Hurricane Preparedness is NEVER OVER!

And we thought hurricane season was over!

Well I was ready to do my semi-annual Hurricane Preparedness Review Day activities of checking my emergency preparedness checklist and rotating my disaster supplies on November 6^th after I change the batteries in my smoke alarms. Then guess what I see in my hurricane reports! Yep a tropical storm that may turn into a hurricane. Tropical Storm Noel has already killed 19 people in Haiti and Dominican Republic and after it finishes crossing the inland of Cuba and goes back out to the warm waters of the Atlantic again, it could become a hurricane.

We are about 10 days from the official end of hurricane season. So now Noel is going to do her stuff? I have no idea if Noel will become a hurricane or not. What I do know is that any potential storm can have significant threat to life, home and business.

I commend you for reading this blog. It means that you are interested in obtaining wise disaster preparedness information for a number of resources. Good for you. The more prepared we are for a hurricane the more prepared we will be for frankly any kind f a disaster. Emergency preparedness tips can be so helpful when facing a disaster situation.

So keep an ear out for more information on Noel and don’t forget to review your emergency preparedness checklist, disaster kits and update your emergency preparedness plans as well as your disaster recovery plans on November 6^th!

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

Great emergency preparedness tips on evacuation – a MUST read!

Emergency preparedness evacuation video excellent

Just read an excellent posting on disaster preparedness evacuation. The video is a MUST SEE. Very impressive- gives lots for viewers to consider. See below for more information.

May I suggest that the emergency preparedness checklist also include a CB radio for each car.

You can purchase these inexpensively but if there is an emergency evacuation, often the cell phones are jammed with others trying to make phone calls to loved ones. Additionally the emergency response staff will also need as much of that cell phone air time as possible. To help reduce the clutter on the cell phones AND stay in contact with other members of the household driving in a convoy with you have a CB radio. You can even on occasion pick them up at yard sales or always on eBay. IF you break down and the cell phones are jammed then you can call for help with a CB radio. IF you listen to channel 19 you will learn more about traffic conditions and ways to help make the evacuation transportation as smooth as it can be under the situation.

The site that you may want to check out regarding disaster prepardness information is Michael A. Pedrelli Insurance Agency Blog. He has some very good information from a number of different sites. His blog is located at: http://pedrelliinsurance.blogspot.com

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

10 Ways to help you pet when you and pet returns home after an evacuation

Home sweet home after an evacuation.

1. When returning home, make sure the housing environment is as calm as possible. Animals gather their information not just from words spoken since they have a limited vocabulary understanding. They pick up signals from the sounds around them. So the more calm the setting the better for the adjustment.
2. Ensure that your pet is safe and unable to escape your home when you are unloading the car or bring in bags of groceries. Pets are going to be very excitable and may dart from the home and into danger on the street or not be able to be found.
3. Place your pet in a small safe room to help your pet acclimate them back to the home. Pets are very stressed in a disaster evacuation situation and may behave a bit unlike themselves when they return home. Keeping them in a limited area that they can freely explore safely will help to ground them before you let them have their usual and larger area to live in. This restrained location can be for an hour to a day depending on the stress condition of the pet.
4. Restrict their food intake for the first couple of hours. They are going to be excitable and this may upset their digestive system. So to prevent any discomfort or upset, limit the food until they have adjusted better to their home setting again.
5. Remember they don’t know what has happened or could have happened. The smells of the home and outdoors may be very different than what the yare use to so they will need so adjustment time.
6. Some pets may have a bit of separation anxiety after the evacuation experience. This can be especially true when they were kenneled in a different location than ou. Be prepared for that and if possible leave a dirty / used a very smelly shirt, sock etc that will give comfort to them should you have to leave etc. It’s a good idea to have the item in the safe adjustment room as well.
7. If the water has been very different at the evacuation site you were at compared to what you have now then you may want to reintroduce the different water gradually. Hopefully were you were able to bring some of the local water back with you. An example of this may be that you live in the city and have chlorinated water while you were staying in the country and the water there was from a well. If this is the case and your pet has a sensitive digestive system then start with 25% of the new water to 75% of he water you have brought back. Then over the course of the day gradually ad more of your water to the water bowl mix so over the next day or two the water becomes back to the ‘home formula’.
8. Hopefully you have a regular schedule of your pet as to times for meals, walks etc. Try to re-establish that schedule as quickly as possible. A schedule is very important to maintain stability in your pet’s life. That way your pet can predict what is going to happen and when it will end. Follow your daily routine as pre-evacuation. That means if you play with your pet and take them to the dog park at 5:30pm every weekday, then continue to do the same routine, provided the area your go to is safe form emergency hazards. It is also good for you to stick with the schedule as well. It will be harmony to every one in the home.
9. Before walking your pet or allowing it to go in the fenced back yard. Inspect the location for any dangerous items that may have resulted due to the emergency. There may be broken glass or nails or other ‘stuff’ that could harm your pet. Also double check that the area has no holes in the fencing or that the gates have been left open etc. Start with a short period of time for the pet to be outside. Be there with the pet at the beginning as a form of support. Then incrementally increase the amount of time that is allowed until they have built back up to their normal amount of outdoor time.
10. Have some quite time with your pet the first evening back home before bedtime. This is a calming opportunity that settles the stress and strain of the evacuation event and helps re-bond you and your pet to the home setting again. Enjoy and relax, knowing all is well in your world of home.

