Planning ahead

To make sure everyone knows how to respond in the event of a hurricane, you might want to convene a family meeting or meetings. Topics of discussion should include:

• What to do about power outages.
• How to deal with personal injuries.
• How to turn off the water, gas and electricity at main switches.
• What to do if you have to evacuate.
• Where to meet and whom to contact if you get separated.

In addition, you should:

• Post emergency telephone numbers by the telephones.
• Teach children how and when to call 911 for help.
• Take a Red Cross first aid and CPR class.
• Make arrangements for your pets.

Getting your food supply ready

Have at least a three-day supply of nonperishable food on hand. Focus on high-nutrition foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking and little or no water. Your foodstuffs might include:

• Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, vegetables
• Canned juices, milk, soup
• Staples, including sugar, salt, pepper
• High energy foods, including peanut butter, jelly, crackers, granola bars, trail mix
• Vitamins
• Foods for infants, the elderly or people on special diets
• Comfort/stress foods, including cookies, hard candy, instant coffee, tea

Optimally, a two-week supply of nonperishable food is recommended. Though it is unlikely that an emergency would cut off your food supply for that long, such a stockpile can relieve a great deal of inconvenience and uncertainty until services are restored. You don’t need to go out and buy unfamiliar foods to prepare an emergency food supply. You can use the canned foods, dry mixes and other staples on your cupboard shelves.
Keep canned foods in a dry place where the temperature is fairly cool. To protect boxed foods from pests and extend their shelf life, store the boxes in tightly closed cans or metal containers.
Rotate your food supply. Use foods before they go bad, and replace them with fresh supplies, dated with ink or marker. Place new items at the back of the storage area and older ones in front.
Keep a supply of cooking and eating implements that can be used in the absence of running water or electricity, including:

• Plastic utensils, paper cups and plates
• Manual can and bottle openers
• A heating source, such as a camp stove or canned heat stove, and extra fuel.

Securing your home

Board up windows or attach storm shutters. Taping windows will not prevent breakage, but will help reduce shattering.
Electric power may be off, so have a supply of extra food, especially things that can be eaten without cooking, and a hand-operated can opener.
Thoroughly clean the bathtub, jugs, bottles and cooking utensils, and fill containers with drinking water. Allow a minimum of 3 gallons of water for each person.
Check flashlights and radios. Make sure you have batteries.
Check trees and shrubbery, and remove limbs that could damage your house or utility lines.
Secure anything that might tear loose or blow away, including garbage cans, grills, potted plants, garden tools, toys, signs, porch furniture, awnings.
Do not lower the water level in your swimming pool, or it may pop out of the ground. Remove pumps from underground pits after all valves have been closed and the electricity has been shut off. If the filter pump is exposed, wrap it in a waterproof material and tie it securely. Add extra chlorine to the pool to help prevent contamination (3 gallons of chlorine per 5,000 gallons of water).
Fill your car’s gas tank.

Preparing your boat

Take action early — don’t wait until a hurricane warning is declared. The storm’s fringe activity will make preparations difficult.
If your boat is stack-stored in dry storage and you have a trailer, consider securing the boat at home. If you have a trailer and are in an evacuation zone, consider taking the boat with you.
If your boat will remain in berth, before hurricane season check the strength of primary cleats, winches and chocks. They should have substantial back plates and adequate stainless steel bolts.
Purchase extra mooring lines and chafing gear in advance; they may not be available just before a hurricane.
Protect lines from chafing by covering rub spots with leather or old garden hose. Double all lines, with rig crossing spring lines fore and aft. Attach lines high on piling to allow for tidal rise or surge.
Seal all openings with duct tape to make the boat as watertight as possible.
Charge batteries for automatic bilge pumps.
Reduce dock or piling crash damage by securing old tires along the sides of the boat.
Remove loose gear from the deck. Store it securely inside or at home.
For a boat stored on a trailer, lash the boat and trailer down in a protected area. Let the air out of tires before tying the trailer down. Place blocks between the frame members and the axle inside each wheel. Secure with heavy lines to fixed objects from four different directions, if possible.
If you prefer, remove the boat from the trailer and lash down each separately.
Remove the outboard motor, battery and electronics, and store them.
Small boats can be filled with water to give them added weight after lashing down.
If you like your boat more than you like your car, put the boat in the garage and leave the car outside.

Getting special assistance

Find out about any special assistance that may be available in your community. Create a network of neighbors, relatives, friends and co-workers to aid you in an emergency. Discuss with them your needs and make sure they know how to operate any necessary equipment.
If you live in an apartment building, ask the management to clearly mark accessible exits and to make arrangements to help you evacuate the building.
Keep a supply of extra wheelchair batteries, oxygen, catheters, medication, food for guide or hearing-ear dogs. Also, keep a list of the type and serial numbers of medical devices.

