What extra preps did you do on Sept. 11?

[blueberry]

Like almost all of us here, I have always tried to stay prepped. But on that terrible day, I know I must have done a few extra things, despite my state of shock.

The two I remember most are:

1. A large part of my garden had been "put to bed" for the winter. I went out and planted the bare spots with spinach, kale, turnips, beets and other veggies I knew would do well in my area over the winter.

2. At that time, I had a brand, new baby granddaughter. Even though I had plenty of milk in my storage, I purchased several hundred dollars worth of formula. I saved all the reciepts, in case I needed to exchange any of it. (none went to waste - over the following year, it was all used)

What extra preps do you remember doing on Sept. 11?

 

[Deemy]

None, couldn't stay away from the tv

 

[ShepInTheValley]

I don't remember much about that day... about some things. And I remember a lot about other things. Shock, horror, anger. We didn't have the radio on that morning on the commute to work, and didn't know anything until we arrived at the office. Having to go about "business as normal", yet it was about as far from normal as it could ever be. Not being able to leave work. Having to answer thousands of phone calls all day long.

On the way home, I'm positive we stopped at the store for some more emergency supplies. It was a horribly long and harrowing day. But I was proud of how Americans all around, came together united. It touched my heart when other nations were showing support and sending well wishes.

We must never forget. Our freedom does not come cheap.

 

[blueberry]

I guess I should have been more specific. I stayed glued to the tv too. I even took a small battery tv to work with me that day, and set it on my desk.

I re-planted my garden over the next few days, and I think I bought all that formula on the way to work the next day.

I remember too, how hard it was to go on with "business a normal".

 

[gardia]

We were in a doctor's office and I witnessed the second plane go in live. I clearly stated we were at war and folks just stared at me. We topped off our gas tank on the way home and heard that the pentagon had been hit and went home and got our gas cans to top off our reserves. I then preceeded to fill up every canning jar I owned with fruits and veggies that we normally would have sold. I canned for days and days. We are just now finishing off my 9-01 jars of fruits and veggies and meat. We don't watch t.v., but we listened to public radio non-stop for days.

 

[Gingergirl]

The morning of 9/11 on turned on CNBC (as usual) and there was live video of one of the towers burning, reports of a plane crashing into the upper floors. I thought how strange that a plane would crash into the tower. What were the odds? In just a minute or so, I watched a large plane fly into the second tower. My first thought was "we are at war."

I spent the rest of the day watching the TV while I took inventory and assessed our level of preps. We were only prepared for 1-2 weeks based on our experience of an ice storm in 1999. I thought a new plan was needed. Before 9/11, I knew in a matter of weeks I'd flying out to Virginia to be with my Dad when he died. With 9/11, I wasn't sure what would happen once I left home. So, I determined to set thngs up with food, fuel, and first aid supplies for my family to get by for a couple of months without me...and I admit, if I wasn't able to get back as planned. Silly now, but that is how concerned I was. My husband and I even talked about what I was to do if things went bad before I returned home. So, I was very busy for the 3 weeks before I left.

 

[summerthyme]

I called our local high school and told them I'd be picking up my then-17 year old son. Picked him up (he understood the possibilities immediately, and I wanted his expert help in getting our deep cell batteries, etc topped off and set up, just in case) and topped off the gas tank in the truck. Bought 20 gallons more kerosene, about 10 gallons of juice at the grocery (the only thing I was at all low on in my food preps) and headed home.

Watched the videos and news on the web and cried, and prayed. And worked on harvesting more of the fall garden on one of the most beautiful September days I could remember, and wondered how anyone could deliberately do something like that.

Charged up every NiMH battery we had, cleaned up the kitchen completely (a mess from canning the previous week) and did up all the laundry, including my routine Autumn washing of all the heavy quilts and blankets.

My biggest concern was that it might have been just the opening salvo, with a nuke possibly next.

Summerthyme

 

[Susan4]

I remember being in shock but also staying at work since I had an appointment two counties over for giving advice on a CRP tree planting. I kept the appointment believe it or not, it was with a retired doctor at what was apparently his bug out farm. I'm glad he was a GI because I sure wasn't at that moment! He advised me to fill up on gas on the way home and it was then I think that Y2K prepping sort of came back to me in my fog and shock of the day. We have one semi-portable farm gas tank that we loaded up and filled that evening, otherwise we were glued to the TV. I did a lot more prepping in the days and weeks following though, like Y2K revisited. The following spring I planted the biggest garden I've ever grown and canned more than one person ought to! I also convinced hubby to put more in wheat than he planned so we could keep some of that harvest back for preps and chicken feed. I recall 2002 as a nervous year all around. Nowadays I feel a bit more jaded over the terrorist threat but we still stay prepped.

Susan4

 

[yellowsprings]

I was happily canning apple butter when DH called and told me to turn on the TV. He would not tell me why until after I turned it on. I could not believe what I was seeing! I went up to the school and pulled out the kids. We headed home and watched the TV for anything new.

It certainly made me open my eyes as to preps. We had a month or so of food on hand. Now I have 8-9 months. I am trying to add to that as I can. I don't know if I panicked or if common sense finally hit me. Maybe a combination of both? We are certainly set in supplies and food for now.

