Author: Volunteer

Bare hands won’t work.

Clearing roads, walkways and corridors, prying open locked or distorted doorways, freeing victims pinned beneath fallen debris — just a few of the scenarios you might experience in an emergency. You’ll want the right emergency tools in your hands — and you’ll want to protect those hands!

So the solution? Heavy, well-fitting gloves!

This is particularly important for women, because most off-the-shelf gloves — even those provided via a CERT class — are JUST TOO BIG. If you’ve been visiting here a while, you’ll have seen some of our gloves. They make for good photos, but the extra space across the palm and at the end of my fingers means I just can’t wear them. In the presence of tools they are just plain dangerous!

The image at the left shows some of the gloves I do like for myself. Heavy-duty construction. Leather. Separation between fingers. Elastic at wrist. And you can select SMALL.

Whatever size you wear, find good ones and get several pairs. In wet or heavy work, you can damage them or even just wear them out. Here’s the link to Amazon so you can take a look for yourself.

OZERO Leather Work Gloves Flex Grip Tough Cowhide Gardening Glove for Wood Cutting/Construction/Truck Driving/Garden/Yard Working for Men and Women 1 Pair (Gold,Medium)

Essential emergency tools for turning off utilities.

Water shut-off.

In an earthquake or storm, you may face broken pipes — somewhere in the system or even inside your house. (Remember those terrible photos from the ice storm in Texas?) If you don’t know where or how to shut the water off, every minute increases the chance of damage or even danger.

Do you know where ALL THREE water supply shut-offs are located?

An Individual appliance may have its own shut-off valve. Check the water lines leading to the toilet, for example. Easy enough to shut off.

Turning off water to the whole house can keep water in your tank from becoming contaminated! Your home has a master shut-off valve. It’s usually in the basement, crawl space or maybe in the garage. It may be located outside by the foundation. These valves usually can be shut off by hand — just turn the faucet handle (clockwise) or the lever (until it’s crosswise to the pipe).

You may also want to turn off water at the street. This valve is probably buried in a concrete box some distance from the house. Use a big screw driver to pry off the cover. (Gloves, here!) Then use a special water shut-off tool that has a sort of hook at the bottom. (You may have used one for your irrigation system.)

Here’s an article with a number of illustrations that may be useful.

ACTION STEP: Plan a time for a family tour to find all your water shut-off valves! Do you need an emergency tool to turn any of them off? (See below for a suggestion.)

Natural gas shut-off.

Here where I live our scariest danger is fire after an earthquake. Fire fueled by gas leaking from broken gas lines! So on a regular basis our neighborhood group puts out information about where and how to turn off the gas if you smell that rotten egg smell!

Just like water, there are a variety of valves to shut off the gas. At the street (distribution pipe), in the neighborhood (smaller pipes) and directly to your home (low pressure pipe). Generally, you can only control the line that leads into your home.

You’ll need a sturdy wrench or specialty tool to turn off the gas! And you’ll need to know HOW to turn if off. (See below for a gas wrench suggestion.)

ACTION STEP: Find your gas shut-off valve. Store a gas shut-off wrench permanently near the valve.

DO NOT PRACTICE shutting off the gas! Once it’s off, you’ll need the gas company to come turn it on again! (All pilot lights will have gone out, remember . . .)

A convenient, all-in-one tool for shutting off water and gas.

Get at least one, have a permanent place for it so it doesn’t go missing. Know you’ll be ready when you need to use it!

4 in 1 Emergency Tool: Gas & Water Shut Off, Pry Bar, 4 in 1, Non Sparking, Emergency earthquake Gas Shut Off Valve – Fireman Tools – Tool Emergency – Emergency Tools – Gas Turn Off Wrench – Tern Tool

Will you be able to use your power tools?

The image at the top of the page shows a standard power tool. But when you’re planning for an emergency, you have to assume that power will be out. So what are your options?

Battery-driven tools (power drills, chain saws) will have a limited useful life span if they can’t be re-charged. These days, many tools come with multiple change-out battery packs, which gives the tools a lot longer useful life span. And there are small Power Banks for small devices. Still, at some point, batteries will run out. So to be useful, they’ll have to be recharged.

What are your recharge options for emergency tools?

• Some people and businesses keep gasoline or butane-powered generators to supply emergency power. They can be really useful — but generally, they’re big, heavy and noisy. And they can be dangerous.
• If you live in the right location, and can afford it, you may want to consider using a solar system to charge your tools. Solar works well for small-ish devices and lighting, but it takes a big system to actually drive anything with a motor.
• Power inverters can take the output of a 12-volt battery and convert it to 110 volt AC, but in an emergency you’ll probably want more power than your inverter can give you. Still, worth another look.

Here’s an updated discussion of generators and inverters.

What about emergency lighting?

And let’s not overlook lights as emergency tools! Without them, you won’t be able to do much with the other tools you may have that still work!

Small flashlights are appropriate for getting around in the dark but may not provide adequate lighting for working in an emergency situation. Some newer flashlights offer more options, fortunately. Some have a side panel of lights, not just the main light. Some have magnets that can stabilize the light so you have both hands free. Flashlights are essential emergency tools — as long as their batteries hold out.

Lanterns can be even more useful, since you can set them down while you work. Low-level lighting is adequate for moving around in a space, and many lanterns adjust to meet that purpose. Other lanterns even have red or blinking emergency signals. From an emergency standpoint, it makes sense to have a couple of solar-powered lanterns, too, since batteries will ultimately fail.

Headlights from cars or trucks often suffice, but they may not be able to maneuver into position to be of help in all situations. There are large battery-operated candlepower spotlights available that can overcome this challenge, but most people don’t have these on hand. And again, they ultimately run out of juice.

Emergency lights keep getting better and better. Here’s our latest review of heavy duty lanterns. And for power tools that will last, take a look at this Advisory about solar-powered lights and tools.

What tools do you need to add to your emergency supplies?

ACTION STEP: Start now to put together an inventory of what emergency tools you have on hand, and what tools are available in the neighborhood.  Make sure you have the essentials. Consider whether an auxiliary power source will be required for tools to be effective.

Joe Krueger
Your Emergency Plan Guide Team

Taking the long view. . .

These last few months have been consumed with COVID and with politics and it’s tough to escape from the grip of what’s happening this week, this day, even this hour.

From an emergency preparedness standpoint, we can always profit by taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture. So today, readjust your focus to consider earthquakes, and the inevitable “Big One.”