Is your home safe? Stay put

If you don’t live in a mobile home and your house is structurally sound and in a non-evacuated zone, you should ride out the storm there.
Leaving your home when it isn’t necessary adds to traffic congestion and makes it tougher on those who must evacuate.
During the storm, it is safest to use a battery-powered radio or television to monitor developments. If you lose power, turn off major appliances such as the air conditioner and water heater to reduce damage.
Stay inside and keep away from windows or glass doors. Stay on the leeward, or downwind, side of the house. If the wind direction changes, move to the new downwind side.
If the storm center passes over your area, there will be a short period of calm. The wind and rain may cease, but do not go outside. Remember, at the other side of the eye, the wind speed rapidly increases to hurricane force and will come from the opposite direction.
Wait for official word before you leave your home.

During the storm

Monitor your radio or TV for the latest weather advisories and other emergency information.
Do not use electrical appliances.
Stay inside and keep away from windows. Stay on the downwind side of the house. If the wind direction changes, move to the new downwind side. Find a safe area in your home — an interior, reinforced room, closet or bathroom on the lower floor.
If the storm center passes over your area, there will be a short period of calm. Do not go outside. At the other side of the eye, the wind speed rapidly increases to hurricane force and will come from the opposite direction.
Wait for official word before you leave your home.

A disaster can strike at any moment little warning. If you aren’t already prepared, disaster can turn into a tragedy. So when an emergency does happen, how will you and your family cope with it? Do you have a plan for storms? What about earthquakes, or flooding?

Anything from a community notice about dirty water up to a full out disaster where you have no power, no water, and minimal contact with the outside world for days or even weeks at a time could happen. So the question for you today is, How Ready Are You? Today I want to challenge you to test your emergency preparedness skills in our 72-Hour Challenge. All you have to do for this challenge is turn off all your power, water, and gas in your home to simulate that some kind of disaster has happened; then, all you have to do is try to perform normal daily activities. Although it’s fairly simple to start, when you start trying to do things like wash dishes, prepare food and even get ready for bed, that’s when things get challenging.

There’s also another catch: once you start the challenge, you’re not allowed to travel anywhere to gather supplies. With the emergency supplies that you have set aside, see how you and your family cope with the situation. Before you do this, of course, you’ll have to sit down and talk with your family about what you’re going to be doing and why. This step is important both because it will be better if you get everyone in the household to participate, and because the more you and your family communicate about disaster and emergency preparedness, the safe everyone will be. Many parents I’ve talked to have expressed an unwillingness to do this because they say they are uncertain about the impact it could have on their children; however, with all the earthquake, fire, and other emergency drills they do at school, kids will probably be excited to take those skills and help others!

One option for the 72-hour drill is to act as though someone in your family was hurt or injured due to the disaster. Depending on your kids’ ages, you may have to warn them in advance, but the more surprised they are, the more realistic the emergency challenge will be. This is a great opportunity to get everyone working together–not to mention a way to teach your kids vital first aid training. Another benefit that comes from doing the 72-Hour Challenge is the opportunity to  make sure you understand the preparation and the supplies that are needed to turn your dehydrated or freeze-dried food into food that you and your family can enjoy.

When my family and I tried this test a few weeks ago, we noticed that having “comfort” food around is a big help. It’s always best to eat as normally as possible, and imitating normal behavior helps release the stress and tension that always accompanies a disaster. This 72-Hour Challenge is a great way to make sure that you are prepared with supplies and tools like flashlights, radios, and anything else you may need, as well as ensuring that when a real emergency does happen, you’ll know exactly what to cook to keep everyone calm and healthy.

So, try it out! Do the 72-Hour Challenge (or if that’s too inconvenient, I’d recommend trying to go at least 24 hourse). When you’re done with your challenge or if you’ve already done something similar, we would love to hear about your experience! Please comment on the blog bellow and give everyone some input on how you handled the situation.

For anyone that’s dealt with the aftermath of a major disaster you know that when a disaster strikes it’s unexpected, sudden and overwhelming.

When a situation like this occurs it’s normal to expect that the situation will take a serious emotional toll.  The better you can understand the normal responses to a disaster the better off you’ll be in coping with the feelings, thoughts and behaviors that you experience in the aftermath of a disaster.

Here are some tips that will help you and your family restore emotional well being and control following a disaster:

Acknowledge the disaster and the challenges you faced during the hardship.  Recognize that you’ve tackled hardships at other times in your life. Use these past experiences and the skills you gained as reference points to help you move forward. challenges.

For some the losses may be greater than others.  Allow yourself to mourn your losses. Be patient with yourself as you transition to normalcy and changes in your emotional state.

Seek  support from loved ones who will listen and empathize with your situation.  If your typical support system was also impacted by the disaster, keep this in mind as their mental state may also be weakened.