WELCOME BACK HOME!

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

Emergency Preparedness is a good thing no matter what the age!

Disaster preparedness then and now—we still need it.

I just saw a late 1940s - 1950s school education movie about what to do if an atom bomb explored in the community you lived in. It was called “Duck and Cover”. Pretty simple stuff but frankly they were training the students and families with the Civil Patrol policies as to what to do in the event of an emergency.

I don’t know of any school that is teaching students now in the US about what to do to be ‘emergency prepared’ for any form of disaster. The disaster preparedness information that was given in the movie was very simple and frankly not that accurate especially in today’s standards. HOWEVER it was important to practice the training regularly and train all age levels

Given what we have in our world and local society, it would be very beneficial to have disaster preparedness drills and informational movies like this again for both natural and human made disaster occurrences. It is unfortunate that we now live in such a society and world. You would have thought we would have learned better now in how to get along in our global backyards.

I wrote a blog posting stating that the children can help prepare their own personal low cost emergency survival kits and learn what is necessary to do in the event of an emergency or disaster situation. The parent who wrote back was so concerned about scaring children needlessly and that fright was not a good tool to use to train children.

I agree that we don’t want to needlessly frighten children but I also believe that disaster training is extremely important no matter what the age group from the youngest to the oldest adult. The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have been training young people for 100 years and they have not frightened kids but instead have made them able to help themselves and their community in times of challenge and disaster.

So OK the 1940-50’s movies were a bit corny but got the message across. Think we need to offer as many emergency preparedness tips as possible. Every child should know where the family emergency preparedness checklist is located as well as where the emergency preparedness kits are stored. At least twice a year everyone should have a drill or practice to know what to do in the event of an emergency. It should include home, school, work and general outings. Being prepared is a small price for safety in the time of a critical incident.

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

Learn from wildfires for Hurricane Preparedness

Every disaster has lessons to be learned in emergency preparedness!

I have been reading a great deal about the wildfires in California. Over 1500 homes have been burned to the ground. Families had only moments to get out. I wonder how many had their individual, family and pet emergency preparedness kits ready to just grab and go.

It is vital that families and neighborhoods get as much disaster preparedness information as they can and then develop neighborhood emergency preparedness resources as possible. If every neighborhood had their own disaster preparedness plan that accentuated the strengths of the neighborhood and practical solutions for the areas that show weakness, then many communities would fair better in the future disaster that may strike at any time.

The recent Wildfires in California showed that comprehensive emergency preparedness plans for community and regional services work well. This wildfire disaster also showed that many were not prepared at all and SHOULD HAVE BEEN! Frankly with all the media coverage and disaster preparedness information available, there is NO valid excuse to not be working on emergency preparedness plans for home, work, and school.

These plans are not overwhelming and certainly do not have a hex on them that says if you complete an emergency preparedness plan then there will be a devastating disaster to occur to your family. Often it is just the opposite. When you are preparing your materials you will see particular situations that can help reduce the chances of an individual disaster from occurring such as a gas can with some gas for the lawn mower near the furnace or some worn-out frayed electrical cords on lamps that could catch on fire and help accelerate a fire.

Mark your calendars for
November 6^th
Hurricane Preparedness Review Day
Do the following:

• Turn your clocks BACK an hour for Standard Time
• Check Smoke Detectors
• Check and rotate your emergency preparedness necessities
• Review your emergency preparedness plans
• Complete your low cost emergency survival kits for home, work, school and car!

If everyone did these 5 simple things, you and your loved ones would be much safer should a disaster hit your home or community!

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

10 Ways Hurricane Preparedness and Diabetes Have A Lot In Common!

Here are 10 things that hurricanes and diabetes have in common:

1. Both are able to be tested for.

It is now possible to get highly accurate information on the current status of a person’s blood sugar level as well as the intensity of a hurricane. The same is true for hurricanes, scientists know know the importance of geting drones and airplanes to fly into a hurricane to test and see just how significant the storm really is. By testing early and often in both cases, it helps to determine the best possible actions necessary to sustain a healthy life.

2. Emergency preparedness necessities are a MUST!

It is important to have at least a 2-week supply of ALL necessities including all medical related products and medications, food, water and personal information. By being well prepared for a hurricane or other disaster, you will be much better to deal with most disaster situations including those associated with diabetes since your emergency preparedness necessities will already be established.

3. Disaster preparedness information is essential to a more safe and comfortable disaster experience.

In both hurricanes and in diabetes health, it is important to have accurate disaster preparedness information early. This is expert advice that can help to ensure that you have the best information possible to manage your particular situation. Guess work is extremely dangerous. Out-dated information or ‘well we have always done it this way’ way of thinking can be life-threatening. By have current, state-of-the-art information on both disaster preparedness and diabetes you can better ensure a healthier outcome.

4. Emergency preparedness checklist is a life saving item to have with you at all times!

In a disaster or crisis situation wither it be a hurricane disaster or a medical emergency concerning diabetes, it is important that you and your loved ones have a well thought-out and tested emergency preparedness checklist to ensure that all that can and should be done is achieved for your well-being and safety. Trying to depend on memory during a crisis is not as dependable as we would all like to think our memory recall is. When under stress we so often are less able to recall the most simplest of things or we get the order that important actions need to be followed all messed up.

