Is your emergency preparedness 3R- rated?
Hurricane Ike has given a huge punch to the Galveston and Houston communities. Thank God (literally) that the surge was not was not as bad as feared before the storm – 30’ in some estimates. Yet the damage to the high-rise buildings in Houston is significant, many are flooded out of their homes. In some areas there are stranded people wanting to be rescued from their roofs.
For the majority of people the biggest problem for some time to come will be lack of electricity, sanitation and water supply. This is going to be a hardship for millions of people. I just heard that there may be over 4+million people without utilities for at least 3 WEEKS. Many will only be prepared for 3 DAYS if they really do have 3-days of supplies. Do the math; it is not a pretty picture for those in the longhorn state.
Most people over estimate what they really have in the way of emergency supplies. Most don’t know what is really necessary to get through a disaster. I know a woman who was writing an emergency food guide who talked big about how much she had ready in case of an emergency. Yea really… when I went to her home I was shocked at what a small amount of emergency supplies she really had. She thought she had 6 months to or more. When we did the math she has less than 3 weeks at most. Get sound and specific disaster information as to what you REALLY need be well stocked for a disaster as well as how to stock it.
Do you know how much rice for example you need to feed your family for a week? What about canned foods and pasta? How much powered beverage mix do you need for a family of 4? There are very economical ways to stock up on all your emergency preparedness necessities without hocking the family retirement saving fund. What it does mean is having the 3 Rs – Reasonable – Responsible – Ready for a disaster.
Every person living in the country needs to be ready for any type of disaster than can occur. That includes hurricanes, floods, mudslides etc. It is also estimated that less than 20% of US residents have emergency preparedness supplies. That means that 80% are going to look to others when a disaster hits! The government and the humanitarian organizations will not be able to supply all your emergency preparedness necessities! How long will it take for folks in this great nation to get the idea firmly planted in their heads that each person is responsible for their own well being?
No one else can take care of you better than YOU.
It is vital that disaster preparedness information be available and that emergency preparedness be taught in each and every school, community center and faith center. Every family should have their personal emergency preparedness checklist and an emergency preparedness kit for every member of the household including the dog and cat. It is not enough to have an emergency disaster kit at home; everyone should have one for their car, work and school.
What gets me personally is that people can plan for months for a wedding or a birthday party but do not take the possibility of a disaster occurring seriously that could affect them personally. They take more time worrying about what flavor of cake to have at the party then they do to take the few hours to complete their emergency preparedness plans. What’s more important, a birthday party to celebrate another year of life or a disaster plan that can save your life another year? I vote on saving the life for another year.
This not a political issue of red vs. blue or donkey vs. elephant it is about saving lives - YOURS. It has nothing to do with religion, social status, gender or sexual orientation. It has to do with saving life, your own and that of loved ones.
Disaster kits do not have to be expensive; they can be low cost emergency survival kits that will meet your needs. You can get a lot of bang for the pop if you are willing to be creative, make a few temporary changes to the budget and stock up on emergency preparedness necessities and put together that low cost emergency survival kits that can save your life. Forget the latest edition of Wii and instead use that $500 for a fully stocked pantry of emergency preparedness necessities! Christmas and Hanukkah are not far off. What about giving people things that can help them through a disaster like a NOAA weather radio and extra batteries? What about a bag of canned foods instead of a bottle of wine in one of those fancy fuzzy wine stockings that do nothing but cost money and look sort of cute and trendy as you walk through the door of your host or hostess? Face it – how many fuzzy wind stockings does a person REALY need? Spend the money that would be spent on a fuzzy wine stocking on a flashlight and batteries. If you give more expensive wine and fuzzy stocking, then give a crank power supplied flashlight with the emergency radio built in to it. It will keep down a hangover and help for a whole lot longer.
Oh yea, instead of that flower arrangement with the candle stuck in the middle that costs a fortune -- why not buy a hurricane lamp and some extra lamp oil and matches? The lamp will last a whole lot longer than a flower arrangement and one candle! Besides you the hurricane lamp can be used at the holiday party on the mantel as well. Many are simple but very attractive and they don’t cost an boat load of money.
We also need to stop the pretense that a 3 day supply of water and food will get us through a disaster. That is a JOKE at best. It is a way to calm the anxieties of a frightened person. Hey get scared- you should be!!!
Let’s get real here a 3-days food and water supply --my foot! The very bare minimum needs to be a week or better. If for any other reason than not having to stand in line with hundreds or thousands of others to get a few 16 oz bottles of water or if possible 2 gallons of water that will last say a day for most families?
By getting your own emergency preparedness supplies and in adequate amounts, the safety of your loved ones is of utmost importance. Instead of spending long agonizing time in line for a few very temporary handouts you, could be doing loads to recover from the disaster at your own home or salvaging what you can of keepsakes etc as well as feed and hydrating your family. Frankly that sounds much more productive than waiting in a long line in a disaster littered parking lot with a bunch of grumpy anxious people.
Have we learned anything from hurricane Ike or Hurricane Katrina? As General Russell Honore says “don’t get stuck on stupid”! We can sit for hours watching CNN and the Weather Channel and say “tisk - tisk it looks like rain” or we can get off our duffs individually and collectively and get our disaster kits and emergency preparedness plans all in order. AFTER we have done all of that, then we can go back to our previously interrupted disaster viewing since the disaster will still be there knowing that a if a disaster hits us we’re prepared.
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 – Be Prepared – Help Others!
Terrie
www.trainforahurricane.com
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