preparednessblog

Mother Jones Magazine ran an interview with Amanda Ripley, a Time Magazine reporter who was in New York during the World Trade Center attack, and the author of The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes—and Why.

I definitely plan to pick up a copy of the book, as the premise is intriguing. Keep your fingers crossed for a review copy for me.

At the end of the interview, there are five tips to increase your survival chances in a disaster. I’ve paraphrased them here for quick reference:

1. Remember that text messages sometimes can go through when cell phone calls cannot. This can be a valuable way to stay in contact.

2. Be prepared for your vision to be impeded by smoke. For instance, make sure you can find your way around your house without being able to see.

3. Maintain a healthy weight. You’ll be more limber, more agile, and more able to get through tight spaces.

4. Know your neighbors. Mutual aid can help you and those around you get through a bad situation.

5. Have a plan. Do family fire drills, know where emergency exits are in your place of employment, and have meet-up locations established for if you and your family are separated.

In order to make this blog more useful to all my readers, I’m looking for a widget that will show the reader his or her local weather.

So far, almost all of what I’ve found can only be set to one city. I chose the one that is currently on the left because you can at least click it to get information for your location.

If anyone knows of any small weather widgets that do automatic geo-location, please comment and let me know!

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.

By the time our third hurricane evacuation of 2004 came around, I was pretty fatigued by the whole experience.

After that fall, I started keeping a “bug out bag”. This is simply a bag you can grab quickly and easily that contains everything you need to be (relatively) comfortable for three days. It saves the time and stress of last-minute packing. And, if you have to get out in a hurry — think of the wild fires that have ravaged parts of both Florida and California in the past year, or the floods in the midwest — you can be sure that you have everything handy and in one place.

What should be in your bag?

Changes of clothes for every family member. If you are in a situation where you may get wet, pack clothes made of synthetic fibers, as they dry more quickly.

Hygiene kit with toothbrush, toothpaste, a wash cloth, soap, and baby wipes.

Medicines. If you have a prescription you take regularly, ask your doctor to write a scrip for an extra month’s supply to keep with your emergency supplies. Remember to rotate medicines so that you do not wind up with expired meds!

First aid kit.

Paper and pens.

Money. Cash in small denominations and a roll of quarters.

Plastic garbage bags for storing dirty or wet items.

Seventy-two hours worth of shelf stable foods that can be eaten without further preparation.

Water. Each person in your group needs one gallon per day for drinking and washing.

Flashlights. Have batteries stored separately, or buy a crank or squeeze flashlight that can work without batteries.

Radio.

Entertainment. I have a novel for me, and word searches and Sudoku  for the kids.

There’s a fun little video here on what to stock:

While reading various disaster-preparedness and survival blogs (and, really, you should get as much information as you can from as many sources as you can) you’ll occasionally run into odd acronyms and initialisms that can be confusing if they are unfamiliar to you.

I’ve put together a brief list of some of the most common ones and their translations:

BOB – Bug Out Bag. A bag that you keep ready-packed with items to get you through an evacuation, such as hurricane or flash flood warnings. I’ll cover this in more depth at a later date.

H5N1 – the CDC’s designation for Asian Avian Flu, aka bird flu, a particularly virulent flu that many suspect could lead to the next influenza pandemic.

MRE – Meals Ready to Eat. These are US Military field rations. Many people concerned with preparedness keep these on hand because they are dense in calories and last, just about literally, forever. They are expensive and don’t get high ratings on flavor, though, so I have never sought them out for my own stores.

NOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A US federal agency, most closely associated with weather data. When I’m watching a hurricane (I live on Florida’s gulf coast) I go to them first. (www.noaa.gov.)

NOLA – New Orleans, Louisiana. What happened there after Hurricane Katrina was a wake-up call for a lot of people. The government does not have the ability to be everywhere, immediately. If your family is going to be safe, you need to provide for that safety yourself.

SHTF – Sh*t hits the fan. Basically, any large-scale disaster.

TEOTWAWKI – The End of the World as We Know It (pronounced “tee-aught-wah-kee”); this harks back to traditional survivalists who were/are preparing for a total breakdown of society.

TVP – Texturized Vegetable Protein. A dry, granular meat substitute made from soy beans. It stores well and is a great source of protein. (It’s more appetizing than it sounds, really!)

YMMV – Your Mileage May Vary; meaning, your situation and results may wind up different than mine. Research and test all ideas for yourself, and adapt plans to your personal situation.