Building Your Kit

Part 3

This is part three in a seven-part series on building your kit.  It seems that lots of folks don’t know where to start or what items to include in their kit.  I advocate sitting down with your family and make a list of what you would need if you couldn’t go to the store or get to the bank for several days.  Then go to work and bit by bit, build your kit.  It can be a fun family project that has an added benefit of offering a greater piece of mind when a disaster does strike.
Building a kit following this seven-part, piece by piece plan will give you the basics.  You will have a 72 hour kit.  It is my experience that most kits expand over time and eventually you will want to have a 14 day kit on hand, but this is a good beginning.
Things to buy for Week Three:
1.  Dust filter masks.  Look for the ones rated “N95”, they are designed to keep out airborne dust, pollen and possibly protection from disease.
2.  Whistle to signal for help.
3.  Finish buying water, at least one gallon per person per day.
4.  Cash.  Set aside as much as you can reasonably afford.  Small bills are best.  During a widespread power outage your debit card is of no value.  Neither is the money you have stashed in a savings account.  
5.  Make copies of your important family documents.  You can scan them to a flash drive and store in either a “go bag” or other safe location away from your home.  These documents may include copies of insurance policies, deeds, passports, birth certificates and titles to your vehicles.
6.  Regular, unscented, household bleach for purifying water.  Also pick up an eyedropper.  Experts recommend 16 drops of bleach to purify one gallon of water.
7.  Juice.  Get the single-servings as refrigeration may not be available
8.  Nutrition/high energy bars
Tips;
Plan and discuss how you would evacuate your home in the event of a sudden emergency.
Tap water may need to be purified with bleach in the event of a disaster.  Consider purchasing or building a stand-alone water filter.  (Email me for a free set of plans to build a filter.)  
Plan to have at least one can of meat or meat entree for each family member per day.
Select two places to meet with your family after an emergency or disaster-one near your home and one outside of your neighborhood in case its not safe to return.
As always, send your comments or questions to disasterprep.dave@gmail.com.  

Building Your Kit  Part 2

Last week we survived our first major storm of the winter.  Winds in the 100 mph range were recorded in various places along the coast.  Heavy rains brought flooding in the low-lying areas with no major problems.  I did see one dairy cow either swimming or wading in deep water away from the barn.  Electricity outages were limited although power fluctuations caused havoc with computers in several offices.  I also noted several trees and branches blown down along my morning commute.  The fallen trees simply underscore the need to drive a bit slower during and immediately after a windstorm.  Coming around a blind corner and facing a tree across your lane of traffic is an adrenalin-pumping eye-opener in the early morning darkness.
Also last week, I addressed the question of, “How do I get started building my kit?”  Truly some folks are simply overwhelmed by the task.  “What do I buy?  How much do I need? Where do I store my kit?” are all questions commonly asked.  Each week for seven weeks I will create a list of items to buy and things to do. After seven weeks, if you follow the steps, you will have created a kit capable of getting you through the first three days of most disasters.  My recommendation is that you keep building on your own until you have a minimum of 14 days’ supplies, but this is a great start.
Week Two shopping list:  
1.  Manual can opener.  
2.  First aid kit.  Should start with gauze and bandages, tweezers, scissors and antiseptic ointment.  Add some hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, suture kit, the list is endless.
3. Airtight bags, storage containers and a permanent marker.  I find that both two gallon and five gallon buckets with lids are ideal for storage.  Use the marker to list the contents and the date.
4.  Extra prescription medications, eyeglasses and contact lens solutions.  Collaborate with your doctor on this one.  He (or she) will probably be sympathetic once you explain why you need extras.  Your insurance provider may not be as sympathetic, but you might work with your pharmacy on this one.  
5.  Bring home another gallon of water.
6.  Non-perishable food.  Start with a few cans of meat, fruits, some peanut butter and crackers.  Try to stick with food that you are accustomed to eating.
7.  Plastic sheeting, tarp and duct tape.  
Tips for Week Two:
1. Collect your supplies in one place.  When the lights are out and confusion reigns, it is just simpler when your kit is together.
2.  Consider having two kits.  One at home and one in your car.  Not everyone is at home when disaster strikes.  There is a multitude of kits on the market, but it is still best to build your own.
3.  Rotate your stock of food, water, medicines and batteries every six months to ensure freshness.
As always, send your comments or questions to disasterprep.dave@gmail.com.  