In California

We happen to live in Southern California where earthquakes are more frequent than in other parts of the U.S or some parts of the world.  We know, for example, that a major quake (7.8?) along the San Andreas fault (which runs right through the City of Los Angeles) is due sometime in the not too distant future. 

That “distant future” may be a lot closer than we think. Consider this: the “average” time between big quakes in California is 150 years. The last big quake took place in 1851. When you subtract 1851 from 2021 you get 170. So, we are now 30 years overdue!

We’ve had some warnings along the way: Northridge, in 1994 and then Ridgecrest, just a couple of years ago in 2019. (That one offered plenty of warnings, if you want to know! Virginia wrote several Advisories about the 2019 experience!) So we know we have to be prepared for the Big One. 

People who live in Northern California had a major earthquake over a decade ago — the Loma Prieta quake that hit during the 3rd game of the 1989 World Series. That quake was caused by the San Andreas fault, too. (It runs up through the state and then heads out into the Pacific right at San Francisco.) So Northern Californians know they have to be prepared.

In the Northwest

More and more in the news lately — the Cascadia Subduction zone.  This very long fault slips a couple of hundred feet every three hundred years or so. (Last big “slip” was in 1700 — so again, it’s overdue.) When the next one occurs, it will likely measure 9.0 and impact Washington and the whole Pacific Northwest. This will truly be The Big One!

In the Midwest

If you live in the Midwest near the Mississippi River, you could be at risk from one of the most dangerous faults of all.  Even though we don’t hear too much about it, the New Madrid fault in the central United States is among the most active in the country, running from St. Louis to Memphis.

And those of you who live in fracking country have become increasingly aware of the — heretofore small but now increasing in number and in intensity — earthquakes in your region. States most impacted: Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Texas.

In the Mid-Atlantic

And, imagine the surprise of people living in the Mid-Atlantic area when Washington D.C. experienced a significant – but non-lethal – 5.9 earthquake on August 23, 2011.

How to prepare for the Big One?

The fact of the matter is that we know all too little about the existence of earthquake faults around the world. New faults are discovered on a regular basis, even right here in the middle of earthquake country!

And we have even less ability to forecast earthquake activity level. Yes, new technology continues to be developed, including the ShakeAlert Early Warning System. Its collection of sensors up and down California could give us a few seconds or even a few minutes warning. (We have had this system on our smart phones for over a year, but it alerted for the first time just a couple of weeks ago!)

Other iPhone apps track quakes worldwide. Nearly every morning I get an alert on my phone from QuakeAlert, with maps, info, etc. Just look for “Earthquake” in the app store to see a number of options. Caution — some of the apps are free, and others not.

The bottom line? Everyone has to take some responsibility for knowing what the earthquake threat is in their own region of the country. And we all have to take some responsibility for our own survival and well-being when the Big One hits. There is only so much our government agencies can do — and most of that help will come well AFTER the fact!

Five Action Items to help prepare for the Big One.

1. Find out about the history of earthquakes where you live. You may never have experienced a quake — but there are likely people who have!
2. Analyze your day. If a quake hits at 10 a.m., what problems would you encounter? What about if it hits at 1 a.m.?
3. Do you, and family members, know how to protect yourself when you feel the shaking? You don’t really have time to think much about what to do! You want your response to be immediate! (And you want to avoid the discredited theories like getting into a doorway!)
4. In a severe quake, power will be out and roads may be impassible for hours or days. Do you have supplies to carry you though as you shelter in place?
5. Should you plan now to make changes to your home that will make it safer in an earthquake?

We have written again and again about earthquakes here at Emergency Plan Guide. (Use the Search bar to find some of those articles.) We’ve discussed earthquakes again and again at our neighborhood meetings, where we focus on what to expect from the authorities, and how we need to prepare to take care of each other!

Most recently, Virginia and I published a whole booklet as part of our Mini-Series, titled “Prepare Your Home for Earthquake!” We certainly can recommend that as an easy and complete resource that will address all the 5 action items above. And more . . .!

However you decide to prepare for the Big One, you can feel justified in starting any time. Think long-range. Because the Big One is bound to come!

Joe Krueger
Your Emergency Plan Guide Team

Sign up for our weekly Advisories below. They are free. And you’ll get a LOT more information about earthquakes as well as other potential disasters!

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Is getting batteries “on sale” a good idea?

Check out this article before you buy! Price isn’t the only factor. In the world of batteries, it seems you get what you pay for, and you’d better know in advance just what you need.

Some Background on Batteries (Skim if you already know all this!)

How batteries work

Batteries use a chemical reaction to do work. Alkaline batteries, the AA, C and D batteries we all know, typically depend on zinc interacting with manganese (through an alkaline electrolyte solution) to produce electricity.

Other batteries use different chemistries to achieve a higher “energy density” so they will last longer and perform better. Some of them: nickel–cadmium (NiCd), nickel–zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), and lithium (Li-ion),

In a regular alkaline battery, the reaction ultimately consumes the chemicals (leaving behind hydrogen gas as a “waste” product) and the battery dies.

When to recharge

While an alkaline battery can be recharged, the process is inefficient and dangerous because of the hydrogen gas buildup. Recharging non-rechargeable batteries can result in a leak or even an explosion.

Rechargeable batteries are designed differently. First, they use specific chemicals (most popular seems to be Lithium Ion, which is being used in Tesla batteries) that can undergo a “reverse chemical reaction” easily and efficiently. They contain a catalyst to keep hydrogen gas from forming. They have vents to prevent pressure from building up during recharging.

As you might expect, rechargeable batteries are more expensive because you have to buy that extra “charger.” However, studies suggest that you will save money over time using rechargeables, but they need electricity to work, so IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION you will probably want to have regular disposable batteries on hand, too.

Getting the most out of batteries

No matter where they are stored, all batteries will ultimately die. Eventually, the steel casing will corrode and rust and leak. (Heat like we’ve had over the past several weeks can speed up the deterioration!)

Still, there are things you can do to preserve the life of your device batteries.

• Don’t attempt to recharge non-rechargeable batteries.
• Remove batteries from a device that you won’t be using for a while.
• Replace all the batteries in a device at the same time. (Clean the contacts with a cloth before you install the new batteries).
• Don’t mix different kinds of batteries in the same device. Use the same manufacturer, same type, same manufacture date.
• Store batteries in a cool, dry place. (Your car, in the summer heat, is not so good for preserving the life of whatever battery-operated device you store in there.)
• Don’t mix loose batteries with metal objects – like in your pocket with change. They can short-circuit and burn or explode!

