Most of my stories and anecdotes are on funny, silly situations going on in my life and a few recipes thrown in for good measure. Today, after talking with my step-mother Robin today about healthy living and nutritionally sound food we started in on a subject that is near and dear to my heart: Disaster Planning. Now, my husband calls me a sooth-sayer because I like to think 4 steps ahead and all possible conclusions to be mapped out, but having a plan and being prepared is just smart. With global warming, unpredictable weather and how volatile our world has become it just makes good sense to get your act in gear!
This past week a snarky little storm ripped through our little town in Mid-Michigan and a gigantic tree fell on our roof. We are okay, the 8 month old roof is not. Thank fully we have a great insurance company and they are covering every penny of that repair. (Thank the Lord!) Anyway, prior to this incident I had been talking to my husband about having kits made up for the 'just in case' type situations that can happen anywhere. He told me I was over reacting to global events and told me there were better things to worry about. After the tree fell, he got a little bit more serious about what our plan should be.
I read an article from AllYou magazine, (Issue 7, July 27th, 2012) talking about natural disasters and what to do before they happen. Perfect, right?! According to the article, you need to make a plan that involves the following:
*Keep a card (preferably laminated) in a back pack with contact numbers on them. Include cell phone numbers, landlines etc for everyone to carry in case you get separated.
*Get an out of state contact person. Make someone who is in a different state than you, either a friend or family member, to be able to contact through phone, text or email to pass on updates or locations to anyone in your family in case of separation due to disaster.
*Plan for your pets. Know at least 2 people in different areas other than your own that will take your pets if your home is not livable for a while. Other thought, www.bringfido.com has a listing of pet friendly hotels that you can search for your area.
*In case you need to evacuate quickly, know how to shut off your utilities like water, gas, electricity. Good reference: www.72hours.org/utilities.html
*Keep copies of drivers licenses, passports and important documents in a folder for quick access. I would put the originals in a fire proof/ water proof lock box for safe keeping. Another Idea: Keep photos of loved ones in this envelope in case you get separated. Put this envelope in the backpack or somewhere that can be accessed quickly.
I have read on a few different blogs about preparedness and disaster planning that involved making up a disaster backpack for each family member. For kids you want to go through and re-check every thing every 6 months because kids grow so fast and for adults once a year. Here are somethings to think about for your disaster backpack.
*Flashlight, candles, water proof matches, lighter. Great blog post on how to make your own emergency candles.
*Battery operated radio or hand crank radio to check up on the news and weather in case power goes out. Extra batteries if you choose the battery operated type.
*First Aid Kit including 3 days worth of medicines with refill information. Just save an old Rx bottle and put the extra meds in there.
*Bottled water and Meals Ready to Eat or MREs for 3-5 days.
*Mess kit for each person for boiling water or eating.
*Pen and paper.
*Atlas or map.
*At least $50 cash for each adult and $20 for each child.
*A whistle for each family member in case you get stranded or need help.
*Travel sized toiletries or bio-degradable soaps and toilet paper.
*Change of clothes for 3-5 days. For children, you may want 3 different outfits plus layering gear in case of inclement weather. Again, look at these every 6 months for children to make sure that they are up to date in sizes.
*A blanket and bed roll for each person.
*Pet supplies.
*Swiss Army Knife, camp hatchet.
*Home made fire starters. (Take old toilet paper tubes, stuff with dryer lint and stick in a Ziploc baggie and squish flat. Lightweight and also very useful)
*A cool water bottle, possibly one that filters your water for drinking, found here. Side note: I'd still boil it first and let it cool, that's just me though.
*Camping gear in Rubbermaid totes for easy grabbing.
If you only had 10 minutes to get out of your home, what would you grab in that ten minutes? If you had everything somewhat laid out and ready to go, it would be easy and you wouldn't have to worry. I'm not saying that riots are going to erupt but with a summer as whacky as it is this year, it reminds me of 2005 when Katrina hit New Orleans. We didn't foresee massive flooding, rioting and looting then either. Just use some common sense and judge what is right for your family unit.