No matter how many times you have been in a hurricane situation or in a diabetic emergency, it is very wise to have a emergency preapredness checklist to ensure that you have done all you can to address the situation. Better safe than sorry later!

5. Every home, work-site and car should have an emergency preparedness kit

A disaster can occur at anytime. By having an emergency preparedness kit available at the locations you are most likely going to be at most times (home, car or work) you are better ensured of having the emergency preparedness necessities that you will use to keep yourself safe and comfortable in a disaster situation. EVERY emergency preparedness kit needs to be custom designed to meet YOUR PERSONAL NEEDS. Get as much disaster preparedness information on what you should consider in your disaster kit for your circumstances and then start to prepare your own kit. In a short period of time the disster kits will be completed and you will be much safer should a diaster occur! This way you are sure that you will have what is necessary to help yourself in a challenging situation. Don’t wait until disaster occurs. Do It NOW!

6. Emergency preparedness does not have to be expensive.

Have low cost emergency survival kits - they are easy to make and a great help in disaster situations. Sharing emergency preparedness tips with others can be a great resource and help for everyone involved.

Go to a thrift store and get a small in god condition back-pack or suitcase and use that as your home emergency survival kit. For the car get a plastic water tight container that can fit in the trunk of your car or under the car seat. For the office have a emergency preparedness kit that has a sturdy and easy to carry handle for ease in a get and go disaster situation in a employment setting.

Many items can be purchased at discount or dollar stores as well as online. Remember if you purchase an already packaged kit, that you really are paying for someone else to pick up supplies that you can do your self and for them to guess what it is that YOU need. Creating your own personal emergency preparedness kit ensures that your special needs are best considered. Hey an extra bonus is: it costs loads less!

7. Hurricanes and diabetes affect people.

People from all walks of life including every race, age group, gender, and profession can and are affected by hurricanes and diabetes. All at some point in life, many may be directly be affected or know someone that is affected by hurricanes or diabetes. Knowledge is the best resource in addressing both hurricanes and diabetes.

8. Hurricanes and diabetes don’t have to be killers!

In the past many did not survive a hurricane - even a mild storm. The same was very true of diabetic crisis. Thank goodness that is not the case now days. So many advances in science and technology have been made to help us have safe and high quality lives. Knowing what to do to prepare for, survive and recover from hurricane and / or diabetes crisis is the major factor in living a comfortable and safer life.

9. More information is being learned about both hurricanes and diabetes every day.

Information is the key to both hurricanes and diabetes. By knowing how to deal effectively with a potential hurricane situation or an actual hurricane disaster, one is better prepared to come through it much better. The same is very true for a person with diabetes.

In both cases it is not a death sentence or an anvil to carry around when trying to live a full, enjoyable and productive life. Information can help lift the vail of uncertainty and apprehension as well as deliver the necessary facts to quality living for both diabetes and hurricane. The advances in hurricane science diabetic medicine are making major leaps in resources and response every year.

10. There is a great deal of hope for the future in how we will address and live with diabetes and hurricanes.

In the past hurricanes were considered the curse of the gods. Many felt and still feel that way about diabetes. NO so! Now there is great assurance that medical and trauma sciences are and will be addressing more of our needs and concerns in a timely and helpful manner.

We don’t need to be apprehensive instead we need to be proactive in taking control of our lives in dealing with hurricanes and diabetes. Remember, we don’t have to live at the mercy of hurricanes and diabetes – instead those situations can live with us as long as we are well educated and well prepared manner. Harmony and balance is the goal of life in everything including hurricanes and diabetes!

For more information there is an excellent article at the American Diabetes association called: Emergency Preparedness for People With diabetes – ADA Offers tips for People with Diabetes Affected by California Wildfires.

http://www.diabetes.org/diabetesnewsarticle.jsp?storyId=16213758&filename=20071023/comtex20071023pr00003626vaamericandiabetesEDIT.xml&WTLPromo=RSS_IDT

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

From Hurricane Preparedness to Firestorms, People woefully unprepared.

When will we learn our emergency preparedness lessons?

I sat eyes fixed on the TV as I watched the flames destroy the homes of so many. I read of 265,000 people forced to flee their homes in mandatory evacuations. Instead of sea of water and pelting rain, we are seeing blistering winds and ember ash pelting down on unsuspecting homes miles away from ground zero and even more homes catch file.

In a way a firestorm acts just the opposite of a hurricane. In a hurricane the winds come off the ocean and head for the hills. It is a wet situation that drowns everyone and everything insight. The opposite is true for the firestorms. They come from the hills and blow towards the sea. They are dry and burn everything and any person in it way.

Two very different sort of disasters but still the same sort of disaster reality due to lack of preparation.