Oh, and that story about storing batteries in the refrigerator? Keep batteries cool, but there’s no need to refrigerate modern batteries.

My phone’s my most important survival tool! What’s the best solution for it?

The battery already in your phone or computer may have to be replaced as some point. If so, you’ll probably have to get whatever the manufacturer requires.

But, you’ll be recharging that device many times before you have to get a new battery! In an emergency, of course, electrical power for recharging may be out or you may be nowhere near a wall socket. One back-up option is a device that holds an extra charge, just ready for you to plug in to when you need it.

So let’s look at portable chargers or Power Banks.

If your goal is to extend the life of your electronic devices, consider a Power Bank,  otherwise known as a “mobile power supply,” mobile battery, external battery, spare battery, charging stick, or portable charger. These devices can keep you operating for days at a time!

If your time is worth anything, a power bank will be an inexpensive boost to your productivity and, in an emergency, to your peace of mind.

Power Banks are sized from something similar to a small flashlight to a device that resembles a small external storage drive. They all fit in a palm, pocket or purse, but may be a bit heavy to carry around all day. (Check the weight.)

As you compare them, look for:

• Capacity (measured in mAh, or milliampere hours). The higher the mAh, the more stored power.

  IS THE POWER BANK BIG ENOUGH TO DO THE JOB?  Some negative reviews come from people who expect a small battery to recharge a much larger device. Doesn’t work!

  You want enough juice to reload your phone or tablet completely, at least once and preferably more often than that! For example, one power bank model declares its 15,000 mAh are able to charge an iPhone 6 more than 5 times. To know how much capacity you need, get the specs on your device from the box it came in, or search online for “technical specs.”
• Output (measured in V, or volts). Generally, you want the power bank output to be the same as the input to your device. For example, your phone and Bluetooth headset probably each have 5V input.
• How many ports? Some of the chargers can “feed” as many as 4 devices at the same time. (You’ll need the right cord for each device.)
• What security against short circuits, over-charging or over heating?

The chart below will gives you a quick idea of features, options and prices. These models range from $20 – well over $100. Click on the image to go directly to more details on Amazon.

	BASIC 10,000 mAh. Two different charging speeds. Slim and lightweight.
	FASTER CHARGE, MORE POWER 20,000 mAh. Charge multiple devices at once.
	CHARGE LAPTOP About the size of a small book. LED lights show status. Charge laptop 2 1/2 times, phone 11+ times.

What are the best batteries for our other emergency devices?

Disposable batteries

Understanding all that basic information listed above, we have tested disposable batteries – Energizer, Duracell and Kirkland (Costco brand) — multiple times for our emergency radios. These radios are used once a month for our Emergency Response Team drill, and then very lightly, so we don’t go through the batteries quickly at all. We do automatically replace them regularly (usually twice a year at the time change.)

Re results of our testing? There doesn’t seem to be too much difference in manufacturers, although our current favorite is the Duracell Coppertop with Duralock.   You can get what you need at your local hardware or big box store, or add them to an Amazon order. Some packages have both AA and AAA sizes in one.

Rechargeable batteries

For multi-use devices, like our emergency radios, we prefer rechargeable batteries. We’ve found that rechargeables are often specified BY NAME by the manufacturer of the product. If specified, use ‘em. Other raters for rechargeables have consistently come up with Eneloop NiMH. These are made by Panasonic, and come in AAA and AA sizes.

Panasonic says these can be recharged 2,100 times!  For that reason alone I would try them!

Solar chargers

Finally, don’t overlook the small solar devices designed to recharge your phone and/or other devices. Some emergency radios have small solar panels, and can recharge a phone.

There are also small, handy solar panels you can attach to your backpack and recharge while you go! They cost somewhere between $20 and $40. Here’s an example – click on the picture to get full details.

Whew, this is a lot of info, but given the fact that we all seem to invest in batteries on a consistent basis, it’s worth it to get the right battery for the job. Oh, and buying on sale? A good idea if you know what you’re buying.

But buying just on price alone makes no sense.

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide Team

If you’re part of a Neighborhood Emergency Response group, you’ll need a budget for batteries for your walkie-talkies. Here’s an article with some ideas about financing your group’s efforts.

After 18 months of not seeing each other’s faces, it was time for our Neighborhood Emergency Response Group to get back together. We needed to revive our group. We needed new ideas.  We needed to regain some momentum!

Here’s a quick story of how we have progressed over the past two months. While this describes a Neighborhood Emergency Response Group, I think the step-by-step activities could be used by just about any group! 

First step: Make sure a face-to-face meeting is safe.

When our “revival” started, COVID was declining in our community but we were still cautious. After all, the goal of a Neighborhood Emergency Response Group is to protect health and lives, and not threaten them!

So, while our clubhouse had been “officially re-opened to groups,” we decided that masks would be required. (As you can imagine, a few people then declined to come. . .)

In contrast, we held our most recent meeting, just yesterday, outside in a patio area. We enjoyed plenty of fresh air and masks were optional. The dynamics improved, along with the acoustics!

Second step: Advertise “Revive Our Group” by promising that everyone will be involved.  

Our meetings have traditionally taken place in a meeting room, with tables and chairs and someone leading the discussion. Shy attendees are able to get through without ever really joining in.

For our first Revival Meeting, we tried a new format.

Here’s how it worked.

Our meeting was advertised as having a goal of “collecting new ideas.” After a brief catch-up of what had happened during the pandemic shut-down, we identified four areas that we wanted to work on:

• Group purpose and positioning
• Recruitment of new members
• Education and training
• Budget and sponsorships

During this discussion, we gave every attendee a pad of yellow (or other color!) sticky and a pen. We invited them to write down their ideas, one idea per sticky. It was billed as a “brainstorm!’  (“Every idea is good. No judgment calls.”)

We labeled sheets of paper with the themes. (We happened to have bright pink paper, but any color will work!) At the given time, attendees all got up and pasted their individual stickies on the appropriate sheets. There was some jostling but it was good to get people out of their chairs. Here’s what one of the sheets looked like after the stickies had been posted:

Third step: Document EVERY idea, no matter how new or unusual.

After the meeting, I captured all the individual sticky ideas and turned them into a more formal list. I sent out the list with Instructions: “Please consider which ideas should be on our ultimate “Top Ten” list.”

Fourth step: Let your group members vote for their favorites.

A month after our first meeting we gathered for our second meeting. It was outdoors, face to face!  We started with refreshments (melon balls in carved up watermelon – labor of love from one of our volunteers!). We discussed each of the ideas on our Master List, and then people went over to the board where ideas were listed and they voted.

