Tag: preparedness

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Wildfire Preparedness

Sealing the House Before a Wildfire

There are a number of considerations for prepping your house for a potential or approaching wildfire… Time is your most crucial consideration, but the three important areas of house prep are:

  • Landscaping and removing flammable material as far out from the home as you can.
  • Setting up hydration by putting a sprinkler on the roof, exterior decks and other key areas, and
  • By sealing your house on the outside and then prepping on the inside.

For this quick installment, we’ll focus on sealing the exterior of the home to protect it from some of the many hazards associated with an approaching fire.

Prepare home for wildfire
There are many dangers that come with a wildfire. You have extreme radiant temperatures, heated particulate smoke and other gasses, winds generated by the heat and thermal exchanges with the immediate environment, falling trees, small debris being blown about by the winds, and embers galore that will be cascading down on your property.

Here are but a few things you can do to protect your house before a wildfire:

  1. Think hurricane. Since winds and debris are an issue, you’ll want to prep your house almost like you would for a hurricane, but without as much structural bracing (though you should think about structural bracing anyway as protection against any number of other disasters).
  2. Fire resistant storm shutters would be the best thing to protect your windows from heat and flying debris, but if don’t have them or want them, please don’t think you have no options. Next best thing would be plywood shutters that were pre-cut, painted with a fire-resistant coating, and labeled as to which window they covered. Pre-drill them with holes at the top (and have small hooks over each window pre-installed) and drill finger holes so that one person can lift and hang the plywood sheets for faster installation.
  3. Have covers made for crawl space openings and any other opening that would allow heated gasses or embers access to the inside of your house. For some smaller openings such as soffet vents, you can cover them with a couple of layers of aluminum foil held in place with metallic HVAC duct tape. (The fabric tape we think of when we hear "duct tape" is actually flammable and not very suitable for outdoor application in a wildfire scenario).
  4. Save some metal cans (like large soup cans) to set over your plumbing vent stacks. You don’t want to seal them, but you want to temporarily prevent embers from falling in them and to protect them from catching fire since the vent stacks are usually made of PVC pipe.
  5. If you have a chimney and can reach the top safely enough, you might want to loosely cap the chimney opening with a metal five-gallon bucket or something similar. If you choose not to do this, or can’t, be sure to leave the flue open and the protective fireplace screen closed. You want to do this so that if an ember falls into the chimney it’ll fall on into the fireplace where fire is supposed to be, and not linger in a creosote-coated chimney that could catch fire and then set fire to your house.

To read more about the other steps associated with wildfire preparation, stop by and read our larger wildfire article at http://www.disasterprep101.com/wildfire.htm.

Categories
Pet Preparedness

Pet Preparedness – How an Old T-Shirt Can Help

Pet wearing t-shirt

Along with water, food, medicine, and other “survival” needs, your pets are going to need emotional care after a disaster as much as any human member of the family.

Let’s look at a few tips:

1. Having your scent present will keep them calm. Wear an old T shirt around the house for a day or so and immediately put it in a paper bag and store it with your pet’s emergency supplies. If you have to board your pet or leave it with a friend while you recoup from the disaster, this old shirt can be used as part of their bedding and since it contains your scent, it will go a long way toward making your pet feel safe and secure. Note: The T shirt should be worn and scented by the family member that particular pet is closest to.

2. Pack a toy that your pet has played with. Don’t try and introduce a new toy in your pet’s emergency gear, go with something that still has their scent on it and that they recognize. In any emergency, a sense of normalcy and familiarity go a long way toward emotional stability whether you’re dealing with the two-legged or four-legged members of the family.

3. Ask your vet about over-the-counter medications that can help calm your pet. You’ll want to gather this information now from an educated source who’s familiar with your pet rather than having to rely on second-hand (or second-rate) information from questionable sources after a disaster has already hit.