Consider these points:

1. Some homes are missed while others are destroyed by nature’s furry.
2. Families must rush to get to safety.
3. Another stadium is now open for thousands of people to shelter and ride out the storm.
4. The roads are clogged with people trying to escape.
5. The storm is violent and unpredictable.
6. People going to bed thinking they were safe only to be awakened in the middle of the night / early morning told to run for your life.
7. Cell phone lines are jammed and communication difficult
8. ATM money machines are empty
9. Even 6 to10+ hours away from the fires there is not a motel or hotel vacancy.
10. People scramble to take their pets with them and have no supplies for them when they leave.
11. Many are without their medications and are in distress
12. Emergency response is not adequate the vast extend of the fire
13. Few have emergency preparedness plans
14. Electricity is out for hundreds of miles.
15. People have ignored emergency preparedness tips
16. Few people have disaster preparedness information
17. Less than 4% have even low cost emergency survival kits that they could have made at home for each member of their family and pets.
18. Many will be stranded in their cars with no car emergency preparedness kit to rely on.
19. Many people running out of fuel for their cars and are stuck on the highway causing severe traffic jams and congestion
20. Many thought that that a disaster would never happen to them. WRONG!

I am amazed at how many people did not learn the lessons as a result of Hurricane Katrina. I would have hoped that more people would have been better prepared. What will it take to get people to open their eyes and see that there are a number of dangers that need to be prepared for. OK so you live in Alaska and you don’t get firestorms and hurricanes. You still are venerable to your own particular local disasters.

Everyone needs to be prepared if not for a hurricane or a firestorm then for a possibility of a disruption of general life due to an accident like a propane gas truck exploding or a terrorist attack. I realize that we don’t want to even consider for a moment that this could happen to any of us. We what to think everything is safe ands sound in our personal world. I hope and pray that your world will always be safe and secure. For most people it is not going to be that way.

Imagine how many who are now stuck in a smoky, over crowed athletic stadium could be having a more comfortable and secured even I the same location situation if they had put in even a couple of hours of emergency preparedness and collected the emergency preparedness necessities to get them through the current difficulties.

If you are reading this blog you, then I am most likely preaching to the choir. The only way to help prepare society for disasters is to start to teach disaster preparedness to children in school. If we do not do that then we will never have emergency preparedness in our communities and homes.

I have been asked repeatedly if telling children abut potential disasters or having them prepared will frighten them. The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have been teaching emergency preparedness for one hundred years this very year. Millions of children have learned to be disaster prepared. It has served them well throughout life. Disaster preparedness information help to reduce fear and instill skills and knowledge that can help them before, during and after a disaster has occurred. ALL our children deserve to have those kinds of skills and knowledge.

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

Emergency Preparedness Ready Quotient

Everyone as Quotient just like a nose! Find out where you stand in disaster preparedness – it could easily save your life!

The best to move forward is to know where you currently are. You can’t know if you are moving forward or backward unless you have an accurate idea of what direction you are facing! Common sense, but, many in our society certainly don’t know much about common sense when it comes to disaster preparedness!

To get a good sense of where you are in you emergency preparedness is to get tested. Yep there is an excellent resource to help you know just where you stand on disaster preparedness. It may be a painful eye-opener for some and a calming resource for others.

All kinds of disaster preparedness information is helpful when considering for the first time or in your semi-annual review of your emergency preparedness checklist and low cost emergency survival kits to see if you are ready and how much is there.

Here are three major facts that should give you a big hint of how ready or not ready a community is for a disaster. Unfortunately unsurprisingly, these statistics are not unexpected.

The good news first – 65% of the people surveyed stated that they knew how to find on the radio the emergency broadcasting station. That is good news since that will give current emergency information on who to respond to a present danger regarding a disaster either human-made or natural in configuration like a hurricane.

Now the bad news.--- Only 4% of the population in the US have taken the necessary steps to be adequately prepared for a emergency situation. 23% have taken NO actions to help themselves prepare for an emergency. While 63% have done some sort of emergency preparedness actions. Most of thee is to collect the most basic 3 day supply of materials. Frankly, a three day supply is enough to tell you that you don’t’ have enough!

To find out your RQ (Ready Quotient) go to http://www.whatsyourrq.org

This site has some really exceptional materials. So take your time and review it.

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe

Terrie
www.trainforahurricane.com

Culture Of Emergency Preparedness

How is YOUR Disaster Preparedness DNA today?

Every morning I do my regular routine of checking the news to see what has occurred since I went to bed. Today is full of news on the California wildfires that so far has forces 10,000+ people from their homes and killed at least 1 person, injuring many others. I wonder how many of those that are being evacuated have a disaster plan or an emergency preparedness kit.

After checking out the general news, I was just reading a 10 page report that is very comprehensive concerning disaster preparedness. The article by Adrian Morgan entitled Exclusive: ‘Al Qaeda Driven by Undiminished Intent to Attack Homeland’ is an eye opener for many and should be sobering for everyone

.

Out of the 10 pages this one sentence gave chills down my spine.

The culture of preparedness is something that must be embedded into the DNA of all levels of government and ultimately the American people."

Adrian Morgan, The Family Security Foundation, Inc. October 22, 2007 http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/terrorism.php?id=1385066

Reading about the wildfires, evacuations and this report made me wonder what will it take for people to enter into a ‘culture of preparedness’ really to the depths of our being. We keep thinking we are so powerful that we can just wave our magic wand and everything will be nice and rosy for us. This is dangerous wishful thinking. We are in need of a major reality check. We are not living in the utopia of bygone eras. There are those out there that want to kill us. There are serious weather conditions that are causing chaos and destruction on every coast and in-land speck of dirt of every continent.

