Paperwork Paperwork

    A very big part of disaster preparedness has nothing to do with food, water, ammunition or first aid supplies.  A few years back Hurricane Katrina blew in off the Gulf of Mexico forcing the hasty evacuation of New Orleans.  Never before in history had it been necessary to evacuate an entire major city in the United States.  

    After the wind died down and the flood waters receded, the population returned to their city.  Some returned to their homes, some returned to where their homes had been.  In many cases all that remained was a foundation, a concrete slab or a set of front porch steps.  

    When we think of evacuation, we usually have a list that includes clothes, food, tent, sleeping bags and other items needed for survival.  (I didn’t mention the kids or pets, I just assumed they’d be a part of your plan.)  Because the ultimate goal of evacuation is to eventually return home and resume living, it is important that you are able to re-establish yourself in your former life.  Re-establishing is a whole lot easier if your  vital documents are intact.  Things like your passport, birth certificate, home insurance policy, the title to your family car, the deed to your home and even college transcripts.  

One account I read described the intention of one evacuee to seek employment in his city of refuge until it dawned on him he couldn’t prove his credentials.  He had failed to make copies of his vital papers therefore was unable to prove his qualifications for the job he sought.  

Even if the disaster is confined to your home in the form of a house fire, it is possible you could lose all your important papers.  Home fire safes are better than nothing, but the best way is to store copies somewhere off-site.  Banks offer safe deposit boxes just for that purpose.  Another, more high-tech method is to scan your documents and store them electronically.  You can store them on-line in “cloud” technology, put them on a flash drive or simply keep copies at a trusted friend’s house.  Although there is really no substitute for original copies, you can still recover policy numbers, passport numbers and other identifying information from the copies.  When you explain your plight to that guy at DMV, the process is expedited when you can show copies along with your explanation.  So plan right now to sit down some evening and organize your important papers.  Get them scanned or copied and placed in safe location.

Several months back I mentioned an item I own which was designed for use during power outages.  It’s called a Storm Station, manufactured by Black & Decker, it sells for $89.99 at certain online retailers.  It features a radio, including weather channel, a 12 volt power outlet, a 120 volt inverter (25 watts) , a room light and a built-in rechargeable flashlight.  The book says you set it on a shelf, plug it in and leave it that way until needed.  Its handy features make it one of the first items you reach for during an outage.  

Last week during our “grid-down” experience I grabbed it, set it on the counter and hit the “on” button.  Nothing.  The battery was dead.  Although the thing had been plugged into the trickle charger the entire time, the unit was dead.  The radio would play, but there was no light, no inverter and no flashlight.  Online research revealed that I’m not the only one.  The remedy seems to be to purchase another battery, take it apart and swap out the battery.  

I have since learned that other rechargeable power sources can experience the same problem.  The lesson here is to check them out now before your power goes out to make sure they actually work as advertised.  I plan to order a new battery for my Storm Station and will keep you updated on my battery swap-out plan.

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

Power Outage

    Several of us experienced an electrical power outage this past weekend.  I’m not privy to the technical details, but due to high winds most of us here in southern Coos County had at least a short-term lapse in electrical service  beginning Saturday afternoon.  My own power was out for roughly 5 hours while neighbors only a mile away lost their electricity for 24 hours.  

    The local grocery store closed its doors.  The gas station shut down as did most other local businesses.  The hardware store was one of the few open in the downtown area.  Powering up the cash registers with an SUV-mounted inverter and extension cord, they were doing a brisk business selling flashlights, batteries, lamp oil and all manner of propane lighting, candles and other camping gear.  

    The Deli was experiencing a definite up-tick in business.  Powered by natural gas, their kitchen was kept busy while customers shopped by alternative lighting.  What grocery items they do carry were flying off the shelves.

    At my house, electronic devices were exchanged for Legos and a chess game.  A pot of homemade chili cooked on the camp stove made for a special dinner by Coleman lantern. After a few hours of “camping-in”  there were sounds of disappointment when the power came back on.   

    Here are some thoughts:  Have a few small flashlights.  Give one to each member of the household to carry in their pocket so if they need to go to an unlighted room to look for that board game, they can find their way without carrying the Coleman lantern.