Useful links:
www.fema.org You can also text shelter+ your zip code to 43362 (4FEMA) to find the nearest shelter.
www.72hours.org
www.redcross.org
And now returning to your normally scheduled program!
-Suzs
This past week a snarky little storm ripped through our little town in Mid-Michigan and a gigantic tree fell on our roof. We are okay, the 8 month old roof is not. Thank fully we have a great insurance company and they are covering every penny of that repair. (Thank the Lord!) Anyway, prior to this incident I had been talking to my husband about having kits made up for the 'just in case' type situations that can happen anywhere. He told me I was over reacting to global events and told me there were better things to worry about. After the tree fell, he got a little bit more serious about what our plan should be.
I read an article from AllYou magazine, (Issue 7, July 27th, 2012) talking about natural disasters and what to do before they happen. Perfect, right?! According to the article, you need to make a plan that involves the following:
*Keep a card (preferably laminated) in a back pack with contact numbers on them. Include cell phone numbers, landlines etc for everyone to carry in case you get separated.
*Get an out of state contact person. Make someone who is in a different state than you, either a friend or family member, to be able to contact through phone, text or email to pass on updates or locations to anyone in your family in case of separation due to disaster.
*Plan for your pets. Know at least 2 people in different areas other than your own that will take your pets if your home is not livable for a while. Other thought, www.bringfido.com has a listing of pet friendly hotels that you can search for your area.
*In case you need to evacuate quickly, know how to shut off your utilities like water, gas, electricity. Good reference: www.72hours.org/utilities.html
*Keep copies of drivers licenses, passports and important documents in a folder for quick access. I would put the originals in a fire proof/ water proof lock box for safe keeping. Another Idea: Keep photos of loved ones in this envelope in case you get separated. Put this envelope in the backpack or somewhere that can be accessed quickly.
I have read on a few different blogs about preparedness and disaster planning that involved making up a disaster backpack for each family member. For kids you want to go through and re-check every thing every 6 months because kids grow so fast and for adults once a year. Here are somethings to think about for your disaster backpack.
*Flashlight, candles, water proof matches, lighter. Great blog post on how to make your own emergency candles.
*Battery operated radio or hand crank radio to check up on the news and weather in case power goes out. Extra batteries if you choose the battery operated type.
*First Aid Kit including 3 days worth of medicines with refill information. Just save an old Rx bottle and put the extra meds in there.
*Bottled water and Meals Ready to Eat or MREs for 3-5 days.
*Mess kit for each person for boiling water or eating.
*Pen and paper.
*Atlas or map.
*At least $50 cash for each adult and $20 for each child.
*A whistle for each family member in case you get stranded or need help.
*Travel sized toiletries or bio-degradable soaps and toilet paper.
*Change of clothes for 3-5 days. For children, you may want 3 different outfits plus layering gear in case of inclement weather. Again, look at these every 6 months for children to make sure that they are up to date in sizes.
*A blanket and bed roll for each person.
*Pet supplies.
*Swiss Army Knife, camp hatchet.
*Home made fire starters. (Take old toilet paper tubes, stuff with dryer lint and stick in a Ziploc baggie and squish flat. Lightweight and also very useful)
*A cool water bottle, possibly one that filters your water for drinking, found here. Side note: I'd still boil it first and let it cool, that's just me though.
*Camping gear in Rubbermaid totes for easy grabbing.
If you only had 10 minutes to get out of your home, what would you grab in that ten minutes? If you had everything somewhat laid out and ready to go, it would be easy and you wouldn't have to worry. I'm not saying that riots are going to erupt but with a summer as whacky as it is this year, it reminds me of 2005 when Katrina hit New Orleans. We didn't foresee massive flooding, rioting and looting then either. Just use some common sense and judge what is right for your family unit.
Useful links:
www.fema.org You can also text shelter+ your zip code to 43362 (4FEMA) to find the nearest shelter.
www.72hours.org
www.redcross.org
And now returning to your normally scheduled program!
-Suzs
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