4. For smaller animals, give each their own carrier but keep the carriers close to each other whenever possible. In an emergency, animals will be under stress. Like humans, they’ll need a little space even though they’ll want to be near others. Having separate carriers helps greatly.

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Tornado Preparedness

Tornado Protection from your Dryer

Kid in dryer

 

Did you know that your electric dryer could help in a tornado?

If your safe room also happens to be your laundry room, your dryer may offer additional protection to small children or pets. Being a double-walled metal appliance your dryer gives an additional layer of projectile protection and crush resistance.

But, as with most preparedness options, we need to cover a few details:

1. As with all preparedness measures, we must first take a clue from the Hippocratic Oath; “First, do no harm.” So, when choosing an area to be your “safe area” during a tornado, make sure it’s either free from items that could become secondary hazards, or that those potential hazards are secure. Our list here would include:

  • Water heaters. Try not to be in the same room with it during a destructive event. It could topple and spill gallons of potentially scalding water. Whether it’s in your safe area or not though, it’s best to secure your water heater with anchor strapping.
  • Gas lines. All gas lines running to appliances should be flex lines. However, somewhere along the way the line will be pipe and is subject to breakage during structure-damaging disasters such as earthquakes and tornadoes. Best to stay away from gas lines when planning your safe area.
  • Breakables and droppables. Anything in your prospective safe room should be secured as much as possible. This includes seemingly minor things like irons, ironing boards (since we’re still going with the laundry room theme here), wall hangings, etc. Make sure everything has a bracket or is in a cabinet with closing doors and those doors have latches on them.

2. All your heavy appliances, such as your stove, oven, fridge, freezer, washer, and dryer, should be anchored to the wall as well as possible. Most appliances come with kits, and your local hardware / home / appliance store can give you some guidance on better anchors. Anchoring helps in a number of ways. First, if you have small children who like to climb, anchoring keeps appliances from tipping over on them. Second, no place on earth is completely immune from earthquakes and anchoring keeps your heavy machinery in place. Third, any time you bolt something large and sturdy to a wall, you actually strengthen that wall a little, which is a good thing in any potentially destructive event.

3. Speaking of destructive events, if severe weather is heading your way (don’t wait for the actual warning that a tornado has touched down) prep your safe room accordingly and put your small pets in their individual carriers and put a few towels or a blanket in the drum of the dryer for a little padding if it’s your child that’s going in. (And, still have them wear a bike or skateboard helmet if they have one.)

4. If you choose this option and put a child in the dryer for safety, don’t close the dryer door. Prop something in the opening so that the dryer door can’t be closed accidentally.

5. This option is really good if all you have for a “safe room” is an interior hallway where your “laundry room” is a closet that opens to the hall.

6. Again, if the water heater is in your laundry room, or you have a gas dryer, rethink using the laundry room as your safe area. A broken or toppled water heater will spill gallons of potentially scalding-hot water, and a broken gas line could be a deadly fire hazard or a suffocation threat.

Watch for future installments where we pull even more bits and pieces from “Disaster Prep 101” and describe additional attributes of a good safe room and some of the safety equipment that should be stored in one.

Categories
General Preparedness

Why do we need an “event” to Prepare

I just watched a show on CNBC all about preparing for the end of the earth in 2012. The show featured many people who were building shelters, stocking up on long term food storage and taking other preparedness steps. While I might not agree with the concept of the end of the earth, what I find most amazing is that people often need these “events” or the possibility of these types of “major crisis” to take action.

So, is that right action to start trying to scare people into preparedness? What is the catalyst or tipping point that is missing for people just to say “Hey..things happen…let me think about how I should deal with them.” I don’t ever want to be the guy screaming “the sky is falling,” but for some reason, the people who do get all the attention.

Would love to hear feedback on all sides of the issue. Is it taking it too far? Are we doing enough to get people to prepare? Is preparation a waste of time and money? Please leave your thoughts.