People voted for the activities they thought would be most do-able and most productive.

When they placed their votes (their initials) into the column labeled, “I will help,” we suddenly had a whole group of volunteers!

Fifth step: Pick the Top Ten,” assign an interim team leader – and let everyone get started!

The picture above shows just the top few lines of one of the two big ballot sheets.

1. Note the column headers: Priority, Activity or Event, “I will help.”
2. “Votes” are indicated by the sets of initials after each activity or event.
3. The more sets of initials, the more popular or desirable the activity.
4. The red checks indicate which events were chosen for the Top Ten. (Actually, we ended up with only 8 out of a total of 23 suggestions.)
5. The red circles show the person chosen as interim team leader. Team leaders got a short list of “Project Planning Tips” to help them get started.

What about the activities and the people left over?

My next step will be to again document the Top Ten and list the volunteer team members. At the same time, I’ll encourage “orphans” to join in one of the first teams created or, if they want, to simply proceed on their own to develop their favorite activity.

I’ll report on how all that goes in an upcoming Advisory.

Conclusions from our first efforts to “Revive our group.”

• Starting with refreshments works better than waiting until the end. If the meeting goes too long, people want to leave. (In our case, waiting too long would have put us all in the dark!)
• Using pens and stickies to capture people’s input was particularly successful at engaging those people who aren’t comfortable speaking up.
• Brainstorming – “Just come up with ideas, every idea is good.” – works to generate lots of ideas.
• Sorting through all the ideas to pick the best (easiest? most popular?) takes time. It took a LOT of time. But our goal was to create energy by engaging more of our group members – and the effort paid off.

Just a couple more photos while it’s all still fresh in my mind!

Within about 20 minutes from the time the photos were taken, this entire patio was dark. Fortunately, people brought lanterns (emergency lighting!) to allow us to finish up.

Our Watermelon Party doesn’t end this story. I’ll be writing again about the various events and how they develop. If you have held some successful events designed to engage group members, pleas let us know the details. We all need ways to stimulate participation and revive our groups!

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide team

P.S. You know, of course, that we’ve published a whole book with Emergency Preparedness Meeting Ideas. It has over 100 pages of ideas for meeting topics and formats to get you started or keep you busy.

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Is your child missing an emergency kit for school?

The first time I did research for this Advisory, I was shocked to read comments like this:

“Wow, an emergency kit for school. What a good idea! I just thought the school would be taking care of this!”

These were comments from people reading articles online!  What about all the other parents who don’t have time to spend online?!

First things first. What emergency supplies does your school store?

A year or so ago I attended a training put on by the Earthquake Country Alliance, and sat next to a woman who works with schools. She told me about a school that called to ask her to inventory their emergency supplies shed. “How long has it been since you checked it?” she asked.  The answer was, “Uhhhh…”

When she opened the shed she discovered what she called “a hazmat situation.” The shed had leaked and everything inside was completely spoiled and contaminated!

That story should encourage you, when you go to your Back to School night, to ask not only what supplies are kept at school but also how often they are refreshed.

Next, what emergency supplies does the school want children to bring? Are they adequate?

In some schools in our area, each child is required to bring an “emergency kit for school” at the start of the school year. Reading the instructions closely, I discovered that the kit is to consist of a quart-sized resealable plastic bag with the child’s and teacher’s name on the outside, some snacks, and a personal note from the parent to the child.

This “kit” would sustain the kids I know for about 15 minutes.

Here’s another list from a school district in the mid west: ”A little food, some water, a space blanket or large plastic trash bag, a non-toxic light stick and a letter or photograph from home.”

As a parent, you need to find out about “required kits” at your school. The questions to ask:

• What goes in the kits?
• How are they stored?
• What about kids whose parents send nothing at all?

Third, what sort of PERSONAL emergency supplies make sense for YOUR child?

Here at Emergency Plan Guide we talk about survival kits frequently, so none of this should be new or different. In this section we’re not talking about the “required kit” that the school wants to collect and hold. Here, we’re talking about emergency supplies specifically for your child. A few things to consider:

1. Your child may need access to emergency supplies at any time! An emergency could happen on the way to school, or on the way home, not just while the child is in class. So, the best place to have supplies is in the kid’s bookbag or backpack.
2. Of course, this kit is meant for emergencies only. It’s not to be shared or talked about at recess. This means the kit has to be separated from the rest of the stuff in the bag.
3. Every kid’s personal emergency kit will be different. Your first-grader just won’t need or want the same stuff that your 6^th-grader wants! And, of course, that kit’s contents will have to change regularly.

Some suggestions from parents for customizing an emergency kit for school.

The kit needs its own pocket.

Pick a backpack or book bag or rolling cart with a zippered pocket for the emergency kit.  A bottom pocket would work, as well as an outside pocket of the right size.  You’ll have to shop for the right backpack based on your your kid’s size, sex and whatever is in fashion at the school! 

An older child may like a “tactical” bag with mesh and lots of pockets – as long as it has one pocket for the survival kit.

Find a sensible container for the personal emergency kit.

Depending on the size of your kid’s backpack, you will very likely be able to find an individual zippered toiletries bag or one in a set of organizers that will fit perfectly in the pocket or on the bottom of the bag. You might want to use a clear bag (meant for travelers) and a couple of sets of compressible “packing cubes.” If you’re packing a jacket or other emergency wear, being able to compress it would be a great space saver. ( Here’s the link to an Advisory with some handy packing tips and organizers.)

You may even be able to pack supplies in a tin box that will fit in a particular pocket.

In any case, the idea is to avoid your child having to paw past the kit to get to books and papers, etc.

What goes into the personal emergency kit for school?

If the student carries the bag every day, it can’t be too heavy. (That’s why a rolling cart is a good idea!) Still, the kit should include items from this list:

• Food – energy bars, non-perishable snacks. Hard candies. Get some protein bars and not just carbs!
• Water – if your child carries a water bottle every day anyway, that may suffice. Otherwise, consider packets of water.
• Warmth – Poncho, space blanket, extra jacket. Maybe hand warmers.
• Light – Pen with light; light stick.
• Emergency whistle – good quality. Cheap plastic whistles are hard to blow and may not give the sound quality your child needs.
• First aid items – Most children won’t be able to use a full first aid kit, but they certainly know and love band aids and maybe anti-bacterial cream.
• Face mask for emergency use.
• Wet wipes individually packaged.
• ID card with emergency contacts and family photo – protected from getting wet.
• Emergency phone if allowed and if the kid knows how to use it.
• Small toy, book or comfort item.

