Emergency Preparation – Are You Prepared? With Free Printables

Emergency Prep #3  ( 1st- 7/7/2015. 2nd-5/2018)

No matter where you live emergencies and natural disasters can happen. Blizzards,  flooding, high winds producing tornadoes and hurricanes. earthquakes, and wildfires are all examples of natural disasters.  This spring we all learned that emergencies can include a pandemic. In today’s world, the emergency could also be a terrorist attack of some kind too.   When you are given a few hours or even minutes to relocate, you can’t make detailed arrangements. You need to already have a plan and immediately proceed.

In any emergency, the number 1 rule is: Remember to follow the directions of local officials. Your local officials will be the best source of information before, during, and after the emergency situation.  If the situation is a medical emergency such as the pandemic, I would strongly advise following your  personal physician’s advice and the advice of medical authorities on the subject.  They are the ones briefing the government officials.

 There are many sites on the internet providing detailed lists of disaster planning and supplies needed. Most people will never have to leave their homes but loss of power is usually the most common problem with weather related emergencies.  Ready.gov  is a great site for preparation. This U.S. government site covers earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and winter storms.  They even updated for the Corona Virus.  There is a FEMA phone App for disaster planning.  The disaster reporter feature in the FEMA App (available on Android & Apple) allows you to take GPS photos in a disaster area and upload them to FEMA. Text HURRICANE to 43362 (4FEMA) to receive hurricane safety tips directly to your cell phone (standard message and data rates apply).

For more information you can also follow @Readygov on Twitter.The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)  sends alerts and advisories for potentially affected areas through their app. Download FEMA’s alert app at fema.gov/mobile-app for more information or to receive updated alerts. On my Twitter account is a public list, Disaster Planning, which lists possible Twitter accounts for you to follow. If you follow my list, it will always show the latest emergency tweets. I would suggest everyone follow FEMA, your local, county and/or state emergency agency, and a local news/weather source. Many TV stations now have apps to forecast weather conditions.

FEMA has many resources to help you assess your hazards, plan and share your actions. (Be smart, take part, and prepare.)

Do you know what to during a flood, tornado, or an earthquake to save lives? FEMA has resources for every situation.  For hurricanes, get the hurricane toolkit

For earthquakes, remember to drop, cover and hold on! You can find more earthquake info at www.Ready.gov/earthquakes   Don’t make the mistake of thinking earthquakes are only in California. When I was in college many years ago in Nashville, Tennessee, we had a mild quake. I was sitting on my twin bed on rollers and began to roll across the room. Scary. Most of us will never experience a real earthquake but knowledge is power.

The comprehensive lists below are based on U.S. government suggestions. Most of us cannot store all of the suggested supplies, but we should all follow the steps to make a plan, discuss the plan with your family, and make a bugout bag/container.

I. Planning

1. Learn your local disaster procedures. Stay informed. Follow on Twitter; visit websites for their resources.
2. Designate a location for family members to meet if there is an emergency. If the kids are at school and a disaster strikes, where would they go to meet you? Don’t assume you can phone them to tell them what to do. They should know where to go even if cell phone service is disrupted. The location should be out of your home area.  When your neighborhood is evacuated, where do you go?
3. Designate an emergency contact out of your area. Call your mom, aunt, grandparents, brother? Everyone should know who to call if the family is separated.
4. Learn evacuation routes from your area. Check with your local emergency planning agencies for suggested routes. Don’t plan to use interstate/freeway routes in case of high winds, flooding, etc. Large bridges may be closed.
5. Plan for your pets and service animals. We have all seen the horrible things that happen to pets left in houses. Many do not survive.
6. Identify a couple of people you regularly see to form your support network. If you are going to need assistance, who would you ask?  Explain what you are capable of doing on your own and where they can assist. Talk with the members of your support network about your plans. Learn their plans. If they are local, you can coordinate plans. Make sure someone in your local network has an extra key to your home and knows where to find your emergency supplies. Make sure someone in your out-of-town network is able to accommodate your pet in the event of an evacuation. Ensure all members of your support network know how to reach your out-of-town contact during a disaster. Designate a third party to communicate with your local support network. It is often easier to make a long distance call than a local call from a disaster area.
7. Know which local television and radio stations participate in the Emergency Alert System.
8. Reviewing your Family Emergency Plan with your family prior to a disaster will help to reduce the impact after a situation.
9. Complete an emergency medical card for each family member. List medical conditions, allergies and medications taken.
10. During any emergency situation, fill your car up with gas as it may not be available for days if power is lost. Get cash from the ATM. When electricity is lost, you cannot use ATMs, stores cannot accept credit cards, and you cannot pump gas. You WILL NEED CASH AND GAS. I would suggest small bills. A $100 bill is not going to be easy to use during emergency situations.