Categories
Earthquake Preparedness Food and Water General Preparedness Uncategorized

Tsunami

Tsunami

The threat of Tsunami is something we cover in detail in our preparedness manual “Disaster Prep 101” (see http://www.1800prepare.com/products/Disaster-Prep-101-.html) and because of today’s news, we see it as an important topic to include here.

Though some might think this is how-to information coming after the event, this isn’t necessarily the case. One thing to keep in mind is that when one Pacific Rim country experiences an earthquake, volcano, or seismic activity, that other areas along the rim will have an event in the very near future.

So, keep up with your earthquake preparedness measures, and below we’ll revisit what you should do in preparation for a Tsunami when the WAVES come rolling ashore.

Warnings – Does your area have official Tsunami warnings? Would you recognize natural signs?
Altitude – Where would you go in a Tsunami? Tall building? High ground?
Vehicle – How will you get to high ground? Is your evacuation vehicle ready to go?
Evacuation to Elevation – How ready are you for an evacuation scenario in general?
Safety & Secondaries – Is the primary emergency the only emergency that’s going to happen?

Warnings
1. In the past several years, especially since the 2004 Indonesian earthquake and resulting Tsunami that hit Thailand, warning systems including seismic sensors, Tsunami detecting buoys, and communication and warning systems have been improved dramatically. If you live (or are visiting) an area at risk for Tsunamis, have you checked to learn about the official warning system? Who gives it? Will they give you any instruction? What does the siren sound like?

2. In some instances an incoming Tsunami will draw water away from a beach as it heads toward shore. In fact, in 2004, an Australian Life Guard working in Phuckett, Thailand knew what it meant for the tide to go out farther than normal and he managed to clear his beach and get guests to safety. Keep an eye on the tide, but don’t go to the beach to look at it. Stay away if a Tsunami Watch (and especially a Warning) is given.

Altitude
1. One term you’ll hear is “vertical evacuation.” This means go up, either to upper floors in a strong building, or to high ground.

2. Where is the destination you’d go in a particular area? One habit to get into, regardless of the emergency or where you might be, is to look around for emergency warnings, gear, shelter, supplies, and evacuation destinations.

3. Look around your area and remember which buildings are more substantial. Some may actually have Tsunami info posted telling visitors that in event of a Tsunami they are either to head to upper floors (but NEVER use the stairs!) or to vacate the building in favor of a different location.

Vehicle
1. In any evacuation scenario you may have to rely on your primary vehicle to get you out of harms’ way. Is yours ready? Do you always have your keys on you? Do you keep the tank full at all times?

2. Though we mention your vehicle here, we’ll revisit the fact that your evacuation destination might well be an upper floor of the building you’re in. Your decision on whether to go to an upper floor or higher ground location should be dictated by A) Time – how long before the first wave hits and how much time you might need to get to another location, B) Where you’ll be the safest, C) Road conditions and current traffic since you don’t want to be sitting unprotected in gridlock traffic, D) Whether or not you need to provide safety to others, and E) Where are your safety supplies and gear?

3. With Tsunami’s getting in your vehicle as early as possible after a watch or warning is crucial. The faster you evacuate the area (safely) the more you help others by being out of the way when the less prepared try to get to safety.

Evacuation to Elevation
1. As you contemplate heading to upper floors or higher ground (now, while we’re discussing this academically and it’s not an actual emergency), remember that this scenario is an evacuation that is coupled somewhat with shelter-in-place reactions. Therefore, you want to be equipped and ready for both. So… where’s your kit? What does it contain? Will it help you get out of harm’s way as well as sustain you once you get where you’re going? Do you keep a kit at home, at work, or in the car? Maybe you have items at all three locations?

2. Since time is one of our most valuable assets in any emergency, what do you have in place that will help you save time in this scenario? We mentioned keeping your car gassed and ready (sitting in line at a gas station is not a model of an efficient evacuation), and we just mentioned your gear. How about knowledge? Do you know where you might go? Do you have hardcopy maps in case the smart phone isn’t working or the cell towers are down? Do you have alternate ways to communicate with loved ones if primary communication methods don’t work?