Candles.  Candles are great to place in the bathroom or other strategic locations around the house.  With candles or any open flame, always be aware of the fire danger.  It’s best to use candles that won’t tip over easily, like the ones that come in the fancy jars.  The long tapers make nice table decorations, but from a practical standpoint the fire danger from tipping is a definite downside.  One idea I’ve seen on the web is to stick a lamp wick in a can of Crisco.  The claim is it will burn for 45 days.  I haven’t tried it myself, but it makes sense.  If you have kerosene-style lamps or lanterns, be sure you are compatible with the fuel.  One acquaintance found that the fumes from burning kerosene caused her to have headaches.  Liquid paraffin or other lamp oil might be a more acceptable choice.  And lastly, I know I keep pounding the “stock-up-on-batteries” drum, but after the lights go out is no time to run to the store.  They may be in short supply after this weekend’s outage, but now is the best time to prepare.  Besides when you prepare ahead of time, you don’t have to shop in the dark!

    As always, send your questions, comments and “lights-out” stories to disasterprep.dave@gmail.com.  

Lessons Learned   

Sometimes we can watch the news with a certain impunity when a winter storm is pounding the northeast.  Then when the ice-laden power lines go down across someone’s new car it makes more great TV footage.  And the stories come in about power outages, people sitting in their cold living rooms with only their flashlights for lighting and stories of heroism on the part of linemen, police, fire and EMS personnel.  

That’s all well and good when we’re three thousand miles away on the balmy South Coast of Oregon.  But this past week a storm system dumped a load of snow in the Portland area causing traffic tie-ups, accidents, power outages and all manner of chaos on our north-state friends.  The Oregon State Police reports responding to over 600 weather-related traffic accidents since the storm began.  Sadly one person was killed on I-84 when the car in which the victim was riding lost control and struck a tree.  Stories of people spending the night in a Beaverton hotel because they couldn’t make it home to Gresham or others spending hours in their car along Interstate 5 bring the drama a bit closer to home.  Although when it’s YOU in your car in the ditch or YOU doing the motel-thing without your toothbrush, it’s more than drama, it’s a reality show and you’re the star!  Not exactly what you had in mind when you dreamed of stardom, now is it?     

It was a regular reader of this column that related the story of spending the night in the motel.  He had just begun carrying a kit in his car and was actually well-prepared for his night away from home.  (The motel supplied a toothbrush.) The point was, he had extra clothing, some snack food and his medication with him.  Needless to say, he is now a full-fledged believer.

The prepper’s mantra is Get A Kit, Make A Plan, Be Informed.  In the case of winter travelers, all three elements are useful.  That kit in your trunk gives you peace of mind and a bag full of useful items when needed.  Being informed of the weather forecast should aid in making travel plans.  Sometimes the smart thing to do is abort the mission once you learn what’s in store weatherwise. Pilots routinely alter their flight plans due to adverse weather.  In my view a smart traveler does the same thing.    

The next winter storm may decide to take a more southerly route.  Now is the time to Get A Kit, Make A Plan, Be Informed.

Disaster Prep Self-Test

This post is a repeat of one I put up several months ago.  If you took the test back then, you can re-take it now and self-rate your improvement.  Enjoy!

Would you know what to do in case of an emergency?  Most of us have never suffered the likes of Hurricane Katrina, the Thailand tsunami or the earthquake in Japan.  Many of us though have been inconvenienced by the loss of electricity or a snow storm that kept us from leaving our home.  What about an earthquake, fire or flood? Are you prepared? Just for fun, let's take this little test to see how we rate.

1.  Has your family rehearsed fire escape routes from your home?  Yes-No

2.  Does your family know what to do before, during and after an earthquake?  Yes-No

3.  Do you have heavy objects hanging over beds than can fall during an earthquake?  Yes-No

4.  Do you have access to an operational flashlight in every bedroom?  Yes-No

5.  Do you keep shoes near your bed to protect your feet from walking on broken glass?  Yes-No

6.  If a water line was ruptured during an earthquake, do you know how to shut off the main water line to your house?  Yes-No

7.  Can this water line be turned off by hand or is a tool required?  Yes-No

8.  If you have natural gas or propane, do you know where the main shut-off is located?  Yes-No

9.  If you smell gas, do you know how and would you be able to shut off this valve?  Yes-No

10.  Do you have working smoke alarms in the proper places to warn you in case of fire?

Yes-No

11. In case of a minor fire, do you have a fire extinguisher that you know how to use?  Yes-No

12. Do you have duplicate keys, copies of important papers or documents stored in a location outside your home?  Yes-No

13. Do you own a radio capable of receiving emergency information?  Yes-No

14. If your family had to evacuate your home, have you identified a meeting place?  Yes-No

If an emergency lasted for 72 hours before help was available:

