Author: Paul Purcell

Spring is right around the corner, and one of the things that means is “tornado season!”

We’re going to cover the six main areas of tornado preparedness that will help you before, during, and after a tornado or heavy storm strikes.  Appropriately, we’ll use the acronym S.T.O.R.M.S.:

Shelter – Strengthen your home and know where to find expedient shelter.

Time – Increase your chances of getting the early warning.

Others – Safety and protection involves the whole family and communicating with others.

Resources – You’ll need everything from immediate supply to good insurance.

Medical – Help yourself now to save the injured later.

Sweeping Up – Tips and tricks for dealing with the aftermath.

Shelter

Severe storms with driving rain, possible hail, and projectiles hurled by strong winds offer extreme dangers from which we need to protect ourselves.  The best protection would be a steel-reinforced concrete safe room located in your basement.  Lacking that, let’s look at a few options:

1. Reinforce your house.  Ask your local home-supply store about angle brackets, strapping, and techniques to install them to make your roof, walls, doors, and connection to the foundation stronger.  Do an internet search for “hurricane retrofit” (including quotes) to find additional instruction.  One such source is http://www.ibhs.org/publications/downloads/128.pdf.
2. Create a safe room or area within your home.  The general rule is to pick an area near the center of your house and below ground if possible.  Consider these points:

• Turn your walk-in closet into a safe area.  Remove the sheetrock from walls and ceiling, add extra wall studs held in place with screws, strapping, and angle brackets, and then replace the sheetrock with one or two layers of ¾” marine plywood held in place with structural adhesive and screws.
• For some online sources of “safe-room construction” do an internet search or see:
  • National Hurricane Center http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/pdf/building_safe_room.pdf.
• If you live in a mobile home, your best bet for safety would be a storm cellar.  One simple and relatively inexpensive source is to have a septic tank company install a clean new unit in your yard.

1. Learn the “safe points.”  When a tornado strikes you might be at home, but it’s more likely you’ll be at work, out running errands, or on a trip.  Learn to recognize the locations that will provide protection.    Does the building have a basement?  Are you on the road?  How far are you from a known safe building, or from a deep ditch?

Time

In emergencies, our most important asset is time.  The two best ways to gain extra time in weather emergencies are to prepare now, and to get as early a warning as possible that severe weather is heading your way.

1. Buy an NOAA Weather Alert Radio.
2. Sign up for an alternate alert service such as the Weather Channel’s at www.weather.com/notify, or the Emergency Email & Wireless Network at http://www.emergencye.com.
3. Network with others and make a “phone tree.”  Sometimes friends and coworkers are our best early warning system.

Others

“Others” is a reminder to communicate.  Talk to your family now and be ready to talk to emergency responders after an incident.  Consider:

1. Tornado drills.  Emergency reactions are worth practicing.  Have your family practice getting into the safe room and into a safe position (“duck and cover”) within 30 seconds or less.
2. Protect your pets.  On warning of severe weather, round up your pets, put them on leads or in carriers, and take them to your safe area.
3. Communication may be vitally important if your home is damaged or someone sustains injury during a tornado.  For example, though everyone might be uninjured, you may be trapped in your damaged home and need someone to dig you out.  In addition to your house phone and cell phone, have backup options like a hand-held two-way radio, and something that can make a loud noise such as an air-horn or whistle.

Resources

In a disaster, you’ll need goods, gear, or services to help you deal with the event and then recover afterward.  Make sure you have adequately covered each of the following areas:

1. Make sure your insurance policy covers all types of natural disaster including water damage from rain or flood since many policies have strict exclusions.  Also, make sure your policy will provide for the costs of temporary lodging and the full replacement value for your property and possessions.
2. Document all your possessions by taking photos and videos, list everything you own, and keep important receipts in your safe deposit box.
3. Make a list of services you might need after a tornado, such as cleanup and repair services or temporary lodging.  Keep their contact info in your emergency kit.

Medical

Hopefully the advice above has kept you safe in the event of a tornado.  Cover the following, just in case:

1. First aid training is important for every family regardless of the threat, so learn the basics of general first aid and CPR.
2. First aid kits are a must and families should have several and not just one.  The main kit should be kept in the home, but smaller kits should be kept in each automobile and at your workplace.
3. Copies of medical information should be kept at home.  Keep a list of ailments, conditions, special medical needs, and current medications of each family member (including pets).

Sweeping Up

All destructive events have at least one thing in common; they’re going to create quite a mess.  Here are a few tips:

1. Though you think the power is completely out, stay away from downed power lines.
2. Stay alert to the hissing sound of a broken gas line or the smell of gas.
3. Dress for the weather, but still dress to protect.  Wear sturdy shoes or boots, a hat and sunscreen, insect repellant, and heavy work gloves.
4. Physical labor after a stressful event can be quite taxing.  Drink plenty of fluids, eat regularly, and take periodic breaks.
5. Here is where you’d need your list of professional cleanup services.  Call as soon as possible.
6. It’s possible your possessions might be strewn about the neighborhood.  It’ll be easier to have things returned if your name is written or engraved on them.  Hint:  Never use your Social Security Number or other sensitive info.