For printable PDF, Family Emergency Communication Plan. This completed plan should be included in your Disaster Supply/Bug Out Kit

II. Build A Disaster Supply Kit

 For a free printable PDF of Family Disaster Kit Worksheet which includes lists of items for your family kit or bug out bags, click for download Family Disaster Kit Planning Worksheet

1. When building a disaster supply kit, you need to decide if there will be a bag for each member or multiple storage units by the items stored for the family, i.e. personal care box, food box, water source. You can use totes, backpacks, suitcases, or plastic bins.
2. Store 1 gallon of water per person per day for drinking. You will need another gallon a day per person for hygiene (do you want to brush your teeth? wash your face?) If you end up in an emergency shelter, you cannot assume there will be enough water for everyone. After watching the horror in New Orleans after Katrina, I don’t take anything for granted. You can buy plastic gallon jugs of water or buy your own containers. The government planning site does not recommend milk cartons or glass bottles for disaster planning. I bought BPA free plastic bottles at Walmart that I fill for disasters. You should periodically use this water and replace.
3. Store a three day food supply for everyone. Non-perishables with a shelf life and canned food that your family will eat without being heated. Canned meat, vegetables and fruits, high energy food like nut butters, dried fruit and nuts, crackers and granola. Canned fruit juice, milk, and soup plus powdered coffee or tea with sugar packets are good choices.  Avoid highly salted items as it will increase thirst and you can run out of water. I particularly like the small tuna/chicken kits with crackers.  They have a pull tabs and don’t even require the can opener. Keep food in a dry, cool location. When building your family Disaster Supply Kit be sure to include items to store, cook, and serve food. Have a manual can opener and I am sorry to say paper plates and plastic utensils. Paper towels and napkins along with sponges and garbage bags. A Disaster Supply Kit should be refreshed every six months to ensure freshness. A good way to remember when to replace your foods is by doing so at the same time when you change your clocks for Daylight Savings.
4. A camping stove would be an excellent addition.
5. Pack a small first aid kit for scratches, bug bites, and other unforeseen accidents. I would suggest you include a few natural sprays for mosquitoes.
6. I would also suggest a couple packs of cards or other small games. Again, if power is lost, you will need simple items to keep everyone occupied. Depending on your local weather, sturdy shoes, rain gear and perhaps sweatshirts and pants. For kids save clothes currently too big and rotate yearly.
7. Pack flashlights, a battery-operated radio for updates, and plenty of batteries.
8. Pack at least a week’s supply of medications needed for each person. (Some government sites recommend a two week supply). Periodically use the supply and replace.

My Bug Out Bag

Here in Florida we can experience wildfires, floods, tornadoes, sinkholes, and hurricanes. A couple of years ago, a sinkhole opened below a bedroom in a home in Tampa at 11 PM. The father of the family was already asleep in bed when his bedroom fell into this gigantic hole. His brother ran into the room and tried to save him. He almost was pulled into the hole also. Emergency response teams and officials came and the entire block was evacuated as the hole was unstable. The victim’s body was never recovered. That home was declared unfit and demolished. Several neighbors homes were also demolished. This is an extreme example of unplanned disasters. By the way, sinkholes are not just in Florida. Several years ago a large one opened in Tennessee.

Hurricane season is from June 1 to November 1. Local TV stations broadcast their annual emergency planning programs. Counties and cities hold  hurricane meetings, fairs, workshops trying to get people to take it seriously and PLAN. I have water.  I have stocked up on canned goods and have a manual can opener. I have a supply of batteries for flashlights. I have a backup for the phone battery and solar lights. I have basic first aid supplies. So if I lose power – I am not in bad shape. If I have to evacuate, I have a few more things put aside to take with me quickly. I know the local shelter and I have a plan for leaving the area if necessary.

I have my bug-out bag in an old small suitcase on wheels. I purchased a small metal box cooker that will burn solid fuel cubes (non toxic, non explosive, stable) and can be used to heat water or food. I have a box of Esbit sold fuel cubes. I have replaced the batteries in 2 flashlights. I have copied some important papers like ID, utility bills, insurance cards and put them in a large zip lock plastic bag. Clean water after a disaster is a major problem. If you have to leave home suddenly you don’t have time to fill up containers or load up your car with jugs of water. I bought small packets of water that I keep in my bug out bag. I got them two years ago with a 5 year expiration date. I check them each year and re-pack them. I can drink from the packets without a glass. I also have a Life Straw (www.buylifestraw.com) that is a lightweight straw device that can filter up to 1000 liters of water and remove up to 99.99% of waterborne bacteria or waterborne protozoan cysts. The Life Straw has been used all over the globe in 3rd world countries with great success. It has a cord and you can wear it around your neck. Your hands are now free. I was recently informed that Walmart now carries a similar straw but I have not personally seen it. I have included a small vial of water purifier to add to possibly polluted water.   I have two small towels, a Swiss Army knife…. all of that and more is in my suitcase. Each year I buy a few light weight food supplies such as the chicken and tuna salad in a tin with crackers. Great for bugging out. After the season I contribute them to a food drive or eat the snacks and re-buy the next season.

So just passing along the ideas and also hopefully planting a seed of thought for those who have never considered what they would do in an emergency. Stay safe!

RESOURCES

Order Free Preparedness Publications

FEMA     fema.gov/mobile-app 

                hurricane toolkit

Ready.gov   Ready.gov

                         www.Ready.gov/earthquakes   

Twitter    Disaster Planning @ComfortSpringSt List

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