will allow me to ride out the worst and be able to relocate to safer area if need be and still maintain a solid homefront!
"HMFIC-1369"> wrote
How much space does 6 months worth of food and water occupy?
Cat-5 Hurricane winds start at 155mph. Tornados start at around 200mph, and a Cat-5 tornado has wind speeds in excess of 300mph.
Wind loads appear to be calculated according to the formula PSF=(mph^2)/250, or thereabouts.
So for a worst-case hurricane, you have to design for side-loads (and uplift) of 160PSF, whereas for tornadoes, its around 360PSF. For comparison, the floor of your house is typically designed for around 60PSF. (Of course the limit for the floor is acceptable deflection, rather than yield strength, so if you built your house so that any face could be the floor, you'd probably be OK in the hurricane.)
The good news is, if you can manage this, floodwaters should be trivial, at least in terms of mechanical damage.
Less than 50 cubic feet, but not much less. If you stored it under the bed, the bed would have to be 32" high, plus the mattress. It would also weigh in excess of one US statute ton, so you might want to spread it around a bit.
(Reality check: Dinty Moore Beef stew is 222 calories/cup, so you need 10 cups/day. Since it comes in cans, there's wasted space to the tune of an extra 25% so the storage volume is 12.5 cups/day or around 10 days/cubic foot, for food. Counting the wasted space, water is around 7 gallons/cubic foot. with around, .4cuft wasted space. Figure 2000 calories/day, and 1 gallon of water.) Use the space between cans and bottles for vitamin supplements, other drugs, variety-food)
Each of your 1,800 cups of stew weighs 236 grams, or around 1/2 a pound, call it 1,000 pounds of stew and can. Each of your 180 gallons of water weighs 8 1/3 pounds or 1500 pounds, total.) Note that you can probably get your food volume/weight down if you work at it, but most of the really lightweight/small packaged foods depend on having a ready supply of water to re-constitute. Rumor has it that eating a dehydrated ration without rehydrating it FIRST is really, really bad. As in, may well kill you bad.
--Goedjn
Here in SW FL, home of the 4 hellraisers of 04', everything below the 10' level (10' above sea level) is considered a lost cause. FEMA specifically addresses these items in the building codes.
"Duane Bozarth"> wrote
I design large scale custom homes on the barrier islands off the coast of SW Florida. These homes are inherently expensive for several reasons, not just because of the so called *personal greed* of the owners. I've heard that upwards of 60% of the residents of NOLA were at the poverty level or lower. The buildings that housed these people probably won't be rebuilt. I've also heard that most of those folks in that 60% have already been relocated, some have jobs and are moving on with their lives, probably aren't concerned with moving back to NOLA. So what's left? The infrastructure, businesses and residences.
Here, in the 130mph wind zone we address the issue 2 ways. Either the land under the structure must place the finished floor at 10.0' above sea level, which is what is done here on the mainland. Or the home has got to be elevated on driven of jetted pilings so the the finished floor is at least 10.0' above sea level. My own home, built 3 years ago on the mainland, required more than 60 truck loads of fill dirt to get the concrete slab up to the requirement, it also required an additional 15 loads to do the finish grading at the end. Each year the height requirement seems to increase, the new home across the street from me is at least 1-1/2' higher than mine. Its never ending around here. In 20 years the only thing that will be allowed to be built around here will be poured in place solid concrete domes anchored to the mantle itself with precast 80' pilings 4' on center both ways. ;-(
FEMA sets building codes?
Mike
Here in Lee County they use sort of a hybrid code, geared specifically for this area. Its rooted in the FBC but has many added rules. The FEMA parameters take precedent. This whole code thing is getting to be out of control. Its to the point now that most people design the building and then submit for a permit and let the plans examiner determine what works and what doesn't. I've dotted every I and crossed the T's and still get rejected. Its a good thing computers came along when they did because it would be very difficult to do a set of plans by hand, with all the notes and details and stuff that are required.
"Goedjn"> wrote
Jeez, 10 cups a day? I'd be as big as a whale if I ate all that stuff! LOL During the 5 days of Charley last year I ate very little, maybe 2 or 3 cold chicken breasts and 3 or 4 cold sandwiches. But I was drinking about 4 gallons of water a day, at least. (I rigged a 220v jumper to my generator to charge the well equipment each day. Our aerator holds 80 gallons)
The thing is, we were waiting on the edge of our seats for the power to come back on the whole time. We were hearing on the radio the power was coming back on in various parts of the city each day and it took a full 5 days to restore ours. So the whole time we were sort of in turmoil, not knowing what was going on. If we knew we'd be without power for a month or more we would have done things differently. We had one generator but we had to use it sparingly cause we couldn't get fuel. For a long term endeavor I'd probably get a 2nd generator and then drive long distance to get some serious quantities of fuel. Also, I didn't take the storm warning too seriously (Charley made a last minute change of course and headed straight for us 3 hours prior to impact) so I was cash poor at the time and with the power out all over the city I couldn't access any funds. The stores that were open were accepting cash only as their equipment was down. Next time I'll have at least $1000 cash on me.
The very center of Charley passed about 4 miles to the west of us, right up through the Pine Island Sound and then straight up the Peace River to Punta Gorda / Port Charlotte, so we were right on the worst edge. And yes, it does sound like what you'd imagine a freight train sounds like. You can't really appreciate the magnitude of 150mph wind and 300 mph microbursts by watching it on TV, it has to be felt in person. Its a little overwhelming to realize the very earth is attempting to kill you. LOL
Interesting angle. You'd get to change the design every so many years. I like the concept. Let the old one blow away. I guess it's all in how one looks at things, eh?
I'm not a survivor nut just a Cosco, BJ, Sams kind a guy. Food really not much space, but water is a lot, but you can cut water if using a lot of canned foods (because of water). I keep lots of dried legumes, nuts and fruits. I also pick up cases of ensure and power bars when on sale. But don't laugh I actually have a river next to the house... The water is for the little woman. I got my filtration pac. I use 1/2 Gal. perday this is good for heat of summer. I have 20 5 gallon and 10 1 gallon and 6 32 bottle cases. With all the food and gear 12 foot wide by 36" deep and 8 foot high. It takes up one small wall.
The water is really no problem I get it delivered, plus we don't use tap here many years ago it was great but the last 10 heavy chlorination. and normal daily use is pretty consistent with morning coffee to 1 G.
We don't get much Cat 5's up here!!!!
The food is expensive? Look if need be I can pack a canoe or the Kayaks and head where ever!
Don't over estimate the fear factor, in a catastrophic event, you already beat the system if you live. Then you have to address what and where. I'm located in a pretty good valley that protects is from all directions because of how it follows the river. I could flood but that would have to be enough to flood the whole valley and since it's most narrow miles north the flood plains will handle it there. and honestly if anything does flood the food and gear are all sealed.
I wouldn't build a house to take a Cat 5, I'd let it go and move!!!
Have you ever seen a boat on the water, during a hurricane.
Apparently, not.
Notan
"HMFIC-1369"> wrote
Pretty strong words considering there's only been 1 direct cat 5 in the 40 years I lived here.
| A boat on a foundation. It would break away and float in the event | that the water got too high. Or one on pilings high enough to | withstand Katrina
You mean like one of those big casino boats?
-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA
Why have a foundation?
Four Hellraisers in 04, huh ? How did FEMA do it these ? What was the difference between Florida and NO ? Was it Jeb Bush VS Kathleen Babineaux Blanco ?
.... and provides an attractive launching pad.
Notan
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