Share your feelings about your experience.  Do it in a way that you feel comfortable with, talk with family or close friends.  Often times expressing your feelings in a diary or journal can be therapeutic.

Find a  local support group, whether it’s through a local agency or a church, support groups are consistently established after major disasters.  These can be especially helpful for people with limited personal support systems.

Find a group led by an appropriately trained and experienced professional.  Recognizing that other individuals are in the same circumstances and are experiencing similar feeling and emotions naturally helps us to accept our situation and move forward.

Stay healthy, healthy behaviors will enhance your ability to cope with current excessive stress. Eat well-balanced meals and get plenty of rest.  Learn relaxation and stress-release techniques, doing this will assist in getting a good nights rest.  Also avoid the use of alcohol and drugs.

Get back into a normal routine.  Eating meals at regular times and following an exercise program and taking some time off from the demands of daily life by pursuing hobbies or other enjoyable activities will go a long way in managing stress.

What are some tips that you can think of that will help others recover from a disaster?

While each potential disaster that you face will present it’s own unique challenges that you should plan for; with every disaster you need to determine if it’s going to require that you “Shelter-in-Place” or “Grab-n-Go”.  If you’re facing a situation where you determine that you need to Grab-n-Go.  There are a few fundamental things that you should plan on.

My brother is a member of a national emergency response team, USAR (Urban Search & Rescue), from the devastation of the World Trade Centers to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he’s been sent in to deal with the after math.

In talking to him about Katrina he indicated that the items most people had wished they had above all else was Water, Food & Fuel. He indicated that a large majority were operating under the fallacy that in an emergency situation the government would be able to provide everyone with these necessities.

In a Grab-n-Go situation, take the following suggestions to get the most out of your plan:

1. Do Not Delay. If you decide you need to get out of town you need to have the mind set of getting out as quickly as possible.  You don’t want to be stuck with the masses in bumper to bumper traffic in the middle of the freeway consuming what fuel you have while your vehicle sits idle.  The rule of thumb here is that you make the appropriate plans to mitigate this possibility understanding that in some disasters it may be inevitable. It makes good sense to always keep your fuel level above half a tank.  You should also have a couple of Fuel Containers on hand.

2. Know your destination -  How severe is the disaster?  Did it impact just your house, your neighborhood, your city, your state? You should designate destinations that are safely out of the disaster area but minimize the amount of travel required.  If only your neighborhood was impacted, don’t waste time and effort traveling across state if it can be avoided.

3. Identify Alternative Routes -  Take the time to identify multiple routes and take the time to drive these routes before hand.  Using Google Map is a great start to laying out your routes, but it’s just a start.  Driving your routes will give you a better understanding of which routes are likely to be congested or present other challenges.

4. Have Your Supplies Ready – When the time to act has arrived, the time to prepare is over.  Not only should already have your food, water and emergency supplies already purchased, but you should also have them packaged, secured and in a place that’s easily accessible.  There’s a reason we use the term Grab-n-Go.  It’s not, Run-To-The-Store-Really-Quick-Throw-Some-Things-Together-And-Then-Go.

Don’t put off getting your Grab-n-Go plan put into place.  Create a plan, write it down, get supplies and do a dry run and put you in your family in the best position possible to weather the storm!

Tornadoes or a Chemical Incident are just a couple of potential disasters that would require you to “Shelter-In-Place“.  When a disaster strikes that raises uncertainty outside your best bet may be to stay where you’re at.  Without wanting to sound overly dramatic, the decision to “Shelter-In-Place”  or “Grab-n-Go” can literally make all the difference in a survival situation.  Understanding and then planning for the possibilities can make all the difference in the outcome for you and your family.

Keeping in mind that a large portion of the population spends at least 8 hours everyday outside of the home, that means there’s at least a 33% chance that you’ll be somewhere other than your home when an emergency situation arises.

I would recommend that you first start with planning to Shelter-in-Place at your home and then your place of employment, followed by any other location that you may spend a large amount of time at.

Take the time to identify potential disasters that can occur in your area that would require you to Shelter-in-Place.  Any type of airborne virus or chemical incident would require Sheltering-In-Place.  In a situation such as this, you’ll also need to take the necessary steps to “Seal the room”, this helps to insure that you’ve protected yourself from contaminated air from the outside.  Keep in mind that this is a temporary measure.

While creating your plan take the time to identify where you’ll keep your supplies for sealing a room.  If you need to seal a room, try to select a room that has the fewest windows, vents and doors, (basements are preferable).

