More Thoughts on Disaster Preparedness

FEMA Region X Administrator Susan Reinertson posted some excellent suggestions on preparing for disasters. She is responsible for coordination FEMA mitigation, preparedness and disaster response and recovery activities in four states in the northwest -- Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. As such, she really understands the challenges the winter weather can pose (as was recently seen with the Dominguez family who were lost for four days in Northern California). The list is very good for families to prepare really for any time of natural disaster including floods, earthquakes or fire. The list includes:

• Create family disaster communications plans - and schedule biannual practices.
• Install smoke detectors, freshen batteries and mark your calendar for routine inspections.
• Keep serviceable fire extinguishers in kitchens, garages, risk areas and autos.
• Re-evaluate flood insurance coverage to make sure it is adequate to your current needs. If you don't have flood insurance, get some!
• Consider back-up generators, but be sure to provide for safe operation.
• Buy a NOAA Weather Radio.
• Build Pet Disaster Kits (food, water, leashes, dishes and carrying case or crate).
• Teach all responsible family members how to shut off water, gas and power in case of emergencies.
• Stock emergency supplies for 72-hour independent action-and rotate stock to keep supplies fresh.
• Stock or restock disaster kits for home, office and auto (first aid kits, food, water and prescription medications for 72 hours, extra clothing, blankets, flashlights).

The communications plan is perhaps one of the most important things you can do. In the event of an emergency, you need to be able to notify your family members who may be at work or at school. Cell phones and other personal communication devices allow for a quick text message to be sent letting everyone know what is going on. You need to have a plan both to warn family members of impending danger or to let them know you status should you find yourself in the middle of a disaster. Texting seems to be second nature to those under 30, if you are older you may find it difficult at first. Texting has advantages over a voice message as it is succinct and doesn’t require much bandwith. You can have pre-canned messages on your phone or you can use something like Twitter to forward one text message to all of your family members.

New batteries in your smoke detector and flashlights should be done twice a year at the minimum. Many experts recommend during around the time when we switch between daylight savings time and standard time. Even so, I bet any number of readers have flashlights with dead batteries or smoke detectors with batteries that are running out. Take the time to maintain these important pieces of emergency preparedness equipment. If you haven’t had to buy a flashlight lately, many now come equipped with argon or LED bulbs which are many times brighter than older incandescent bulbs. These can provide excellent emergency lighting. There are many excellent pocket flashlights with similar bulbs that produce amazing candle-power for their size. These lights are easy to keep on your person at all times.

Fire extinguishers are one of those ubiquitous pieces of equipment that you should have on hand but many do not. Make sure you have fire extinguishers at a minimum in your kitchen, garage and automobile. Check to make sure your fire extinguisher is current and easily accessible. If you have use a fire extinguisher, remember the acronym P.A.S.S. which stands for

Pull the pin

Aim at the base of the fire

Squeeze the lever

Sweep from side to side

Insurance, especially flood coverage, needs to be reevaluated from time to time. People tend to overlook their insurance as their families and possessions change. Not does this risk having too little insurance in the event of a disaster, it also may mean paying more than you actually need. Flood and earthquake coverage are two that many people overlook unless they live near water or around an active fault line. However, all homeowner should check to make sure their coverage is appropriate to their locality. Many who live in Southwestern Ohio, for example, don’t have earthquake insurance even though we live close to the New Madrid fault!

Back-up generators are always something to think about. Especially if you live in an area with an energy co-op, getting damaged power lines or transformers back on line take time. Homes with electric furnaces definitely want to consider back up power even if power outages are rare. If you do decide to have an back-up generator, make sure that it is regularly serviced and checked. You need to make sure the generator is fueled and ready for use on a moment’s notice. You will be surprised at the number of commercial properties that have back-up generators that are empty!

Regarding a NOAA radio, you may want to consider one with a hand-crank for power. There are several on the market but my choice is the Eton FR400. It is weather resistant and receives AM/FM radio, TV bands (2-12) as well as NOAA weather stations. It is relatively inexpensive and will allow you to keep up on news and other emergency messages during a disaster.

If you own pets, you certainly need to consider their needs as well. Keep an emergency supply of their food on hand as well as additional water for your pets. Develop a plan for how you will travel with your pet in the event you have to evacuate your home for another location. In the event of an evacuation, make sure you and the rest of your family know how to shut off water, gas, and power. The rest of Ms. Reinertson’s list was covered in an earlier blog. I would just recommend that you have the necessary prescription medication on hand BEFORE you need to evacuate and remember some medications require refrigeration. You can get a small travel cooler that plugs into you care cigarette lighter so you don’t have to worry about getting ice before leaving the area.