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About the author:  Paul Purcell is a security analyst and preparedness consultant with over 20 years risk management experience.  He is also the author of “Disaster Prep 101,” and a partner / adviser to 1-800-Prepare.

(Copyright 2010, Paul Purcell.  Permission granted to share this article provided all portions remain intact.)

It’s daylight savings time yet again.  Normally that just means we lose an hour, but for those in the know it means we gain an opportunity to check up on our family’s safety.  We do this by using the twice-a-year time change as a reminder to review the parts of our family emergency plans or gear that might need to be updated.

Here’s a quick list of but a few things to look at:

1. Change your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector batteries.
2. Check the batteries in your emergency gear (you should always write the dates of purchase on them).
3. Expiration dates of medications (including over-the-counter stuff and meds for your pets).
4. Conduct a fire drill along with a seasonal / regional drill such as a tornado or hurricane drill.
5. Check the expiration dates on important documents and policies (and list all dates in a calendar program).
6. Check the dates on any stored water you’ve put away.
7. Review maintenance needs for your vehicles.
8. Rotate and/or use any food in the pantry that is approaching its expiration date.
9. Look at the purchase or inspection dates on your fire extinguishers (do this when conducting your fire drill).
10. Change your password and run an anti-virus and anti-spyware scan and backup your computer.
11. Put any stored gasoline in your vehicles and refill the spare cans with fresh gas.
12. Health improvement: review your exercise plan or get a medical / dental checkup.
13. Update your emergency contact information.
14. Log on to www.disasterprep101.com for additional how-to articles.
15. Log on to www.1800prepare.com to find updated gear for your safety.

Again, these are but a few of many ideas.  Once you start with these, more opportunities that are unique to you and your family will present themselves.

Feel free to pass this list along to others!  (Provided all portions stay intact that is; Copyright 2010 – Paul Purcell.)

Safety with Medicine; Avoiding Tragedy

In recent months we’ve seen the loss of Heath Ledger, Brittany Murphy, and now Corey Haim; all reported to have had some sort of prescription medication associated with their death.

These are by no means isolated incidents.

The statistics on medicine-related deaths vary since some cases are intentional overdose, some accidental overdose, and sometimes death is the result of unexpected side effects of single drugs or unintended interactions between drugs.  The bottom line, all official numbers aside, is the fact that medicine, while being extremely useful, can be dangerous if misused.

Here are a few general safety tips to keep you and your family safe.

1. Childproof everything.  If you have offspring under 21 years of age living with you, lock up your prescription meds, especially pain killers.  Many trips to the emergency room have been the result of teenagers pilfering their parents’ prescription medications for everything from recreational use to illicit drug sales.  Don’t think that childproofing only applies to babies and toddlers.
2. Separate your medications.  Some accidental overdoses or unintended drug interactions have occurred when the wrong bottle was picked up and therefore the wrong pill taken.  Keep the more dangerous pharmaceuticals either in a separate place or at least on a different shelf in the medicine cabinet.  Another hint is to put a rubber band around those particular pill bottles so you’ll know the difference by feel.  This is helpful if you get up in the middle of the night to take what you think is an aspirin for a headache.
3. Discard what you don’t need.  If you’re taking meds for a temporary condition and you have doses left over after the condition has cleared, dispose of the rest if your doctor says it’s okay.  The more dangerous or controlled the medicine the more important it might be to take the remainder back to your doctor’s office for disposal.  This way you have witnesses to the fact the medicine was disposed of.    Hint:  If you find leftover pills and you’re not sure what they are, try looking them up at either www.medhelp.org or http://www.drugs.com/imprints.php.
4. Ration your doses.  If memory is an issue, then have someone lay out your daily doses for you.  Many accidental overdoses happen when people forget that they just took their pill and then take another.  Plastic pill boxes that help you organize daily doses –even going so far as to have boxes for meals or hourly times – are easy to find at most any drug or department store.
5. Save the drug info.  Most prescriptions come with a data sheet tucked in the box or placed in the bag by your pharmacist.  If you don’t get one ask for one.  On these sheets are dosage instructions, known interactions and cautions, and other useful information.  As long as you are taking the medication, keep these sheets from your different meds together and inside your medicine cabinet, or in another obvious location so if something happens, emergency rescue personnel can quickly find the information they need.  If you routinely keep backup medicine in your emergency or “bugout kit” (and you should), be sure to keep a photocopy of these drug information sheets in your kit as well.
6. Know the interactions.  It’s a sad commentary on the state of today’s medical / pharmaceutical industry, but many times we must be educated patients and know enough to check out information for ourselves.  Regarding the information sheets mentioned above, it’s up to you to know the interactions of the various medications you might be on.  If you need to look up potential adverse side-effects, you can log on to www.drugs.com, www.rxlist.com, or http://healthtools.aarp.org/drug-directory.
7. Don’t self-medicate.  If something’s wrong, go see the doctor.  Other trips to the emergency room have resulted from taking the wrong medication for the wrong condition.  Remember… our health and safety are the foundation for all else we do.  Safeguard yours.