Warning: The emergency kit for school is NOT the place for medicines or drugs. Most schools have strict rules about how student prescriptions are to be handled. Be sure you find out about those rules.

Suggestions for parents whose kids walk home alone . . .

Phone Wristwatch.

The minute school lets out I have two young neighbor children who immediately call their parents using a phone wristwatch. Children aren’t allowed to have phones at school, but the watches are allowed. I’ve interviewed the parents, who REALLY like being able to check in via voice and talk with the kids as they head to their after-school care locations. Questions to have in mind:

1. Is the wristwatch phone limited to a particular carrier?
2. Can you connect the wristwatch phone via app to YOUR phone? (iOS or Android)
3. Does it monitor the child’s location via GPS? Can you set limits and get an alert when the child goes out of area?
4. How many phone numbers can be programmed into the wristwatch phone?
5. What sort of access to the internet (games!) is available through the phone?

The phone below is a good example. I was attracted because this phone limits calls to 10 known friends or family, and blocks all others. It also can block calls during class time. Naturally, I was looking for different colors, too! Click on the image or the link to check out all the details at Amazon.

Cosmo JrTrack 1 Kids Smartwatch | Pink | Voice & Video Call | GPS Tracker | SOS Alerts | Water Resistant | Blocks Unknown Numbers | SIM Card Included | Class Mode | Perfect for Back to School

Welcome-home doorbell Camera

By now we’ll all seen the home security cameras that can alert you when your kid steps through the front door. Again, parents whose kids arrive home to an empty house are really comforted by this technology. Of course, you’d want to get the kind that allows for two-way conversation.

We’ve written many times about front door security. New models are coming online all the time. The Ring model shown below does what I was looking for for parents wanting to know their child is home safely after school.

Ring Video Doorbell – newest generation, 2020 release – 1080p HD video, improved motion detection, easy installation – Satin Nickel

Special needs kid?

If you have a special needs kid, please take a look at my recent Advisory that describes a particularly powerful tracker for kids who need close supervision.

Let me know of other suggestions you have for items for kids, or what your school requires. I’d like to include that research next time!

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide Team

Welcome to new readers! If you’d like more on the topic of kids and school, you may want to check out this Advisory with Preparedness Questions for Back to School.

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More on electricity?

Emphatically, Yes!  Why do we dwell so much on electrical power? It’s simple.  We depend so much on electricity for just about everything we do that it becomes a major concern in an emergency. And the news about power outages is ominous. But is a generator the solution? If so, what’s the best generator for emergencies? Let’s take a closer look.

First question: what’s your neighborhood like?  

If you live in a single family home with a lot of space around it, having a generator may make sense for emergency power. If you live in a multi-family unit (an apartment, for example, or in a mobile home park), it’s unlikely that a generator will work for you.

Why not?  Mostly, it has to do with logistics.

Second question: What different kinds of generators are there to choose from?

A home stand-by generator is about as big as a stove, and weighs twice as much.  It will be permanently installed outside, probably on its own pad. It’s hooked up to a permanent source of fuel (probably natural gas) and switches on automatically when power goes off. Depending on the size of your home, you are looking at at least a 10,000 Watt generator, and more likely 20,000 to run nearly every appliance and system. These are big, heavy (like 600 lbs.), and are relatively noisy. (Like your A/C.) As you can imagine, a whole-house stand-by generator is also a big investment – typically in the thousands of dollars.

Even the more efficient portable emergency generators for sale today — meant to power a few essential appliances — are about as big as a filing cabinet, and weigh close to 100 pounds. You plug your appliances or equipment into the portable generator using extension cords. Most run on gasoline; some are dual-fuel, which adds a propane option. Costs range from around $500 (which would be a real bargain) to as much as $2,500. Portable models are just as loud as the stand-by generators, too — so you’ll be bothering the neighbors if they are at all close to you! Even if you could stand the noise, you can’t run these inside the building due to emissions and perhaps fire danger.  Every year, people die from carbon monoxide poisoning because they run a generator in the garage!

A third type of emergency power supply is the inverter-generator. If your major concern is keeping your computers and telephones running, you’ll want an inverter style in order to be sure the power going into your devices is “clean.” Inverter-generators are generally smaller in size, weigh less, and are a lot quieter. This makes them a favorite for week-end camping and tail-gating! Prices for inverter-generators start at below $400 and go up.

Still interested? Here are a few other issues to consider.

Can you handle the weight?

First off, how much does the generator weigh? As mentioned, even the “small” generators are heavy, often over 100 pounds. (That’s why most portable generators come with wheels.) This is one hefty piece of machinery to move around. Can other family members move it without your help?  Can you move it even with everyone helping?

How much fuel can you store, and where?

The real issue here is how long will you be without power and how much gasoline or propane can you store safely? Even the most efficient portable generators, run at 25 or 50%, will empty their gas tank in a day or two. To refill the tank during an extended outage you’ll need to be able to safely (and, we hope legally) store several gas cans or propane tanks.

What size generator do you really need?

By now, you should have realized that there’s a great variety in generators — in size, weight and price. One thing we haven’t mentioned yet — and maybe should have started off with — is the amount of power you require.

Generators’ capacity is measured in Watts. Look at the appliances you want to run and pull the wattage requirement from the labels. Note: appliances or tools with a motor take about TWICE as much power to get started up (surge capacity) as they do to keep running (continuous capacity)! That’s why you’ll see generators advertised with two different wattages.

For example, I recently checked on our house, taking a look at keeping just the refrigerator and freezer and some lights going in an emergency. We need about 2,400 Watts to get everything started — but less than 1,000 to keep everything running! So I was searching in the 2500-2000 Watt range.

The only way you can figure out what size you need is to add up all the appliances/equipment you intend to run. Here’s a wattage chart to get you started. As you’re making your list, consider how many appliances you’ll need to plug in at the same time. (Judicious scheduling can give you better efficiency.) And note what sort of plug each appliance requires. Every generator will have a variety of plugs but it’s limited.

How much generator can you afford?

A stand-by generator will be a custom install, so I can’t anticipate what it might cost. As mentioned above, it will be in the thousands of dollars.

The cost for the dual-fuel generator shown below is around $600. Other similar units won’t cost much less but may cost as much as $2,000, depending on where you live. (We’re having a hot summer here in California, and are anticipating power outages, so prices are higher than usual.)

Prices for the inverter-generator start low, but also go up sharply. It all depends on how much power you need.