We need to enter into a culture of emergency preparedness on every land and continent. We are more interested in researching what type of cell phone we have with what fun accessories it has then gathering the disaster preparedness information necessary determine the spending the spending budget on emergency preparedness necessities that can keep us alive so we can worry later about the cell phone accessories.

Less than 4% of all adults have an emergency preparedness plan and even fewer review their emergency preparedness checklist even annually. Everyone needs at least their own personal low cost emergency survival kits for their car, work / school and home. Schools are so worried about no child left behind program but I wonder how many have taught disaster preparedness so in an emergency no child is left behind either.

Besides checking out cholesterol levels every so often, I think we had better develop a DNA test that checks our emergency preparedness level as well. What an eye opener that would be for the world!

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

Disaster Preparedness & Students At College

Emergency Preparedness a MUST for college students

The power is out and the students at Pepperdine University campus in Malibu were told to go to the campus field house f or safety. It seems that the school representatives had to go door to door in the dormitories to clear everyone out and announce the evacuation need.

I wonder how many of the students had a emergency preparedness kit ready to go in a moment’s notice. If it was like many of the students in my dorms, emergency preparedness was an extra slice of 3-day old pizza!

Often parents send ‘care packages’ to their away at school children. These care packages consist of favorite snacks, telephone cards, extra money, a new funny t-shirt, pictures of back home etc, etc. These are wonderful gifts to have. I so appreciated all the TLC ways my mom showed to me when I was in college.

I know that it might not be the most ‘cool’ thing to send an away at school student, but it could be the most important care package you could ever send. What kind of package you ask? It is an Emergency preparedness kit. Here are some suggestions for kids at college to have in their emergency preparedness kits:

12 power bars for nutrition

Hard candy – incase water is limited or not available the hard candy can help with the issues of thirst.

Pictures of family members and loved one

A note of support and encouragement.

An emergency telephone book / list with the telephone numbers that are important like your cell phones numbers, work numbers, neighbors etc.

A non-local emergency contact.

A deck of playing cards

A roll each of nickels, quarters, dimes that are to be used ONLY in an emergency to call home or to get something form the vending machine

A prepaid credit card with enough money for a motel room or gas money to get to the pre-determined emergency overnight location.

Small notebook an paper

An extra T-shirt and sweatshirt. Get form a thrift store so if they get lost it is not the end of the budget.

Two sets of batteries

Flashlight

CHEAP PORTABLE radio

Copy of any and all prescriptions

A blow up neck pillow

Emergency blanket that is the size of a deck of playing cards but is very warm and looks like foil wrap.

Develop a disaster plan together. Let your child know what you will be doing to help in a disaster. Let them know that you will do all you can to make sure they are safe. That is why you are giving them this emergency preparedness kit. Even thought it is not the most fun discussion to have with your child review the disaster plan at least twice per semester.

I hope this will be of some help to you and your away form home student.

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

Hurricane Preparedness = ALL Disaster Preparedness

Always Know Where YOU Will Go In A Disaster

Today I have been checking the news off and on concerning the tragic wildfires that are raging near Malibu, California. In reading a news article on CNN, a Susan Nuttall age 51, told the Associated Press that she was forced to evacuate her cul-de-sac condominium near Peperdine campus. The chilling words that went down my spine were "We're all scared to death and we have nowhere to go,". She said this to a reporter as she sat in her black colored Mercedes holding her Chihuahua dog. It doesn’t’ matter if you are rich, young, poor, wealthy, male, female etc. etc. If you are alive you need all aspects fo emergency preparedness. I can not stress this enough.

My heart goes out to her and to all those who are facing a disaster tonight. It also shows that NO ONE IS EXEMPT from the need to have disaster preparedness as a part of their ordinary life responsibilities.

EVERYONE NEEDS AN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN AS WELL AS A DISASTER KIT FOR THEMSELVES AS WELL AS EVERY MEMBER OF THE HOME (including the Chihuahua dog!

It is not something to put off. If she had had her emergency preparedness kit ready and a solid emergency preparedness plan fortified by disaster preparedness information and emergency preparedness necessities ready to go, she would not be sitting in her car telling a reporter she had no where to go. Instead, she would have been driving to the already designated location that she had researched and planned for months and perhaps years ago to go to in the midst of a disaster. She would have been on the phone talking to the hotel / motel that allows pets and she would have had her reservation made and she would be comforted to know that she would have a place to stay for the night.

She would have a plan as to what she needed to take with her as she quickly evacuated her home. Most likely she would have had a Get & Go Kit for her dog and one for herself that included everything she would need to make it through the difficult first week after a disaster.

The Santa Anna winds are nothing new. Just a few years ago they did a great deal of damage to homes and businesses in the area. The winds are called the ‘Devil’s winds’ for a reason. They cause a great deal of destruction. Just because the winds are not blowing every minute does to mean that the threat should be ignored until the wind and fires are knocking at your door!