15.  Would you have sufficient food?  Yes-No

16.  Would you have the means to cook without gas or electricity?  Yes-No

17.  Would you have sufficient water for cooking, drinking and sanitary needs?  Yes-No

18.  Do you have access to a 72 hour evacuation kit?  Yes-No

19.  Would you be able to carry or transport your kit?  Yes-No

20.  Have you established an out-of-state contact?  Yes-No

21.  Do you have a first aid kit in your home and in each car?  Yes-No

22.  Do you have work gloves and tools for minor rescue and clean-up?  Yes-No

23.  Do you have some emergency cash on hand?  Yes-No

24.  Do you have a means to heat your house other than the normal way?  Yes-No

25.  If you need medication, do you have a month’s supply on hand?  Yes-No

26.  Do you have a plan for toilet facilities if there is an extended water shortage?  Yes-No

Just to clarify, it is believed that if a major earthquake strikes off the Oregon coast, our region will be isolated from assistance for several weeks.  I recommend you prepare accordingly.

Now about the test, if you answered “no” to any of the questions, then I suggest you take another look at your preparations and make some adjustments.  As always email me with questions or comments at disasterprep.dave@gmail.com.

                                                    The Bag

January 1949, Nebraska Sandhill Country.  My father worked for the U.S. Forest Service on a remote station some 80 miles from the nearest town.  It was a Saturday afternoon, the day when all good country folk went to town for their weekly shopping trip.  I was only eight months old and they finished shopping early and headed home.  At about 3:00 PM the great blizzard of ‘49 struck. Dad was driving along a two-track “sandhill road” when their old Chevy became bogged down in a snow drift.  Knowing they were not far from a ranch, they packed up their eight month old son, along with all they could carry and hiked three miles through the blizzard to the ranch.  It was six weeks before they could get back to retrieve the car.

    Most preppers have a “go bag,” or a “ready bag” or some refer to it as a “bug-out bag.”  Those folks have a belief they may need to evacuate their home on short notice and the supplies in their “bag” will be needed for survival. It is my position for those of us living in Southwestern Oregon, our need to evacuate is minimal.  My bag goes with me everywhere and I would rely on its contents for survival if the need arose.  

    I’m pretty sure my parents didn’t have a “get home” bag, but I do know we carried certain things with us at all times “just in case.”   This morning it was 17 degrees Fahrenheit at my house.  Cold temperatures on the South Coast of Oregon are pretty rare.  In the past two days Interstate 5 has been closed because of road conditions and there are reports all over the state of motorists in the ditch, accidents and all manner of incidents directly related to adverse weather conditions.

    Get a bag!  I use a backpack I ordered online for $28.00.  My list is going to be different from yours, but just imagine being stranded somewhere other than your warm, comfy home, and consider what you might need to have with you.  My bag includes some food, some extra blood pressure bills, a Sterno stove (and fuel), some matches, and a disposable lighter, a flashlight, a multi-tool, some extra socks and pair of underwear.  (I know you wanted to know that!) I also have a screwdriver (the kind with interchangeable bits) a small adjustable wrench and a folding saw.  I found an old military mess kit and a pot that contains two drinking cups. I carry my SteriPEN for water purification, some warmer clothes, a First Aid Kit and a couple of good knives round out the basics.  I suppose there are a few other odds and ends, but you get the idea.  There are a couple of cans of Spam in there and I discovered recently the lip on the can makes an acceptable ice scraper for your windshield if you have need for one.  Note of caution here:  The metal will mar your windshield and you’ll have to deal with that later, but it does remove frost!  

    I shared with someone recently that I take my bag with me everywhere.  If I have to leave it behind for some reason, I have the same uneasy feeling as when I forget to buckle my seat belt.  So “Bag-Up!”  Now’s the best time, before you get stranded somewhere.

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

Batteries

    One of the funny memories I have of my son is when he was in the first grade he had accumulated (of all things) a collection of dead batteries!  Every kid always packs their dearest treasures to school for “Show and Tell.”  No matter how we coerced or cajoled, he insisted on taking his entire collection to school.  (I guess he thought the other kids would get a charge out of his battery collection.)  At the end of the day, his mother was prepared to offer encouragement and comfort as she was certain he would endure the worst manner of ridicule at the hands of his classmates.  “You were wrong!” he exclaimed, “They loved it!”

