Are you ready? Like if you had to leave right now?

Well, are you? If the "something" happened and you had to leave within minutes, what would you take? Let's start thinking about that now. What to put in a Grab and Go bag aka 72-hour kit.

• WATER. Store 1 gallon of water per person per day. Keep at least a three day supply of water. 
• FOOD and UTENSILS. At least one to three-day supply of nonperishable food that could include ready-to-eat meats, juices, high-energy foods such as granola or power bars.
• NOAA WEATHER ALERT RADIO, either hand crank or battery powered, extra batteries if needed.
• BLANKETS/PILLOWS/SLEEPING BAG
• FLASHLIGHT and extra batteries or hand crank, or light sticks. Do not use candles/open flame during an emergency.
• WHISTLE for emergency signal. Ready to hang around neck.
• DUST or FILTER MASKS, readily available in hardware, N95 mask recommended for preventing inhalation of airborne particles.
• MOIST TOWELETTES or Baby Wipes for sanitation 
• TOOLS - Wrench or Pliers to turn off utilities, Broom, Shovel, Hammer and Working Gloves.
• CAN OPENER for for food (if kit contains canned items).
• PLASTIC SHEETING and DUCT TAPE to “seal the room” for sheltering in place.
• MEDICATIONS to include prescription and non-prescription medications such as pain relievers, stomach remedies and etc.
• FIRST AID SUPPLIES. An assortment of bandages,ointments, gauze pads, cold/hot packs, tweezers, scissors and sanitizer.
• PERSONAL HYGIENE ITEMS to include at least one change of clothing/shoes/outer ware.
• GARBAGE BAGS and plastic ties for personal sanitation.
• PAPER SUPPLIES. Note pads,markers, pens, pencils, plates,napkins, paper towels and etc.
• CAMERA. Disposable camera to record damage.
• CASH/ATM AND CREDIT CARD. Keep enough cash for immediate needs in small denominations.
• EMERGENCY CONTACT PHONE LIST.
• MAPS. Local road and area maps.
• MEDICAL HISTORY LISTS.For every family member in your home make a list of medical history, all medications(by name) and dosages.

 All this being said.... Don't rely on the ATM machines working. Or the phones. 

~Karin

We are TOTALLY Unprepared.....

The east coast earthquake(s) are just the latest example of how unprepared we are for an emergency or major disaster.

Whether we’re talking about earthquakes, snow storms, hurricanes, floods, electrical outages or terrorist attacks, government officials, as well as individuals, have demonstrated time and again that we have a psychological inability to cope with high stress situations, a lack of foresight to stock emergency reserves, and have failed to prepare effective emergency response plans.

Though we hardly felt any movement here in the city of New York as a result of the earthquake, panic seemed to overtake a lot of people, as indicated by various news programs and social networking sites.

A single tremor was enough to cause mass confusion, building evacuations and cell phone service outages across the city.

…

So, I ask, are we ready for this possibility [Hurricane Irene], New York?

Consider: This region, more than any other, relies on electrical power. From high rise apartment buildings, to business computers, to the subway system, a massive power outage caused by a hurricane will have a significant impact on people’s lives.

Imagine if you were sick or paralyzed, and stuck on a building’s 35th floor without elevator service for days. Or, simply picture the isolation caused by television and cell phone outages. Ask yourself, where are your flashlights? Your radio? How will you keep up to date with important emergency information if the storm knocks out electrical services?

In order to prepare for this hurricane, ultimately we have to think not of the earthquake, which caused no lasting damage, but rather everything that went wrong during this past winter’s big snowstorm.

People were unable to leave their apartments, and emergency buildings were essentially unable to move around on the streets. We were woefully under-prepared, and most city workers had to play catch up to fix the significant problems that resulted from the storm.

Source: Fox News [Hat tip Bill]

Once cell phone service went out following high volumes of calls across the eastern seaboard, local police, fire and medical response was effectively shut down. Add congestion and confusion on roadways and you have a recipe for disaster.

The earthquakes this week were minor events in terms of severity and damage. But consider what might happen in a prolonged regional-disaster. Hurricane Katrina was such an incident, albeit still a short-term event, and luckily the rest of the country was unaffected. Emergency response took a week or more in some instances, and it reportedly took some three days to get bottled water into New Orleans. Bottled Water! And this is with a completely intact national infrastructure around the disaster zone.

Images of the looting, violence, preventable deaths and confiscatory martial law sweeps were beamed to millions of Americans. No one was paying attention, save a few individuals willing to think outside the box of complaceny and the status quo.

We realize the government has spent billions of our tax dollars making preparations. But how that money has been directed and managed is anybody’s guess. When it comes down to it, whatever preparations are being made by emergency preparedness experts at DHS, FEMA and other agencies, they will likely not benefit you all that much. If the time ever came that the infrastructure of the entire United States, not just an isolated region, experienced a far-from-equilibrium event we need to assume help is not coming. No ambulances. No police. No grocery delivery trucks. And no electricians to fix the power.

It’s going to be up to you.

Author: Mac Slavo
Date: August 25th, 2011
Website: www.SHTFplan.com

At work during an earthquake?

Last week's earthquake in Japan made me review my emergency preparedness plans - again (like I don't think about it enough!). I grew up in Southern California and have experienced my share of earthquakes. It can be scary. And here on the Wasatch Front we are going to have an earthquake, its just a matter of when.

What would you do if there was an earthquake and you were 2, 10, or 20 miles from home? There are many things to think about, but I can think of three things that you can prepare for now.

1. Plan a route home.

Where do you work? How many overpasses to you cross? How many to you go under? to make your way home. You will have to assume that these structures have collapsed. Will you even have a vehicle to drive? Do you park in a parking structure? Do you park in an open lot? If you park on the street will debris fall on your vehicle? Do you cross any rivers?

I recommend you plan a route home avoiding all collapsible infrastructures.

2. 72-hour kit.

Do you have a 72-hour kit in your vehicle? Hello! You'd better! Many people keep a 72-hour kit at their job. Some employers even provide them for their employees at the work place.
 
3. Plan to walk home.

Would you be able to walk home? Chances are good that you will have to walk home. Could you walk the 17 miles home from the City? 6 miles? or even 2 miles?

These are just a 3 things to think about if you were caught in an earthquake while at work.