Finally, don’t overlook the fact that different states have different emission requirements – notably California. This can also change the prices.

As you consider price, compare to what you might lose if you don’t have a generator. A freezer full of food? Days worth of work?

What to look for in the advertising?

Good advertising is helpful. Look for the wattage output, size of the gas tank, noise in decibels, and safety features like overload and oil sensors, CO sensors, and surge protectors.

Example of a dual-fuel portable generator

This generator could easily serve to get you through a temporary power outage. I’d certainly consider this one for myself.

It’s one of the mid-size models from Champion. If you click the image or link and head to Amazon, you’ll find smaller and larger versions on that same page. Read everything, including reviews, and compare! It’s worth learning all you can before making a buying decision!

Champion Power Equipment 76533 4750/3800-Watt Dual Fuel RV Ready Portable Generator with Electric Start

Example of an inverter-generator

In our household we spend hours everyday at our computers, and we have an office full of printers, lights, fans, etc. For us, a power outage is above all a business disaster! So we’ve also been looking at generators that will provide high-quality power for devices. The model below looks as though it would fit our needs well. And I could lug it around!

WEN 56203i Super Quiet 2000-Watt Portable Inverter Generator w/Fuel Shut Off, CARB Compliant, Ultra Lightweight

The real solution to whether you need a generator for emergencies will be a personal one.

You final decision will require some advance planning. You’ll need to figure out what size you need (based on what appliances or equipment you want to run, and how often), where you’ll store the generator and fuel when you don’t need it, and how you’ll start, refill, and maintain the machine. The best generator for you might be very different from mine.

Full disclosure, we haven’t yet made our final decision!

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide Team

P.S. Please share your personal experiences with home generators! We need more information to make a decision about the best generators for emergencies.

 

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Packed and ready . . .

We recently asked readers what worried them the most. There was one clear winner (if that’s the right term for it):
“Not being prepared to evacuate.”

One person (Elizabeth!) had a very specific request regarding evacuation, and that’s what we’re addressing today.

“Can you please send us a SHORT list of what we need to have ready?” 

Here’s what goes into the . . .

Get Out The Door Bag.

This is the bag you need to have packed and available at all times, ready for that unexpected emergency.

This is the bag you grab when suddenly there’s a police officer banging at the door and yelling at you to get out, because . . . there’s been a train wreck, a chemical spill, some sort of terrorist attack, whatever. You have ONE MINUTE to get out! 

You pull this bag out from under the bed, scoop it out of the closet near the door, or maybe it’s already stored in the car when you scramble in.

And if it happens in the middle of the night, remember, you are in pajamas.

The Get Out The Door Bag is meant to get you to wherever you end up and give you a sense of confidence until the situation is straightened out, which may take minutes or hours.

This is not the 3-day or 72-hour kit that we talk about so often. Watch for THAT list later. It’s a longer list, so it doesn’t fit in this Advisory!

What 10 things go into the Get Out The Door Bag?

(If you look carefully, you’ll see all these in the image above!)

1. Sturdy shoes and socks
2. Long pants, long sleeved shirt (You might be in pajamas, remember?)
3. Jacket
4. Flashlight + extra batteries
5. Emergency radio
6. Cell phone and charger
7. List of emergency contact names and numbers
8. Toiletry kit including several days’ worth of medicines
9. Extra glasses, sunglasses, contacts
10. The one small thing you just can’t leave behind . . .

Everything 1-9 on the list will fit into an ordinary-sized backpack, depending on the size of your shoes! This was my list, and it all fit into my bag, with room left over!

As for that item #10 . . .

If you have extra room, or specific concerns, one or more of these might be your “one small thing you just can’t leave behind.”

• Cash
• Extra set of keys
• Memory stick/flash drive with copies of your important documents including website/account passwords
• Pocket knife or multi-tool
• Favorite photo, book, etc.
• Stuffed animal
• Mylar space blanket/sleeping bag

Because Joe and I are such fans of walkie-talkies, we’d probably each have a hand-held radio, too. You may also have noticed the hard candies in the image above. I always gotta have something sweet!

Some suggestions about how to pack your Get Out The Door Bag.

Line your backpack with a big plastic bag to help keep everything dry.

To make this really work, you will have to “build” a second toiletries kit, just for the Bag. Get a small toothbrush, small sized deodorant, wipes. Pack a supply of pills in small plastic bags. (Get in the habit of replacing pills with a new supply every other week or so.)

Use another plastic bag to build a minimal first aid kit and tuck it into the toiletries bag, too.

And as for phone and charging cables, if you always plug in at the same place, you’ll be able to scoop everything up as you head out the door. Have a plastic bag or see-through packing cube for them, too.

Keep reading for more about plastic bags!

Specific recommendations to consider for your Get Out The Door Bag.

The Packable Jacket

While I was waiting in one of the endless lines at the airport last summer, I watched a young woman dig into her suitcase and pull out a wadded up piece of clothing.

She straightened it up, slipped it on and everybody standing around nodded and smiled in approval! Turns out this is an actual fashion: the PACKABLE jacket. These jackets look like a very light-weight, close-fitting down jacket. Some, of course, are filled with material other than down. The outer material also varies; some are weather resistant. Some have hoods. But all of them are very light, very crushable and would be the perfect item to pack in your Get Out The Door bag and/or have in the car all the time!

Here are a couple of examples from Amazon: prices for packable jackets start as low as $25 (though most are more), so check out several different brands.  (Click on the images below to go directly to Amazon to start your comparison shopping.)

Amazon Essentials Men’s Lightweight Water-Resistant Packable Puffer Jacket, Charcoal Heather, Large Amazon Essentials Women’s Lightweight Long-Sleeve Full-Zip Water-Resistant Packable Puffer Jacket, Black, X-Large

Plastic baggies

A second essential item for packing is something you may have at home, but maybe not – and that is a collection of different sized zip-lock or other plastic baggies! There’s nothing better for building that

• Streamlined toiletries kit
• A small first-aid kit
• A sewing kit
• Place to store your cell phone cords, charger, etc.
• Last summer I spent about $2 I think to buy individual pill baggies. They are tiny – and perfect to hold a daily supply of a half-dozen pills!

I saw this collection at Amazon and it looked very convenient, with six different sizes. Get a couple of packs so everyone will have the sizes they need.

You know what plastic bags look like. Click the link to see this collection:

ShipGuard 600 Ziplock Bags 6 Assorted Sizes Clear 2MIL baggies1.5×2 2×2 2×3 3×3 3×4 3×5

Packing cubes

Here’s yet another packing idea. This one you should consider if you travel AT ALL!