Safety & Secondaries
1. Misery loves company, so one of the key points to keep in mind is that a major emergency is not going to be the only emergency. You might have made it under a table in time in the earthquake, but what about the dam up the river that was cracked and is about to break? What if there’s a panicked evacuation and you or a family member are injured? How ready are you for that? Do you have your first aid gear? Are you trained to use it?

2. Need a list of things to keep in mind? Tsunamis don’t just happen, they’re usually triggered by earthquakes. So, when the earthquake hits are you going to automatically think “Tsunami?” How about fire? Fire is all too common an occurrence after destructive events – even floods. And floods? What if the dam breaks after an earthquake? Do you know how many dams there are in the US alone?

3. The main point here is to be ready for “the other shoe to drop.” Maintain your composure in the first emergency by being prepared so that when the second emergency crops up you’re able to handle that as well.

Though just a small, small section of Disaster Prep 101, we wanted to pass this along to make you think of two things. One, disasters are survivable if you’re prepared. Two, there is so much more to know with Tsunami preparedness (or any disaster) than an academic discussion of how the event occurs – which is pretty much all we’ll get from the news channels.

Besides, it’s not the job of the media to make us prepare. It’s our job since the safety and security of our own family rests squarely on our own shoulders.

How ready are you? Did the news today give you a good wake-up call?

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Uncategorized

Red Cross Recommendations for Winter Preparedness

The Kansas Chapter of the American Red Cross has put out a list of recommendations for winter preparedness. They recommend emergency kits for your home and vehicle, but also they provide specific recommendations for making plans and staying informed, including:

Make a Winter Storm Plan:

  • Be prepared to shelter at home in case of severe weather.  Have additional food and water stored to last seven to fourteen days.
  • Have extra blankets on hand.
  • Ensure that each member of your household has a warm coat, gloves or mittens, a hat, and water-resistant boots.
  • Have your vehicle winterized before the weather gets severe.
  • Decide how you would communicate with your family members should you be separated and unable to travel when a winter storm hits.

Be Informed:

  • Learn how you would receive information from local officials should hazardous winter weather affect your neighborhood.
  • Know the difference between a winter storm WATCH (a winter storm is possible in your area) and a winter storm WARNING (a winter storm is headed for your area).
  • Consider getting first aid and CPR training in case you need to respond in an emergency before professionals arrive on the scene.

You can incorporate many of these tips for your overall emergency preparedness plans. However, make sure that you have on hand what you need to stay prepared during the winter months.

Source:

http://www.kwch.com/Global/story.asp?S=11634052

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Uncategorized

Preparedness Could “Jinx” You?

The Triplicate reports on how Del Norte, California residents are blissfully ignorant of tsunami danger. Residents were surveyed on their knowledge of preparedness in the event of a tidal wave. The area is second only to Alaska in the number of tsunamis that have hit the coast there in the last century. A professor at Humboldt State University was shocked by the survey results she found.

While she said there were many people who were well-informed about the dangers of earthquakes and tsunamis, there are a large number of respondents who didn’t have food and water supplies prepared and didn’t know where to evacuate if they were in an inundation zone.

There were even some people who said they wanted to ignore the issue because they thought that simply talking about earthquakes and tsunamis might jinx the calm and cause the earth to move and ocean to lurch.

I’m speechless. Okay, I’m really not speechless, but I’m trying to be nice about it.

Tsunamis are unique among natural disasters in that you don’t have a choice if one’s headed your way: You have to evacuate. You can’t bunker down in your home and hope to wait it out, because a massive wall of water is bearing down on you. This necessitates a different sort of emergency preparedness. You need to have an emergency kit in your car at all times, and know multiple evacuation routes to get to higher ground if you live in an area that’s prone to experience them.

Source:

http://www.triplicate.com/20091204107635/News/Local-News/Tsunami-ready-Apparently-not