Kit Building

Lets revisit the motto:  Get a kit, make a plan, be informed.  I get comments nearly every day about this column.  Most everyone is positive and say they enjoy the information.  When I ask whether or not they’re actually doing the stuff, quite often they admit that they know they should, but just haven’t gotten started yet.  Both F.E.M.A and the Red Cross recommend having a 72 hour emergency kit.  That is having enough supplies and equipment to get you through three days without electricity, water or trips to the store.  Just for the record I think 72 hours is a good start, but a 14 day kit is even better.  Maybe we should ask the folks back east who just survived Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy if they think 72 hours is enough.  
One of the concerns I often hear is, “I’m just not sure where to begin.”  So beginning today, for the next seven weeks I will be posting a step-by-step kit-building plan.  At the end of the seven weeks, if you follow the steps, you will have a kit that will get you through the first 72 hours of most disasters.  Not only will you will have a kit, but you will have a plan in place that will increase your family’s chances of survival.  Keep in mind it is my experience that kits naturally grow because once you begin you keep finding essentials that you just can’t live without.  So lets get started.
Things to purchase Week 1:
1. A battery-powered radio, one with a N.O.A.A. weather channel and extra batteries.
2. Flashlights or battery powered lanterns (with extra batteries, of course)  Avoid using candles because of the fire hazard.
3. Water to last three days.  At least one gallon per person per day.  Start with one gallon this week.
Tips for Week 1:
1. Start with these items that emergency responders consider the most critical to getting you through the first 72 hours until basic services may be restored.
2. Don’t be overwhelmed by a huge list of items.  I’ve identified the most important things.  Just buy a few items each week for seven weeks and you will be prepared for the most likely emergencies in our area.
3. Commercially bottled water is recommended to ensure safety.  Replace before “use by” date expires.

I suggest you keep your kit in one general location.  That way, when the power is out, you won’t be running around in the dark searching for your stuff.  Every household is different and each house has a ‘best,’ if not ideal spot for your emergency kit.  If you have a container in which to store your gear, all the better.  One friend of mine uses an old ice chest for certain essentials.  But most any good quality “tote” will suffice.  As always send your questions and comments to disasterprep.dave@gmail.com.

Y.O.Y.O.

(You’re On Your Own)

I know I keep mentioning this, but in the event of a major disaster, YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN!  It’s been two weeks since Superstorm Sandy came ashore on the other coast, and as of this writing, people are still without power.  Essential services are slow to be restored and government resources are insufficient to “fix it” for everyone.   
In spite of all this, I still have people tell me that in lieu of preparing for a disaster, their “plan” is to rely on government services or local charities.   This may seem harsh, but in the words of John Wayne, “Life is tough, but it’s tougher when you’re stupid!”  It doesn’t take a genius to see that local services are dangerously overwhelmed during any emergency, let alone a storm like Sandy or similar event.  
I will concede that F.E.M.A. and other disaster responders have come a long way in the seven years since Katrina.  Supplies are pre-positioned quickly and resources are in place far more rapidly than in times past.  Still, nothing trumps personal preparedness.  To have your own stores and plans in place means you have to rely on no one. If you have done your homework, you know what you have at your disposal and are familiar not only with your local geography but with the  local weather habits.  
Knowing what you have on hand is essential.  After the power goes out and blown-down trees are blocking your route to the grocery store is no time to find out what you’re lacking. Secondly, knowing your way around is essential.  Familiarize yourself with alternate routes.  Now would be a good time to purchase a good quality local map showing all the side roads or back roads in your neighborhood.  Then after you buy the map, go for a drive some nice afternoon and prove out the accuracy of your map.  (Experience talking here!)  If you’re new to the area, find out which roads flood first.  Also learn which roads stay frosty and slick all day after the temperatures dip below freezing at night.