Several homes miles away from the firestorm are also destroyed tonight because of the flying embers from those fires that set their unbeknownst homes on fire. A church and some other buildings have also been destroyed. It is not just hurricanes that cause problems. It is all kinds of disasters that we need to be aware of and most of all, be prepared for!

I feel so sorry for this woman. Thank God, she has her dog with her. We are around the same age. I would hate to think that I had no where to go in the midst of the most terrifying day of my life. That is why I wrote the book Train For a Hurricane. I don’t want anyone to have to go through the fright and potential trauma a disaster can cause that this dear soul is facing this evening.

I don’t want YOU to have to face a hurricane or any sort of disaster or potential disaster without a disaster preparedness plan, even a low cost emergency survival kits and a disaster reference guide to help you when disasters strike. I don’t know this woman, my prayer is that she will find support from the American Red Cross, as well as friends and family. She is certainly in my thoughts and prayers this evening.

Please folks, get your emergency preparedness checklist updated and then prepare your evacuation routes and be as disaster prepared as possible. We all feel empathy and sorrow for Ms. Nuttall. There is nothing we can do directly for this woman. What we can do is not let this unfortunate situation that she is facing go for naught. Instead let us learn form it and start our own emergency preparedness activities that we need to do, no matter if we re in New Zealand, China, Alaska or Kansas.

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

Hurricane preparedness is not the only reason to prepare!

Hurricane preparedness is not the only reason to prepare!

Littlebrowntony wrote an interesting article as part of an assignment on disaster preparedness plan – Better Health Abroad – Shut Down of Air Travel, http://littlebrowntony.blogspot.com/2007/10/assignment-five-disaster-planning

Having emergency preparedness plans for all locations of a business is an important issue not just for the disruption of air travel but for all sorts of emergencies. Given our world today and all the issues facing us on the business level as well as on a personal level it is important to have emergency preparedness at all times under all circumstances..

Depending on the emergency situation, communication by cell phone may be hampered or not in-service at all. It is always advisable to have at least 2 additional emergency methods of communication.

It may be impractical (but always useful to have at least two if not 3 employees) that are well trained and licensed in Ham radio operation. If the company is not large enough for such training and equipment then it is very advisable to have a contract with ham operators in the area of the company to agree to be available to help out with necessary communications in times of disaster or communication disruption.

Every officer of the company as well as all employees if possible should have a Citizen Band (CB) Radio for at lest their car. Many have home-base CB stations as well. The reason for this suggestion is often in a disaster situation; land-lines and cell phones are non-operational or are on limited availability. In the case of emergency need, a CB radio does not need additional support of communication towers, licensed operators, etc in order to get help. The staff of the company would have some sort of emergency resource available to them. Training on operation of a CB is very easy to learn and requires little time for training. The equipment is also inexpensive. Companies overseas may want to investigate as to the comparability of CB services in each country they have an business operation

If the company is a local company and there is sheltering – in –place mandates, then it is wise to have everyone with a CB radio and a set time and channel for reporting in to verify all are safe or in need, as well as to give necessary instructions concerning work deployment. It is best to use some of the higher number channels like 30-40 or lower channels from 5-10 since they are less used.

CB radios were very popular in the 1970s to mid-1990s before cell phones became dominate and cost effective. During Hurricane Katrina disaster recovery, many cell phones did not operate because cell phone towers were destroyed or there was limited or no electricity to power the batteries. The CB because a communication device of choice for many disaster response teams.

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

Hurricane Season NOT over yet – Hurricane Preparedness still a MUST!

So you thought that the 2007 hurricane season was over with? Think again!

I just got an announcement that Tropical Storm Kiko is forecasted to become a hurricane in a few days. Again Mexico will be the one that will bear the brunt of the hurricane furry.

So now the question must be asked, how prepared are YOU? I can’t say if there will be a hurricane in the Atlantic late this season but it certainly is still a major situation in the Pacific. What I do know is that there is really crazy weather and to be safe everyone needs to have their emergency preparedness necessities ready.

I know ther are a lot of things that are catching your attention right now. For some it is Parent’s Weekend at colleges across the US and who would want to think abut disaster preparedness then. Others are frantic about sewing their children’s costumes for Halloween and getting the supplies in of candy for the ‘trick or treaters’ that will be at ht door in a few weeks. If you are willing to prepare for those things then can I suggest that you also develop your emergency preparedness plans as well?

One way to start an inventory of all that you may or may not have is to make a game of it. Develop a check list of everything you will need in a disaster including flashlights for everyone, whistles, 2 week minimum of food and water, extra pet supplies , medical prescriptions and over the counter supplies. These are just a few of the things that you will need.

Then divide the list up into separate items. Place all the items into a bag or hat and have everyone draw the slips of paper until all of them are selected. Then go about collecting them all.

Once you have collected everything place them in boxes marked by category and see what you already have and what else you will need. Remember many hands can make light work of emergency preparedness takes. After that is completed make up a emergency preparedness checklist of things you will need to get over the next 4 months. Divide the list into fourths select the cheapest items to buy during the holiday season so it doesn’t pick the budget too much and leaves extra money for the gift-giving season.

In 4 months you will have the emergency preparedness necessities that will be needed to help in 2008 hurricane season without the panic buying when the winds begin to blow!