    Every disaster preparedness list shows the need to stock up on batteries.  Whether it’s a tree down across a power line, or widespread regional destruction, the first thing to go is usually the electricity. Then your priority is to re-establish lighting.  Batteries are like duct tape and nylon zip ties, you can never have too many.  

    Raising two grandsons puts a constant drain on my battery supply, but I know what to keep in stock and I make sure my battery inventory stays charged up.  (Sorry.)  While some folks still rely on candles, hurricane lanterns and the occasional Aladdin lantern, F.E.M.A. and the Red Cross both urge the use of battery powered lighting to avoid the problem of fire danger.  

    Check your battery inventory, whether AAAs, AAs, Cs, Ds or 9-volt, you should have a good stock of the various sizes on hand.  Especially if you have kids in the house and they need to resupply the remote control unit on their radio controlled dune buggy.

    Somewhere I heard that you can slow the discharge rate of stored batteries by placing them in the freezer.  The following is reportedly the results of a study conducted by Consumer Report:  “Consumers Report magazine took exactly 432 AA, C and D batteries. They stored some in the refrigerator, and some at room temperatures. At the end of five years they found that indeed the refrigerated batteries had more charge, but not by much. The room temperature batteries still had 96 percent of the charge of the refrigerated ones.”

    Duracell says:  "Do not refrigerate DURACELL Batteries. This will not make them last longer. Most DURACELL Batteries will provide dependable long life even after 5 years of storage in these conditions."

    And finally Energizer says: "Storing batteries in refrigerators or freezers is not required or recommended for batteries produced today. In fact, cold temperature storage can harm batteries. To maximize performance and shelf life, store batteries at normal room temperatures with moderate humidity levels."

    Lots of folks are turning to rechargeable batteries. While they are a bit more expensive to start with, you can extend your investment by adding a solar charger and then if the power is out for a lengthy period, you’re set.

    So before there’s a power outage, pick up a few new batteries, maybe a rechargeable lantern if you find one on sale and you’re set for that winter storm.

   

Storage Solutions

Every self-respecting prepper has the same problem.  Storage.  Preppers, by nature have stocked up on all manner of usable goods.  Whether it’s First Aid supplies or food or gasoline or medication, storage solutions must be found for all of your supplies.  Some food items can be canned, frozen or dehydrated.  Food must be kept safe from freezing, (unless, of course you want it frozen), dry, free from mice, bugs and other vermin.  One of the best things I have discovered for general purpose storage is a five-gallon bucket (food-grade plastic, of course) with a gamma-seal lid.  A gamma-seal lid is one that snaps onto the bucket, then the center of the lid is removed by unscrewing.  The whole affair creates an airtight, waterproof seal capable of protecting your stored supplies.  Gamma-seal lids can be ordered through several outlets online.  Standard lids are fine, but they create a problem when you try to open them (especially without tools) and then reseal the container.  Buckets stack neatly and are easily portable.  For more  ideas check out www.fivegallonideas.com.

    Another tool that comes in handy is a food vacuum sealer.  You know that thing that sucks out all the air and moisture from your salmon, elk and venison steaks.  When you’re putting together your get-home bag, use the vacuum sealer to store items you don’t want to get wet and also to save space.  Not only are food items protected, but so are matches, batteries, ammo and various other items.  Vacuum sealers can be expensive, costing as much as $500, but I actually picked one up  for $15.00 at a garage sale recently.  They usually require special bags, but are really quite handy for storing some of your essentials.  

    Then there is first aid gear.  First aid kits are self-contained and usually are designed more for successful marketing than for actual use.  (Sorry, it’s the cynic in me!)  Imagine showing up at an accident scene and jumping out of your car to help with first aid kit in hand.  Popping open the lid you find various band-aids, some gauze pads and a small roll of bandage tape.  Oh, and maybe a mini-packet of Tylenol.  It’s then you discover the accident victims have injuries of the life-threatening kind and even if you combined all the stuff in your kit, it wouldn’t begin to help.  I carry a kit in the tool box on my ATV.  It is marketed as an “Off Road” kit.  I was pretty proud of it until I realized that any accident involving an ATV or hunting accident was going to be way above the pay-grade of that little first aid kit.  Having said that, I began accumulating bandages, suture kits and various other over-the-counter remedies to the point I needed a storage solution. I finally wound up with a tool box that seems to fill the bill. It’s a plastic one made by Husky with a cantilever-style top and carries a massive amount of gear.  Trouble is, now it’s full.

    As always, send your comments, questions and storage solution ideas to disasterprep.dave@gmail.com.