Locally speaking, we are very fortunate, weather-wise.  Our region gets neither severe winter blizzards, nor the hurricanes of the eastern and gulf states.  Our temperatures are moderate and for the most part, the occasional wind storm is manageable.  Primarily we have to contend with the odd high-wind and rain storm during the winter months.  A major earthquake has been predicted for our coast and when that occurs, it will be a life-changing event.  Make no mistake about it.  Those folks on the east coast have certainly had their lives changed!  Get prepared because Y.O.Y.O!

As always send your comments and questions to disasterprep.dave@gmail.com.  

Listening to Sandy

The entire nation watched recently as Hurricane Sandy took aim on our East Coast.  One life truth I have observed is that scared people behave badly.  As I write this it has only been four days since the downgraded superstorm came ashore and already people are misbehaving.  Pre-storm reports of people grabbing items from others’ shopping carts coupled with reports of empty store shelves served to convey the message that when people wait too long to stock up, they just may be out of luck. Reports of long lines at the gas stations, looting and shortages of essential items abound.  Other reports show homes simply being washed away.
So what are the lessons we can learn from Sandy and how should we prepare for such an event?  Our situation is a bit different here on the West Coast.  Our weather patterns don’t ordinarily lend themselves to the intensity the East Coast receives (Columbus Day 1962 notwithstanding).  So our preps and plans will look differently than theirs.  In most cases in our
region it is just best to dig in, ride out the event and deal with the power outages, wind damage and possible shortages.  An emergency evacuation may be necessary for some in the event of a tsunami or flooding, but for the most part an adequate plan would be to simply hunker down, ride out the storm or earthquake, keep an eye out for your neighbors’ well-being and stay put.  Then roll out your generator, and start using the supplies you have so wisely stored up.
The situation with Sandy gave the folks on the East Coast ample warning of an impending problem.  Upon receiving evacuation orders, the right thing to do would have been to put your plan in motion, load up your stores and get out of town.  A pre-determined destination might be a family member’s home or some other safe location. Conflicting evacuation orders from governing officials served to cause confusion and delay for some.  The lesson here is if someone, anyone suggests evacuation, do it.  Immediately!  
One interesting, potentially tragic story involved the back-up generators at a major hospital in New York City.  One generator located in a lower level was flooded and failed right away.  The second generator situated on the roof was fed by a fuel source located in a lower level.  The fuel pump failed and the unit on the roof was rendered inoperable because of a lack of fuel.  Some 260 patients had to be evacuated without the benefit of elevators and relocated in the mid-storm darkness.  All because of faulty planning.
Disasters do happen, and they don’t always happen to someone else!  As always you may send your questions and comments to disasterprep.dave@gmail.com.  

Home Fire Safety

Often when we think of disaster preparedness, we think in terms of earthquake, massive storm or major power outages. The concept of disaster gets more personal when there is a home fire.  Everyone knows someone who has lost everything in a house fire.  I have spoken to two people within the last several weeks who have had their own private disaster when fire destroyed their homes and all their belongings.  Happily, both parties were quick to add that, “At least no one was hurt.”

