preparednessblog

The situation in the Midwest has had me researching the best ways to cope with flooding.  The best suggestions I’ve found:

1. Carry flood insurance. Floods are not covered under your regular home-owners’ or renters’ policy.

2. Sand-bags, all in all, seem to be pretty useless. Most sources agree that getting yourself and your stuff out of harm’s way is a better use of your energy.

3. This is not a situation where bugging in is appropriate. If there is an evacuation order for flooding, get your family out of the area as quickly as possible. Since you keep a bug out bag by the door, you can do this on short notice, right?

4. Anything you can’t take with you, get it up as high in your house as you can. Put it in the attic or second story if you have one, on counters if you don’t. Flood waters may go higher than you can get your stuff, but it’s a chance to save something.

5. Don’t wade in flood waters without proper protection. All sorts of dangerous stuff, from sharp objects to angry animals to harmful bacteria can be lurking under the surface.

I read this editorial the other day, written by a former US Army Lt. General, Russel Honore.

Honore makes some great points, not only about individuals’ responsibility to prepare for disasters, but, about the reasons that preparedness is best done at the personal level. He describes our task as creating a “culture of preparedness.”

For the most part, he addresses a change in attitudes: don’t wait on government to fix it for you. The way that our society is structured, government is far too slow-moving. Individuals and businesses have a far greater capacity to adapt.

He also makes a few easy to implement practical suggestions:

• Be aware of people in your community who, due to health or financial reasons, may not be able to prepare on their own.
• Help others prepare with useful gifts. Instead of another glass figurine, get grandma a weather radio, for instance.
• Keep a pack of foods, medicine, clothes and water ready to go in case of evacuation.

It’s a powerful, well-written read, and I recommend it.

Communication during a disaster can be difficult. For those affected by the flooding in Iowa, the Red Cross has created an online database called “Safe and Well” where people can register and check on loved ones.

Visit www.redcross.org, and click the “Safe and Well” link on the upper right-hand side. If you are affected by the flood, click “List Myself as Safe and Well” to enter your details. Use your pre-flood phone number and address.

If you are looking for information about loved ones, you can search the database by name, phone number or address.

Those who do not have internet access can register by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Similar databases were used with good results after the hurricanes in 2005. Even if you are not affected by the current floods, take some time to let your family know that you intend to use online databases if something happens where you are displaced and cannot communicate directly by phone.

We got into town too late to stay at the campground we’d planned (long story involving the rental company giving us an SUV instead of the compact we wanted) so we’re in a cute little motel, instead. There’s wifi, so I thought I’d throw up a quick post about what we’re eating while we’re away.

S. has a small cooler that plugs into the cigarette lighter in the car. We filled it with drinks and some cheese, homemade hummus and roast vegetables from home. It’s handy when you are in the car, but we’ll be switching to the traditional cooler and ice when we are not mobile. Our regular cooler is an Igloo MaxCold, and it’s pretty fantastic. I’ve used it for three day long trips, and still had solid ice from the first day it in. In Florida in the summer, that’s pretty impressive.

The hummus is a recipe made entirely from shelf stable foods, and I could easily make it on the road:

 Pantry Hummus

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon peanutbutter (tahini is traditional, but I don’t always have it on hand. Trust me, you can’t taste the difference)

1 clove mashed garlic

vinegar

olive oil

good curry powder

I soak the garlic in the vinegar for a few minutes to cut down the pungency a bit. Then, I add all the other ingredients and mash with a potato masher. This makes a chunkier hummus than you get with a food processor, but a bowl and masher are easier to clean, and don’t need any electricity. I like to make it a day ahead of time so the flavors have time to meld, but it’s good just after preparing, too.

These, plus a tin of sardines and a bag of tortilla chips made a nice, light dinner last night.

It’s good to know that your tools will not fail you at a critical time. That is one of the reason that I like dynamo flashlights. Instead of batteries, the light is powered by shaking it, squeezing it or cranking a handle. So upper end models also have radios and cell phone chargers on them.

These lights are getting more and more affordable, as well. I picked up the light on the left at Home Depot the other day, $10 for a set of three.  The crank powers three very bright LED lights, and the package says that one minute of cranking gives one hour of power. The crank is easy to operate.

I’ll be taking two of these lights camping with me starting tomorrow, so I will let you know if I have any problems with them!

Reader pinkink suggested the other day that I cover the need to evacuate with pets. This is a great suggestion, as it requires specific information.

If you have pets and will need to evacuate, you need to have a plan in place. Make sure that your bug out bag includes pet food, any medications for your pet, vaccination records, a leash or crate, and litter, if you have a cat. Do not leave pets behind if you need to evacuate. It is unlikely that they’ll be able to survive alone; if they do, you may have trouble locating them when you return home.

Many shelters are not yet equipped to accept animals.

Finding a friend or family member outside of the disaster zone who can take your pet is the best option. You can also inquire with veterinarians and boarding facilities to see if they can take care of your animal.

If you find yourself needing to stay in a hotel, there are many that are pet friendly. PetsWelcome is a site that lists lodgings that accept pets. 1ClickPetHotels is another.

You can find more in-depth information and many more links at PetTravel.com .

Today’s Preparedness Challenge: Identify and discuss with your family a meet-up location in case you are separated during an emergency.