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

Tropical Storm Kiko Will Become Hurricane

http://www.thedailygreen.com/2007/10/19/tropical-storm-kiko-will-become-hurricane/7955/

Mexico On Alert: Forecast Predicts Hurricane Kiko Will Form Within a Couple Days

The latest National Hurricane Center forecast for Tropical Storm Kiko still predicts it will grow into a hurricane as it moves north along the Mexican coast.

Even in mild hurricane seson we need hurricane preparedness

A beneficial end to the hurricane season - Hurricane Preparedness Review ritual.

Remember in school you always had final exams at the end of each semester? Well some things never change. November 6^th is Hurricane Preparedness Review Day. It is the same day that we go back to standard time from daylight savings time. It is also the day when everyone is asked to change the batteries in their smoke detectors. What a better day to also review your hurricane preparedness checklist to see which supply items you need to rotate out and use before expiration date and what are the supplies you need to replenish or enhance your current supplies.

I agree whole heartedly with Leigh Tahirovic, the editor of the Naples Sun Times, This year so far has been a mild one and may it stay that way. With this being such a mild year for the US, there are dangers lurking that most people don’t see and very few talk about.

The danger is complacency, and the attitude that there is nothing to worry about. We so desperately want to get back to ‘normal’ that we try to not think about the horrors of 2 years ago. Yet, we should do just the opposite, we need to learn from that tragic occurrence and get as prepared as possible.

No one can help us as much as we can help ourselves!

Worse yet we can get a dangerous, even potentially fatal case of the ‘get-around-to-it ‘hurricane preparedness lack of effort disease. That short-sightedness can cost lots of money, time, inconvenience and even health and life in some cases. When the winds blow and the water churns, there is the often the realization of lack of disaster preparedness. It is a terrible thing to have, especially with just a little effort, we can seriously reduce the disaster = chaos formula.

We all get busy with holiday activities, and all the joys of Naples’s Florida winter living. It’s easy to want to put off hurricane preparations but DON’T!

Pick up the necessary supplies, including plywood for windows, hurricane shutters at mild - off season lower prices when many contractors are slower in work. Get the other items that are necessary for you and your loved ones, including flashlights, canned food, medical supplies especially a 3 week supply of prescription medications.

Sit out on the lanai and enjoy the wonderful winter breezes and sunshine while completing or reviewing your emergency preparedness plans and post-disaster recovery portfolio. Multi-task the enjoyable way and get that long put-off disaster plan completed and enjoy the assurance you are doing all you can to safeguard your loved ones and your home!

The more you prepare in these calm months from now until 2008 hurricane season , the more you can enjoy the summer and fall without as much angst about what if a big storm should hit. You’ll be prepared. Do a little bit now regularly and get a lot of peace of mind and disaster response comfort should next year not be so mild!

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

November 6th is Hurricane Preparedness Review Day.

CORRECTION --
the date is
Novemeber 6th
Hurricane Preparedness Review Day!

Sorry about the mistake!

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

What are the 5-Fs in Hurricane Preparedness?

And the 5-F's of hurricane preparedness are....

In the afterschool.com forum I wrote that there were 4 Fs in disaster / hurricane preparedness when it comes to evacuation meeting locations. I was wrong. The 5^th and most important is Fluids. You’ll have to read the post to see what the other 4 are! (grin)

I became aware of my family emergency preparedness plans when the Kennedy –Castro Cuban Missile Conflict occurred. My mom worked for the Navy Department at the Pentagon and I can remember my mom and grandma getting supplies for an emergency. I was very young, but I remember asking if they had bought peanut butter (my favorite food).

When we were cleaning out mom’s house after her death we found a box with a think sealed bag of water that they had kept as well as a tin of matches, bandages and iodine pills as her leftover reminder to always be disaster prepared!.

After that situation, my family always had an emergency preparedness necessities / supplies on hand. Reflecting back I guess that incident had a significant influence on me to the point that I am now a Critical Incident Thanatologist.

I am impressed with your emergency preparedness supplies list. I would encourage every household to have their own emergency preparedness kit as well as disaster kits for the pets as well.

This can be an excellent learning exercise for children. It is a lesson that might help to save their life or make it better one day in a disaster. This exercise should not be scary for kids. In fact it can be a reassuring and fun treasure hunt sort of experience.

They can help develop their own emergency preparedness checklist, and disaster kits from supplies often already found at the house as well as items from the discount / dollar stores. Also each child should know who and how to contact the disaster contact person is for the family. Also each family should have selected at least 2 different locations beyond the home where they will meet if a disaster requires evacuation. Every child should know where those locations are. I generally suggest a large convenient store with gas station, truck stop or other public place that has the 4-Fs (fuel, food, fone (phone) + one more F – fluids. In an emergency, water and other fluids is vital to your health and well being. , flush (toilet). This can be a major resource when there are little supplies.

The reason for two different sites is so that if one direction is closed then there is a possibility of a different available site. They should NOT be in the same direction.

Additionally, there should be a disaster contact person in a different REGION of the country that has agreed to be a contact / resource person for the family. Often the local telephone lines are jammed or down. Many times there is easier access to a long distance phone than a local one. This person can collect information and can be the family information sharing resource center for immediate and extended family and loved ones.

