Prepping for Pandemic - The Covid 19 Coronavirus Series

So WHO has declared the Coronavirus a 'Pandemic.'  I'm 45 years old and I have never seen anything like this. I've also never prepped for a 'pandemic.'

And while it's still a bit early to consider things like that and like martial law,  it's never too early to prepare your first line of defense... your family.

Home  & Family Travel Preparations For Surviving The Coronavirus Pandemic

If you're spouse or kids suddenly go missing, you wont' be any good to anyone, even yourself.  So, even though right now it may not seem like getting separated from your loved ones is going to be a problem, I can't think of a better place to start when it comes to getting prepared.

My family is made up of two adults and two boys ages 14 and almost 11 (as of the time of this writing.) My kids go out to play with friends in the neighborhood and they ride their bikes up to the store.  So they'll each have a travel plan, and supplies, of their own.  If your kids are at younger ages where they don't go anywhere alone, you'll need a different plan and different supplies for them.

Preparing to travel during a pandemic

Our plan is to always go out with at least one other person and never alone unless there's no other choice.

As long as driving is an option, we'll drive when it's necessary, but since there could be supply line interruptions to things like 'gas,' I've also made sure that all 4 of us have good bikes, with good tires, well-oiled, non-rusty chains, and headlights and tail lights in the event that we should get caught out after dark. And I will be equipping each bike with an air pump as well.

*I also plan to put electric motors on each bike, and I'll cover that in another post. 

For supplies, I've decided that each of us will carry a 'travel pouch,' with a compass, a map, and a list of important names, addresses, and phone numbers (landline and mobile) of all family members including ourselves and other family members who don't live with us but are in the same general area (in our case, the same county) any time any of us ventures out.

We will also carry with us a bottle of water, a lunchbox packed with as much food as can fit, including protein bars, and complex carbohydrates.

Finally, we'll each carry a pocket knife, most like a Swiss Army knife, and some kind of tarp with us in a backpack.

If you have young children, you may need to trade your back pack for some kind of a papoose that will allow you to carry your child like a backpack while you ride your bike, and possibly a bike with a 'luggage rack' on it to carry any other things you may need for your child.  Depending on the age of your young child, you may need to carry things like formula, diapers and bottles.

If any of us need to go anywhere without the group, an itinerary conveying where we are going, the route we are planning to take to get there, the route we are planning to take home, and what time we expect to return home.

Communications Preps In the Coronavirus Pandemic Apocalypse

Provided that the grid is still up and running and the phones are still working, we will call another family member upon arrival at our destination to let them know we arrived, and then call again to let them know when we are leaving.

If the grid should go down and there is no cell phone communication, one thing to consider is long range 2 way radios.

Emergency Family Reunification Plans

Once we've mapped out the itinerary for the trip, we'll make contingency plans for alternate routes should anything go wrong along any of the routes we're planning to take with notes on reunification points, and with notes on where we will leave a 'marker' for others to see as the 'point' where we went 'off course,' so that we can find the nearest reunification point and meet there.

Now that you have an idea for your own family traveling and reunification plan, here are some resources for sourcing the various items mentioned in this post...

Sourcing The Things Mentioned In This Post....

Bicycles - I got all but one of our bikes off of Craigslist.  The one I didn't get from CL was a gift to my son from one of his teachers.  It's probably the cheapest place you'll get a bike, but if not, try OfferUp, LetGo, and even NextDoor before heading to Wal Mart or Amazon.

Here are two I've already bought from Craigslist... 

The JC Penny 'antique' Beach Cruiser.  It's kind of a mint green/teal color.  And though it's a 26" bike, it seems to sit a bit lower to the ground than my other 26" bike does.

The seller advertised it at $15 and when I got there to pick it up, I found both tires to be flat and some rust on parts of the bike.

But since my back yard has become 'the place where bicycles go to die,' I have enough other bikes and their parts lying around to be able to make this a decent bike.


Next I bought this one....

Another beach cruiser, also 26" but seeming a bit higher off the ground than the previous one.  It has a wider seat and wider tires and just looks like it's definitely going to be more comfortable for riding.  The seller advertised for $55.00 and he had a separate ad for a black men's beach cruiser for the same
price, but when we got there, he had already sold the men's bike.

Upon returning home with it and walking it around to the back yard, I noticed a navy blue beach cruiser that I'd forgotten we had back there that only needs a seat, which we can have plenty of on other bikes in the yard.

There are two other bikes I'm also considering, although neither are necessary as both kids have their own bikes.  One is another beach cruiser for $40 and one is a three wheel trike for $65.

The trike will come in handy when bringing home stuff that can't be carried on a regular bicycle.


Dollar Tree 
Pouch, lunchbox, compass with a paracord bracelet, Swiss Army knives and flashlights that can be used to make headlights and tail lights for a bicycle, (and rubber bands), as well as items you can use as a tarp (plastic tablecloth is one) can all be purchased at a Dollar Tree store.



Bicycle Air Pump



 I recommend the BV Mini Bike Portable Frame Pump, 120PSI 

This is a slim line pump that can be mounted directly onto your bike's frame so that you always have it on you and can quickly and easily add air to a tire when needed.

The main problem noted by review is that the pump cuts very close to being a bit too bulky to fit the bike's frame, however, this is solved easily enough with a bungee cord.





Bungee Cords

You'll want a decent supply of bungee cords for various other reasons as well, and you can get a good deal on an assortment of bungee cords ranging from 10", 18", 24", 32" and 40" on Amazon for only $11.99.  Plus, they come in a plastic jar that you can use to store them, or for other projects.







Bike luggage rack 

I searched Amazon for a "Universal Bike luggage rack," and the closest thing I found to it at the best price is the Ventura Economical Bolt-On Bicycle Carrier Rack, Adjustable Fit for 26"/28" bikes. 

At only $11.95 if you have either a 26 or 28 inch bike, you can't beat this price for a bicycle luggage rack.

Alternatively, you could also watch this YouTube on how to build your own 'No Welding Bike Cargo Rack."How to Make a Quick and Easy Bicycle Cargo Rack



Communications 

Long Range 2 Way Radios

The Arcshell Rechargeable Long Range Two-Way Radios with Earpiece s a 4 Pack UHF 400-470Mhz Walkie Talkies with a  Li-ion Battery and Charger Included. What I really like about these is that it comes with 4 devices. That's one for each member of my family of four. Even though my plan is for no one to ever go anywhere without at least one other person, even two people can get separated, so everyone having contact with each other is a big selling point, and it's only $45.00

In the next post,we'll go over 'water preparations.'