About the author:  Paul Purcell is an Atlanta-based security analyst and preparedness consultant with over twenty years risk management and preparedness experience.  He’s also the author of Disaster Prep 101, and he’s a partner / advisor to 1-800-PREPARE.  Copyright 2010, Paul Purcell.

(Permission granted to reprint this article and share it with others provided all portions remain intact.)

Disaster Donations – The Best Ways to Give in Times of Crisis

In times of crisis, Americans across the country have an immediate reaction of wanting to give and wanting to help.  This is a very good thing, and it’s one of the things that make this country great.  When the Haiti earthquake hit and when the Chilean earthquake followed, people everywhere were organizing drives of various types to get some sort of relief on its way.

Like with many good ideas though, a little polishing can make a good idea great.

Let’s look at just a few considerations that can make your donation during a disaster a win / win for everyone involved.  Let’s look at the best ways for you to G.I.V.E.:

Goods – Donations of clothing and other items are good if done in the right way.

Income – Sharing your cash is the most efficient way to help, but there are things you should know.

Volunteers – Some disasters could use some helping hands on the ground, but others don’t.

Expertise – In some cases you can help victims get certain areas of their life back on track.

Goods

This is the most common form of donation, especially when a local catastrophe occurs.  If someone’s house burns down and the family loses everything, neighbors are usually quick to contribute clothes, household goods, etc. to help the family get back on their feet.

The more local the disaster, the more useful is the donation of goods.  However, for large-scale incidents or disasters farther away, the donation of tangible items becomes less of a good idea.  This is because physical items require sorting, shipping, storage, distribution, warehousing, etc.  So, by the time you send that old pair of jeans half a continent away, they eventually wind up costing more than a brand new pair.

The best way to donate physical goods is through local organizations that are set up to handle them and who will either use them for local disasters or who can sell the goods to raise money to be used in other ways to help.  Good examples of places to donate include faith based organizations, Good Will, and the Salvation Army.

Income

When it comes to disaster relief, cash is king.  With cash, relief organizations can pinpoint exactly the type and amount of items they need for a particular disaster and purchase accordingly.  Money can be used to supply a variety of aid including water, food, and medicine, and is not limited to the items we usually see donated.

One caveat though, is the fact that after any major disaster the scammers come out of the wood work trying to rip off good hearted donors.  If you follow a few safety precautions you can be sure your money is getting to the right folks.  First, only donate to a recognized charity and one that will use the money for the purpose for which you are donating.  The most recognized group is the American Red Cross (and by the way, it’s always good to donate blood).  To check the legitimacy of others take a look at www.guidestar.org, www.charitywatch.org, or www.charitynavigator.org.  These sites can tell you who’s for real and how each organization will spend your money.

Volunteers

Neighbor helping neighbor is one of our highest civic duties.  Nothing beats having an extra set of eyes, hands, or shoulders when it comes time for disaster recovery.  Like goods above though, there are certain ways to offer your volunteer services.

First, don’t rush to the scene of an active disaster unless you’re a part of local emergency management.  People who show up at incidents are called “Convergent Volunteers” and if there are too many, they can actually get in the way of the emergency response.  This became something of a problem in Haiti because the airport could handle only so much incoming traffic, and local officials could process only so many incoming foreign nationals.

If you’re part of an organized group such as CERT, which is a great thing, please wait until your group is activated or called up.

Expertise

The concept of volunteers above conjures up mental images of people making sandbag walls to protect from floods, cleaning up debris, setting up food lines, and other physical services.  After a major disaster though, the needs of the victims fall into numerous categories, only a few of which would benefit from physical help.

For example, during any post-event recovery phase, victims will need assistance with insurance, taxes, unemployment issues, government grant applications, and with all phases of dealing with the legalities involved with injured or deceased loved ones.  If you deal with any of these things in your professional life, you’ll be highly valued as a volunteer.

The same rules apply though.  Offer your assistance to local authorities and wait to be called up.

Though we’ve thrown in several “don’ts” in our short discussion, please don’t think that your help is not needed.  It is needed, especially in these economic times when simple disasters can hit our friends and neighbors harder than usual and when first responders and emergency management groups are under the same financial issues the rest of us are.

One of the best ways you can help is to make sure your own family is safe and secure.  This will prevent direct hardship, and it will also help others by freeing up the first responder assets that won’t need to be expended on you.  Start by going to the main page of www.1800prepare.com and looking at all the simple and economical things you can do to help protect yourself.

About the author:  Paul Purcell is an Atlanta-based security analyst and preparedness consultant with over twenty years risk management and preparedness experience.  He’s also the author of Disaster Prep 101, and he’s a partner / advisor to 1-800-PREPARE.  Copyright 2010, Paul Purcell.

(Permission granted to reprint this article and share it with others provided all portions remain intact.)