Third for children but frankly for everyone, print up and laminate small name, email address and telephone numbers of the child, parent / guardian, contact person as well as the location of the emergency gathering sites. Place them under the sole of the shoes of your children and hopefully yourself (be a living teaching model) as well. In a crisis the ability to recollect telephone numbers can quickly vanish for children and adults. Children in a traumatic situation often can not recall the most basic information. Many emergency shelters will as standard policy ask to look inside a child’s shoes to see if there is an identification card. Hurricane Karina taught us much about that issue unfortunately. The information is out of sight but is available when necessary. Place in every pair of shoes; you never know what pair of shoes you and your children may be wearing when a disaster occurs.

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

Drones, Tools And Hurricane Preparedness

Learning more to response to hurricane disasters faster

Read an interesting article about a small 28-lb aircraft that will help scientists learn more about the nature from the closest point to earth about 500 feet up into the hurricane itself. Since it is too dangerous to send a human staffed aircraft into the extremely intense turbulence of a hurricane a drone is able to collect raw that until now was impossible to do.

The good news is that this hurricane information can be studies immediately at ‘on the ground’ science centers an even earlier detection of serious conditions can make emergency evacuation possible earlier. It can also tell just how severe the hurricane is so that it gives people more information to consider what precautions they need to take.

Hurricane evaluation science is advancing a rapid rate. Thank goodness for that. It will take a lot more of the guessing out. Science data is of immense help to everyone concerned. Yet having that information from a hurricane does not stop a hurricane form continuing its deadly path of destruction. It only gives folks in the area more information about he monster that is about to come for an unwelcome visit! No matter how much we think we are powerful we are not strong enough to change the direction or impact of a hurricane no matter how hard we try.

So it is nice to KNOW what is facing us and it will help to make decisions about safety procedures easier and more accurate how ever the basics of hurricane preparedness is still a MUST. We can get all the information in the world about the details of a hurricane but when it hits and it will hit, there is no substitute for hurricane preparedness.

My concern is that we will be so lulled by a mild 2007 hurricane season in the US and this new technology that the general public will be mislead into thinking that there is no need to be fully prepared for a hurricane. Having a high tech drone is not going to save us form the wind, pelting rain and storm surge. These will be just as destructive no matter if we know al about the inner workings of a hurricane or not.

So a drone or any other science for right now does not get us off the hook for gathering as much disaster preparedness information as well can all year long. It is important that we take the time to consider and research the emergency preparedness tips that are out there. It is not just the aspect of considering if they are sound advice or not, it is necessary to consider if they are viable for you and your household situation.

Thee drones can tell disaster specialists that a major hurricane is about to hit your region and they emergency response officers call for a mass evacuation in order to save lives. Everyone can start packing up and leaving but what is the quality of their hurricane preparedness? Its like eating a prime rib dinner with all the fixings or a cold hotdog on a soggy bun! It is up to each person to determine what kind of hurricane disaster they are willing to accept for themselves and their loved ones.

By making up comprehensive emergency preparedness plans for each member of your household including the pets, you have a better chance of getting that ‘prime rib dinner’. Your chances improve even more when you collect all the emergency preparedness necessities that each person in your household needs.

It’s frankly too late to start to prepare adequately for a hurricane when the weather station first sees a hurricane! Oh yea there is time to get the basics perhaps. The basics are better than nothing. BUT, that is the same as a soggy hotdog!

October 28^th is Hurricane Preparedness Review Day. It is a day when all are asked to review what they have on hand for a hurricane. It means getting an emergency preparedness checklist of what you want to rotate in your supplies and what can be saved for next year.

So many people think that hurricane preparedness is so expensive. Yes I guess it can be with fancy all pre-prepared kits. But frankly many, if not most of these kits are over prices and under supply prepared. Oh they are good as an emergency supplement to your other disaster preparedness action I guess if you want to take something to work that is compact. But I would not suggest getting all those military MRE dinners that you and your family may or may not want to eat.

To be ready for a hurricane takes creativity, reasonable efforts, consistent to prepare with a whole lot of common sense for every ounce of effort and money spent. Much of the hurricane preparedness supplies can be picked-up at discount stores and most likely even thrift stores. No one needs to take out a second loan on the house or sell Grandma’s gold teeth to get prepared!

The good news is that you don’t need to be a bushy bearded, flannel wearing camouflage dressed person with a raccoon hat to be well stocked for what a hurricane can bring. Normal, ordinary people, every day are picking up a box of powered milk, an extra jar of peanut butter, a few extra rolls of toilet paper, to name a few of the items that are needed

Remember that many of those who are selling the fancy emergency preparedness kits with the ‘extra safety whistle, flashlight, protein bars and weather radios are also preparing to make a killing on the profit side! Think about it with a little time and effort (both free to most people on their days off from work) can purchase those kinds of items at a dollar store or on eBay for a whole lot cheaper price.

Will it take some of you time to gather the hurricane supplies? Sure but in the end you will KNOW that you have designed not a cookie cutter disaster kit that is suppose to meet your needs. It WILL be designed by YOU and your household and it will be what you need to face down a hurricane disaster situation.

We are almost finished with the 2007 hurricane season. Now is the time to reflect on how well prepared are you now and what are ways to start to get even better prepared for next year.

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com