When people start coming to us, what can we do to help?
This is definitely something we should brainstorm, so I'll start the ball rolling.
First, people will be in various stages of shock, panic and/or apathy. So, be prepared to effectively deal with it. It starts with you first. Make sure you are mental, physically, mentally prepared so you can help others. Then creature comforts will be very effective in starting them on the path of recovery...food, water, treating minor wounds, a kind word, calmness, hygiene.
On mass feeding, one thing I'm doing is making charity packs to give out to people. It consists of ziploc bags with rice, boullion cube (two if a larger bag), and some freeze dried vegetables. Kind of like a homemade cup of noodles. Just add hot water and it's a meal. It's not much but it is warm, filling, and cheap, thus I can feed more people.
Stock up on rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Betadine...cheap infection cleaners to treat scrapes and scratches and wounds, as well as band-aids and gauze.
A way to heat water that would be located away from your house but there to be used by the community and passer-bys (safer would be to do it at a church so people won't be attracted to your personal location, never let strangers into your house for no reason). Perhaps a dutch oven on a tripod over a campfire. This is how they can get hot water to fix the rice packets.
Know how to build an outhouse and place it well away from your house and downwind. People will have to go to the bathroom. It's rough, but better than nothing. It will make hygiene more manageable, otherwise when nature calls, they could be going all around your area. Without proper disposition, it will attract flies and animals that will spread disease. You will need to stock a lot of wood ash or lyme or some other disease/odor control. Sawdust absorbs odor, but you'd need to pre-stock it, keep it dry, etc.
We need to be prepared to manage our local areas, not only for the purpose of helping people, but to also control our own environment because we will not be able to control mass migrations. If people are helped they will be less desperate to steal or get violent. Not a 100% guarantee, but better than nothing.
More than this would probably go way beyond most people's ability and resources, but this is reasonably doable. After six months, many will die or move on so you'd be looking at needing about a six-month supply.
What else could we do that is economical and/or otherwise feasible to help people?