Last year fire departments in the U.S. responded to 370,000 home fires resulting in nearly 14,000 injuries and 2,520 civilian deaths. Damages in the amount of $6.9 billion occured as a result.  Here are some other facts regarding fires in the home:  
Most fires start in the kitchen from cooking accidents.  (42%)  Home structure fires peak around the dinner hour, between 5:00 and 8:00 PM.  
Seven percent of home fires start in the bedroom, most often from smoking.  These fires caused 25% of home fire deaths.
Nearly two-thirds (62%) of home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
The good news is that for the past 35 years, the trend is improving.  In 1977 there were 723,500 home fires resulting in 5,865 deaths.  Every year there have been fewer fires and fewer fatalities.  Today those number are less than half what they were.
Safety tips are always available from your local fire department, but some things to keep in mind include, keep fresh batteries in your smoke alarms, usually once a year will do it.  Some folks use their birthdays as reminders, and some use January 1, but whichever method you prefer, just do it!  If you need smoke alarms, buy them.  They are simple to test, simple to use and simple to install.
For those who burn wood for heat, now would be a good time to get your chimney inspected and cleaned.  Soot and creosote can build up in your flue and ignite, rapidly involving your entire house.

For kitchen safety, stay in the room if frying, grilling or broiling food.  If you leave the kitchen, even for a short time, turn off the stove.  A leading contributor of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking.  Keep a lid nearby when you’re cooking to smother small grease fires.

As the holiday season approaches, avoid overloading electrical circuits, and although no one uses candles on their Christmas trees anymore, many people still use candles throughout the home.  Never leave a small child and a lit candle alone in the same room.  If your tree is real, keep it watered daily, make sure you use strings of lights that are in good repair, because one third of Christmas tree fires are caused by electrical problems.

Fire prevention can be practiced by everyone and in most cases it’s not a case of disaster preparedness, but rather disaster prevention!  I’ll take that any day.

As always send your comments and questions to disasterprep.dave@gmail.com.  

Hospital Readiness

Every medical facility in the state (possibly in the nation) is required to have a disaster plan.  A collection of “what to do if...” scenarios.  In the event of a major disaster or pandemic, each facility is required to have a design for treating many people quickly.  Although only ten disasters in U.S. history have resulted in more than 1000 fatalities, still it would be irresponsible to fail to plan for the absolute worst. It would also be non-compliant with the state medical standards people.
Each facility’s plan must be custom-tailored for potential disasters in their particular locale.  For example, the community located next to a nuclear power plant would plan differently than the community located next to a major earthquake fault.  New Orleans plans differently than Denver who plans differently than Seattle who plans differently than Fairbanks.  You get the picture.  Each community has their own specific needs.

One very good example of this style of planning is Southern Coos Hospital in Bandon.  Each year about this time, they conduct a free flu shot clinic as a part of their disaster planning.  If you wish to participate, you simply drive to the designated location, stay in your car and move through the process.  A clipboard is handed to you, you fill out a form, move to the next station, turn in the paperwork and roll up your sleeve.  Never get out of the car.  The location away from the hospital was chosen because the traffic flow is much better than at the hospital itself.  If the public has taken advantage of the free drive-through clinic, then they would already know where to go in a real disaster.   The hospital staff, the police and the public are familiar with the drill because they practice it every year.  Suppose there was a widespread pandemic and massive inoculations were necessary. Then a mechanism has already been designed and rehearsed to accomplish the task.  If injuries were involved as the result of an event, then the location would be used for triage purposes.  Patients’ injuries would be prioritized as to whether one would require a band-aid or major surgery.  There is no need to clog up the hospital’s hallways with the band-aid patients, while the more serious injuries have to wait for the traffic to clear.

At 5:30 AM, on the designated day of the flu-shot clinic, the coordinator makes a phone call, activating the hospital’s telephone tree.  Every relevant person is contacted and given instructions.  Of course for the annual clinic, everyone knows their phone is going to ring, but in an actual emergency that is not the case.  Still with a plan in place, the confusion is minimized and the entire staff can be mobilized with little fuss.  
It is a model of efficiency and positive disaster planning of which Bandon can be very proud, while at the same time rendering a valuable public service. This year approximately 700 inoculations were prepared though the exact number of participants hasn’t yet been determined.
As always send your questions and comments to disasterprep.dave@gmail.com.