18.9 Communication, entertainment, and mental health

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Several days shut in a few square yards wear you down. Plan how you will live together just like you plan the water:

Information: battery or hand-crank radio with a NOAA band; cell phones with alerts turned on; a printed list of phone numbers. Details in chapter 19.
Routine: set times for meals, sleep, cleaning, and news. Listen to the news at set times, not all day.
Shifts and tasks: one person watches the radio and carbon monoxide, another handles water and sanitation, another the pets, another the food. Entertainment without batteries: playing cards, board games, books, notebooks, pencils.
Privacy: a sheet hung in front of the emergency toilet makes a big difference.
Rest: earplugs and eye masks; thin sleeping pads for the floor.
Conflict and anxiety: talk about the rules before the emergency. Chapter 25 covers stress, fear, and how to support each other.