They’re called “packing cubes.” The cubes are soft-sided rectangular-shaped  zipper containers that you pack tightly (fold or roll) and then stack in your suitcase. Put underwear in one, socks in another. PJs in another. All your little “kits” – toiletries, sewing, first aid– in another. The idea is to not have to paw through everything to get to the bottom of the case where these socks are hiding.

Obviously, our Get Out Of The House bag won’t have multiples of many items, but still, organizing in layers simply makes sense. Here’s one set that is bright red. Click on the image to get details.)

Amazon Basics Small Packing Travel Organizer Cubes Set , Red – 4-Piece Set

Extra warmth

And finally, particularly for the Get Out The Door bag, pop in a couple of space blankets or even one of the space blanket mummy bags. These flexible sheets of Mylar aren’t too sturdy, but could add extra warmth in place of or even inside a sleeping bag. The shiny reflective side goes toward your body to capture heat, or turns outside to reflect the sun.

(I added  some duct tape to my kit. I could use it to tape my blanket into a bag.)

Bought singly they cost somewhere around $4-5 each; buy in bulk and you can get them for more like $1-2 each. We have space blankets in every survival kit we own.

EVERLIT Emergency Mylar Thermal Blanket (4 Pack) Space Blankets for First Aid Kit Camping Kit Hiking Outdoor

Here’s another Mylar product that’s been turned into an instant “sleeping bag” with its own fabric case, perfect for emergency shelter and/or camping:

Tact Bivvy 2.0 Emergency Sleeping Bag, Compact Ultra Lightweight, Waterproof, Thermal Bivy Sack Cover, Emergency Shelter Survival Kit – w/Stuff Sack, Carabiner, Survival Whistle + ParaTinder (Orange)

You don’t NEED any of these Amazon items to pack up your Get Out The Door bag. Still, having the right stuff will make the bag easier to pack, easier to carry and easier to manage when you need it.

Let me know when you’ve got YOURs all packed!

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide Team

Ready to get an emergency radio — or another one? Check out our radio reviews. One of these small radios will fit in your Get Out The Door bag, just like my black and red one does.

News often drives these Advisories. You can’t have escaped the latest headlines about summer heat and summer fires. The following selected statistics from various fire news sources will give you an idea of what to expect this summer.

First, sobering statistics on the fire front — and they threaten to continue.

• Fire season – what’s changed? Last season’s California fires were some of the biggest ever seen. Already this year, fires are burning faster and hotter and earlier. Summer fire season used to start in May. Now fire “season” is all year long.
• High temperatures – how high? This year heat waves with triple-digit temperatures have hit most western states and even western Canada, setting records and breaking them the next day. (Are you familiar with “heat dome?” The NOAA defines it as “when the atmosphere traps hot ocean air like a lid or cap.”  Read more on the NOAA site and you’ll see that it’s all because the Pacific Ocean has heated up faster than the Atlantic. Expect more about heat domes in upcoming fire news.)
• Drought – again? High temperatures added to dry vegetation make fires more extreme. Two-thirds of western states are in a drought. In California, 85% of the state is in a drought. The Governor has already called for 15% cut-back in water usage.
• Deaths – Dozens! People have died from these extreme temperatures – because they didn’t have A/C and because they didn’t know how to take care of themselves, or couldn’t. And of course there have been deaths due to the fires, too. The whole situation is sad and distressing.

By contrast, is there any good fire news?

Some. You may want to find out more about each of these!

As mentioned above, the fire season is now officially 12 months long. The Federal Budget has increased funding for permanent firefighter staffs. This means departments can do a better job of planning.

Meanwhile, new technologies are coming online to improve fire detection and firefighting. Drones are a good example. They can find fires (with the help of specialized cameras), assess conditions and direct fire fighters. New apps have been developed, for professionals and citizens, which show fire locations, evacuation zones, current evacuation alerts, and up-dated escape routes. Artificial Intelligence is being harnessed to capture and analyze information from cameras, current and archived weather data, satellite images and modeling tools to predict the likelihood of fire conditions wind patterns, utility service, and more.  

All these have potential, of course, but until there are some massive breakthroughs, it looks as though we are going to experience more and more extreme fire seasons.

What can we do today here in our neighborhood?

This question prompts me to write every week!  What can I do? What can my neighbors do, working together? How can we make use of good guidance and professional resources?

The news in this Advisory, and the emergency situations described below, are meant to help you step up to a higher level — of knowledge and of readiness. Like much of what you see here in Emergency Plan Guide, this Advisory assumes you already know most of the basics. So you can consider these items as extra credit!

How many fire extinguishers should you have in your home?

Fire Alert! Wildfires can blow up out of control within as short as an hour, People need all the advance notice they can get in case they need to evacuate. Can you name three ways YOU will get warnings about fires?

Everyone should be familiar with and able to get multiple alerts: text and phone alerts from Federal and local jurisdictions, news from public airways, and messages from their place of  work. We’ve written before about emergency alerts. Be sure you are signed up if signing up is required! Promote signing up as a community or neighborhood activity. Be aware that PEOPLE WITHOUT INTERNET ACCESS MAY NOT GET ALERTS, particularly if power is out!

Possible gas leak from earthquake! Clouds of dust! A gas line valve needs to be turned off, but you know that a spark could set off an explosion or fire. What tools do you use?  

Wind is pushing embers out miles in front of an advancing wildfire! You don’t expect to have to evacuate, but embers could certainly start a smaller fire. What is the latest fire news for removing vegetation fuel outside the home?

“Keep vegetation 1 foot away from the house, keep plants/bushes trimmed up 2 feet off the ground.” Get all the guidelines at FireWise. (And get rid of all Juniper bushes – to quote the firefighter giving one of the recent presentations I attended, “They are a roman candle ready to explode.”)

A small fire starts in an older public building. The fire department has been called. People are getting safely out. You notice a fire hose and standpipe right there. Are you allowed to use this hose to keep the fire from spreading?

Next steps

Every one of the questions above can be turned into a comment, an article, a show-and-tell, a flyer, a study session – perfect for sharing with others. You can invite a guest speaker from the fire department. Everything fire-related is appropriate for every single family and every single community. Please make a commitment to share!

Good luck with your fire prevention and preparation activities.