Here’s a couple of tips from ready.gov:

• Bring your family and pets inside.
• Lock doors, close windows, air vents and fireplace dampers.
• Turn off fans, air conditioning and forced air heating systems.
• Take your emergency supply kit unless you have reason to believe it has been contaminated.
• Go into an interior room with few windows, if possible.
• Seal all windows, doors and air vents with plastic sheeting and duct tape. Consider measuring and cutting the sheeting in advance to save time.
• Be prepared to improvise and use what you have on hand to seal gaps so that you create a barrier between yourself and any contamination.
• Local authorities may not immediately be able to provide information on what is happening and what you should do. However, you should watch TV, listen to the radio or check the Internet often for official news and instructions as they become available.

Make sure that you’ve got the food, water and supplies that you need as part of your Sheltering-In-Place Plan!

Water filters are very useful in just about every survival or disaster situation.  Drinking the water directly from a water source could put you in danger of getting sick or even worse.  There are many contaminants that can flow freely in water so it’s important to filter them out.

When you use a portable water filter, Water passes through, but bacteria and protozoa do not.

A portable water filter will have two tubes.  You will use one tube to stick into the water source, and the other tube will go into your container.  Next, you will pump the water through the filter and into the container.

They are lightweight and easy to put into your pack.  Some portable filters will actually screw onto the top of your water bottle.  Pumping the water can take some time.  The average filter will produce 3 liters of water in 10 to 15 minutes.

Having said that, clean water is essential to survival, so taking the time is so worth it.  If you are hiking and you find a good water source, don’t pass it by without filling up your water containers.  Otherwise you risk being far from water when you need it most.

Here is a short video where Jeff demonstrates a water filter in action:

When you buy a filter, make sure you test it out before you get into a survival situation so that you are familiar with it and how it works.

Most of all, enjoy the clean water!

This is what we recommend to make a starting point in your food storage. Depending on how many people are in your household, we recommend that you have enough canned goods to last for two weeks. You should use the food in your pantry because it’s the most cost effective way for you to start your food storage. The great thing with having extra items in your pantry is that if you run out of basics like flour, sugar, salt, or canned goods you can go into your food storage and pull from there.  It saves you from running to the grocery store and also helps you circulate your inventory so you wont have old or expired products in your food storage. One thing that makes it really convenient to circulate your inventory is the FIFO Can Tracker. You just input all your cans and when you need your corn for your Sunday dinner just grab the bottom and & it will move all the contents down the line. When you restock your shelf just simply insert the cans in the top rack and it will fall into place and you can walk away knowing that the can you put in first will come out first.

 

 

 

Here is some things you should keep in mind:

• Make sure you buy food that you can eat – When your local grocery store does a “Case Lot Sale” on all canned goods you might start buying up as much as possible but not really taking to heart what you’re buying. True, baked beans at $0.30 per can is a great deal, but do you really want to live on baked beans during an emergency? Look in your pantry and write down the canned items that you have and the next time you go grocery shopping just pick up those items so  you can stock up your food storage. 

• Shelf Life - This brings me to the next key point with wet packed canned goods from grocery stores. The best rule of thumb with canned food is that it will last at least 2 years but you’ll find a lot of canned food will last must longer than that, possibly up to 5 years.  Foods that contain a higher acid content such as tomatoes and fruits will be closer to the 2 year range. If you deal with canned goods that are past the expiration date, carefully inspect the food with the “sniff” test and determine whether it’s spoiled or not.

Once your pantry’s full and you feel comfortable with the level of food that you have. You should consider more “long term” food storage options.  These fall into three main categories:

1. Dry Bulk Food Items
2. Dehydrated Food
3. Freeze-Dried Food

Dry bulk food might be something you recall your parents or grand parents (depending on your generation) would have set aside in cold storage.  These were items like wheat, rice, beans, sugar, rolled oats and other staples that typically will be packed in bulk packages, either cans or buckets. These items can be good to have around but you should keep a few things in mind:

• Preparation – When dealing with dry bulk food items it can be difficult to turn the dry goods into something edible. If you choose this option you’ll need to have a lot of supplies in order to cook and prepare these items.  You’ll need a wheat grinder in order to turn your Winter Wheat into flour or to an edible source of food and with that you will also need additional ingredients to turn the goods into an edible source. One other thing to take into consideration is that you will need fuel and a heat source in order bake or to cook the goods. So just remember that you’ll also want to have enough supplies to help with preparing your goods.

• Shelf Life – Most dry goods will store for a very long time. If stored at an ideal temperature (75º F. or lower) as well as proper packaging for long term storage, if it is stored properly your beans, rice, and wheat could store for many, many years! (10-20 years)

• Taste & Nutrition – With dry bulk storage you will typically give you an excellent nutrition. As for the taste, that depends on your cooking supplies that will help you turn a boiled pot of beans into a flavorful meal. I would recommend you do some research in what  you can make with your dry bulk foods. You can do a simple search at your local book store & you might find some cooking books that could assist you with preparing some good meals.

Dehydrated Food

Freeze-dried Food