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  • Tnx people for all your suggestions and advice. It helped me isolate my perceived worst case emergency. This would be a flood, as in all other events I'll be dead, or it will be very doable. So if there's a flood, this would likely mean, no water, energy, electricity, communications and probably no help, for days minimum.

    For clean water access, apparently a small portable (old school) waterfiltration system would be the best option, in combination with some bottled water.

    • for days minimum

      This will be up to two relevant factors, only the first you know in advance:

      1. The more densily populated an area the more effort will be spend locating survivors, if you survive a flood but live remotely it on average will take longer before you are located.
      2. The extent of the emergency, the bigger the area the more available resources (including effort/ human energy) are spread out. If the flood covers a lot of area, it will on average take longer for help to reach you.

      It is very unlikely there will not be any help coming.

      If you survive a flood you might have gotten wet which will have massive influence on your ability to maintain a desirable body temperature. If the flood comes with bad weather and you have no acces to heating or a place to shelter hypothermia might kill you before contaminated water can. If you can shelter in place and you're safe in your own (or somebody elses) home bottled water and/or a water filter might be a great thing though, just trying to say what you'll need depends entirely on what situation you end up in.

      • There are definitely many variables, and hypothermia is really an issue. I just wanted to be aware of the most critical situation. Cities with lower elevations near sea and or rivers are more suspectable to flooding due to climate change etc.

        Recently, we had a flooding in Spain where the emergency signal came too late. Last year, there was one in South-Brasil where help couldn't be delivered easily, because the roads and airports were inundated.

        Other examples according to Mistral AI, fyi:

        Flood events where help arrived after 72 hours are often large-scale disasters that overwhelm initial response capabilities. Here are some notable examples:

        1. Hurricane Katrina (2005)
          • Location: Gulf Coast of the United States, particularly New Orleans, Louisiana.
          • Description: Hurricane Katrina caused catastrophic flooding due to levee failures. The response was delayed, and many residents were stranded for days without food, water, or medical supplies. The federal response, including FEMA, was widely criticized for its slowness and inefficiency.
          • Help Arrival: Significant federal aid and rescue operations ramped up several days after the hurricane made landfall, with many areas not receiving help until well after 72 hours.
        2. Hurricane Harvey (2017)
          • Location: Texas and Louisiana, United States.
          • Description: Hurricane Harvey brought unprecedented rainfall, leading to severe flooding in Houston and other areas. The flooding overwhelmed local emergency services, and many residents had to wait for days for rescue and relief.
          • Help Arrival: The National Guard, Coast Guard, and other federal agencies conducted large-scale rescue operations that continued for days after the storm. Many affected individuals were rescued after 72 hours, and recovery efforts extended for months.
        3. Pakistan Floods (2010)
          • Location: Pakistan.
          • Description: The 2010 Pakistan floods were caused by heavy monsoon rains and affected approximately one-fifth of the country's land area. The floods displaced millions of people and caused widespread destruction.
          • Help Arrival: International aid and relief efforts took several days to fully mobilize. Many affected areas were inaccessible due to flooded roads and infrastructure damage, delaying the arrival of help.
        4. Hurricane Maria (2017)
          • Location: Puerto Rico.
          • Description: Hurricane Maria caused catastrophic damage to Puerto Rico, including widespread flooding, power outages, and infrastructure destruction. The island's remote location and the scale of the disaster complicated response efforts.
          • Help Arrival: Significant federal aid and relief efforts were delayed, with many areas not receiving help until days after the hurricane. The slow response was criticized, and recovery efforts took months and even years.
        5. Midwest Floods (2019)
          • Location: Midwest United States, including Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri.
          • Description: The 2019 Midwest floods were caused by heavy rainfall and snowmelt, leading to widespread flooding along the Missouri River and its tributaries. The floods damaged homes, infrastructure, and agricultural land.
          • Help Arrival: The scale of the flooding overwhelmed local response capabilities, and federal aid, including the National Guard, was mobilized to assist with rescue and recovery efforts. Many affected areas had to wait for days for significant help to arrive.
        6. India Floods (2018)
          • Location: Kerala, India.
          • Description: The 2018 Kerala floods were caused by unusually high monsoon rainfall, leading to widespread flooding and landslides. The floods displaced over a million people and caused significant damage to infrastructure.
          • Help Arrival: The Indian government, along with international aid organizations, conducted large-scale rescue and relief operations. However, the scale of the disaster meant that many areas had to wait for days for help to arrive.

        These examples highlight the challenges and complexities of responding to large-scale flood events, where the initial response is often overwhelmed, and significant help may arrive after the critical 72-hour window.

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