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide team

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Early in June 2021, when it appeared that COVID shut-downs were finally being lifted, I joined in the general wave of relief. I also joined what seemed to be a separate wave of people taking time to assess just how lives had been changed. I invited Emergency Plan Guide readers to share their experiences. One of the most compelling stories came from Clare in Maine. She gave me permission to share “What happened to Alice.” It’s a story of scarcity and resilience in a setting you ought to know more about. Clare wrote . . .

How does what happened to Alice apply to us?

• Do you know any seniors? Do they live in retirement homes or communities?
• Maybe you are thinking of moving into a retirement community yourself?
• Would you be prepared if you found yourself in a situation like Alice’s?

Next week, I’ll be sending out a follow-up to Alice’s story – because I believe it could have been different. Part Two of Alice’s story will feature some more stories, this time about what other retirement communities did to keep their residents safe and engaged.

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide team

As long as people are still getting infected by the virus, it has shown it will mutate. More shut-downs are very likely. We might as well be ready. Stay tuned for some ideas in Part Two of Alice’s story!

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One of my favorite sources of ongoing news and trends is LinkedIn. Members of several LinkedIn groups post daily articles about emergency management technology, jobs, trainings, and new people in the field. (Did you know that the new head of FEMA, Deanne Criswell, is the first woman to head that organization?) The posts and articles also often reveal the state of the “preparedness mindset” of the people writing.

One recurring theme among these professionals, of course, is frustration with getting more people to prepare. It seems that every year a few more people do at least one or two things they call “preparing.”  By 2020 people doing one or two things had climbed up to 80%! (Here’s info on the actual National Household Survey.) But only 30% of people are considered to be “prepared.”

Agree or no? “Simple actions get you better prepared.”

Over the past 20 years Joe and I have encouraged our neighbors and our readers to take some of these same preparedness actions. It starts with learning about what’s likely to happen. Then we discuss having some basic strategies and supplies to help carry us through the emergency.

People understand supplies. They are quite happy to buy a few flashlights or some extra jars of peanut butter. Why, when we ask for a show of hands for “Who has extra water stored for emergencies?” we’ll typically get a response of around 70%! People with their hands raised look around with proud smiles on their faces! 

Community projects also often focus on supplies. People hand out “emergency kits” to various groups (often seniors or so-called “underserved.”) Volunteers assemble small packs and fill them with donated snacks, a bottle of water and maybe a whistle.  When the bags have been distributed, and the number documented, the program is declared a success. (In reality, most of these bags have been raided for the food before the day is over.)

Taking action on supplies is easy and has visible rewards. But it may be misleading.

Controversial mindset: “Having a Go-Bag means you’re prepared.”

One of my favorite active members in LinkedIn emergency preparedness groups is Vincent B. Davis. (You can look him up there to see all his credentials. He has plenty.) I first saw his article about Go-Bags, or disaster kits, in 2020. And he reprinted it again just a week ago.

In Vince’s opinion, disaster kits are “preparedness placebos” and we should stop telling people to get one!

He believes disaster kits will make little difference in a big disaster. Moreover, they let people off the hook and give them a false sense of security. I guess you could say that for Vince, Go-Bags create a false preparedness mindset!

Dangerous assumption: “I have my Go-Bag; I’ve done my share. Now it’s time for the authorities to step in.”

Counting on “the government” or “the authorities” can be disappointing or even deadly. We have seen that there are many circumstances where help may NOT be on the way!  Here are some of the obvious ones . . .

1. In a widespread local disaster, emergency services can be stretched too thin to cover the entire territory.  (That’s where CERT comes in – to provide some assistance until professionals arrive.)  Every year, at one of our neighborhood meetings, some people’s “preparedness mindset” is shattered to hear our Fire Department tell us just how low we are on their list of priorities! (We are a senior community!)
2. In a regional disaster, your state has to formally declare an emergency before it can ask for Federal assistance. And it may also have to commit to paying part of the bill. These political decisions may take time.
3. And during the massive disasters like hurricanes, necessary support may need to come from states or organizations all across the country. It may take days or even weeks for that support to get to your street and your door. We’ll likely see “imported” specialty Search & Rescue teams at work this week. And you may remember the pictures of mile after mile of utility company trucks, coming from states half-way across the country, heading toward Florida after Hurricane Irma hit in 2017.

So what’s the solution to being prepared?

I’ve been thinking a lot about preparing for this summer. It is forecast — and has already proven — to be dangerously hot and dangerously dry, with draught, power outages and wildfires. And that’s just here in the west!

And yes, Joe and I have taken a few actions we think make readiness sense. We’ve refreshed the 55-gallon water barrel and bought a grill so we can cook outdoors if there’s no power to the house.

When I think about it, though, no matter what the season or the weather, in our house we regularly start a conversation with “What if . . ?.”  and “How would we handle . . .?” and “I’ll bet that if we . . .” And we spend some time thinking it through to our satisfaction. We have operated with this mindset for years. So for us,

Preparedness is an attitude, not a curriculum! The attitude goes something like this: “Hey, I’m ready for anything! And even if something happens I didn’t prepare for, I’ll have a head start on figuring how to deal with it!”

This is the preparedness mindset we try to inspire in everything we do at Emergency Plan Guide!

Nearly every one of our Advisories tries to deepen our understanding of some aspect of preparedness that we’ve become curious about.  (Even if it’s a disaster like a volcano that I’m not likely to experience, or a piece of equipment like an ATV that I’ll never own.)

Every one of our books is full of examples and options – to give people that “head start” on dealing with any unexpected emergency. We think that whatever you do to prepare for one emergency will probably apply in 80% of all cases. With that foundation, we can get to work immediately to solve the particular problem at hand.

Joe and I both had the advantage of active childhoods – and we are particularly interested in making sure young people get exposed to physical risks and challenges along with their digital experiences. I am busy right now working on a presentation for a group of high-school aged Girl Scouts! (More on that to come.)

Quiz: So where does preparedness fit in your mindset?

1. Is it built into your daily routines, or is it something you only think about when you catch a glimpse of a disaster on TV?
2. Do you keep adding to your knowledge or have you pretty much “been there and done that?”
3. What are you doing to give young people more opportunities to develop their strength and problem-solving skills?

Our world doesn’t seem to be getting either safer or easier to navigate. I think that having a “ready for anything” attitude, based on knowledge plus experience, can be a valuable asset.

That’s what keeps us going, anyway!

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide team

P.S. If the concept of having a “head start” sounds attractive to you, please take another look at our Q&A Mini-Series. Each one of the booklets is filled with examples and answers about one basic emergency need, like water, security, communications, etc. The questions in the booklets are great questions for kids, too.

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