 

[Deena in GA]

Like others, I was glued to the tv. A friend had called and told me that a plane or missile had hit one of the towers and to turn on the tv. I did so immediately and was sitting there in shock with my sons as the second plane hit. Will never forget that sight! Not to mention, the anchorman who was sitting there talking to a guest oblivious to the tower collapsing a little later. Anyway, at some point that afternoon I tore myself away from the tv just long enough to run to the nearest gas station to top off our cars and the empty gas cans. We never let them all get empty, but did have some. I think the next day we bought some more water, as that's my normal thing to buy when things start racheting up. At some point after 9/11 I did finally buy the shortwave radio I'd been wanting.

 

[MissTina]

I too like summerthyme and others picked up my children at school. The Middle School had a lot of kids picked up and didn't mind but the Elem down the street discouraged it. They were pretty upset with me, didn't care and still don't. Anyway...we put masks into the car kit and started carrying everywhere. That's about the only think I can think of we did differently beginning that day.

 

[Anjou]

Suggested spouse not go into work in city and recommended to closest relatives to monitor media ALL DAY in case other events looked like they'd affect our locations. Probably got some extra cash out and topped off gas tank just in case. (This was pre-prepping for me for the most part - those were just instinctual things that seemed like obvious good ideas.)

 

[rafter]

We started hearing of gas shortages and huge gas spiking that afternoon.

We live in a tourist area and the tourists were fleeing as if they couldn't get home fast enough.

So we and some friends did a major Sam's 'run'. I think we bought in the neighborhood of $500-$600 worth of stuff and our friends spent around $300. We were basically just adding to our already stocked pantry. The place was deserted, but the cashier said that there had been people in earlier buying huge amounts of stuff.

We saw no gas lines or increase in gas prices, like what was being reported back in the midwest and Texas.

 

[blueberry]

I remember the talk about gas shortages too. My son was off work that day, and he came by my office and took my car and filled it with gas. He did the same for other family members stuck at work too.

I also remember the shopping centers and restaurants were empty.

 

[ShepInTheValley]

Sounds like you all reacted very logically. Thankful for our pre-y2k prepping!

Still prepped and continue prepping. Now organization... that's an entirely different matter, LOL. We need to get organized badly.

 

[momof23goats]

I took the rest of the money out of the bank, and closed out the account, something, that I was going to do, but just hadn't get around to it.
I am adding extra preps this year, like chili sauce, more mustard, more catsup, things like that, candy, you know all the extras, that change your meals from just meals, to goodies.

 

[A.T.Hagan]

Well, in a manner of speaking I ran out and bought a house and land!

Not really. We were literally in the act of buying DunHagan when the 9/11/01 attacks occurred so they caught us at that awful stage of being betwixt and between. You can't get a mortgage without home insurance and you can't get home insurance when there's a hurricane within five hundred miles of Florida or when there's a national emergency. The first week I went to get insurance there was a hurricane aways off (never did come near) so no one would talk to me. Decided to take a day off work the next week to get the insurance out of the way and that morning my wife called me from work to say, "you'd better turn on the TV." Aaarggghhhh!!!

Fortunately, we try not to let our preps run down and the Y2K buildup had led us to increase our preps to the highest level we've ever had them so when 9/11 went down we were still pretty well off in the preps area.

We've slowly, incrementally gotten even better since then.

.....Alan.

 

[Anjou]

I should add that as a result of 9-11, just not on that day, in pretty short order and kind of following instinct I:

- started basic prepping (beyond the minimal but useful stuff I had already)
- bought a sturdier, larger-capacity vehicle (something I'd been meaning to do for basic safety anyway)
- got a basic amateur radio license and radio
- really really upped my level of information-seeking, keeping up on news online in the a.m. and p.m.

Among my favorite of the most simple preps:
- an FM scanning mini radio small enough to fit inside the tiniest purse (gets carried with me) so no matter where I am, if there's something going on I at least have that source of info (also have a cell phone that can go online for basic news updates, and signed up for text alerts of major events, weather, etc.)

 

[A.T.Hagan]

Well, I got that story backwards!

The 9/11 attacks came first. That shot that first attempt to get home insurance.

Tried again a few days later only to have Tropical Storm Gabrielle hit Florida. She didn't actually make hurricane until after she'd crossed the peninsula and into the open Atlantic. She was good enough for the insurance companies though because they wouldn't even give me a quote, much less write a policy.

The next week I finally got our insurance.

.....Alan.

 

[ioujc]

Like alot of you,

we sat in shock for quite some time, watching on TV. Then we went to the bank, pulled out all but the money to cover our outstanding checks, and left about 20 extra dollars in. The rest we stashed after filling the gas tanks on the vehicles, taking the 2 extra 100 pound propane tanks and having them filled, and storing water in every bottle we had. Also went and refilled 'scipts on meds and bought a few antibiotics for our animals, which I would not hesitate to use on myself, if necessary, and took quick stock of any needed items in the first aid kit, though I keep that well stocked. Then went to the store and bought SPICES and 4 - 5 pound bags of SALT....valuable trade items if there is a long term crisis. Pantry was already stocked to over flowing, but went ahead and bought 2 - 25 pound bags of Navy beans, our favorite! Also spagetti noodles, rice, oatmeal, and cornmeal, as well as extra flour and sugar. Also bought 2 new pairs of shoes for each of us, and 24 pairs of socks. Purchased 4 new plastic garbage cans to put all the extra stuff in! Caught the sale on garden seeds that is always on this time of year and bought gobs of them too. Then loaded up on batteries and candles and lamp oil, though we already had enough.
That's about all I remember.....that and being VERY GLAD I live in the boonies!