Category: Action Items

Assume a major storm, hurricane or earthquake. Communications are disrupted. What happens to your bills – and your credit rating?

Today we went to the bank to set up a new account. We’ve been planning recently about how to promote building a savings account specifically for emergencies, so we figured we’d do some actual background research.

Setting up the account took a lot longer than I expected. It felt as though the “Know your customer” (KYC) regulations, set up after 9/11 to combat fraud, have been integrated into every step of the account opening process!

This exercise brought me back for another look at an earlier Advisory about what happens when a disaster interrupts your regularly-scheduled bill paying. It’s clearly time for an update!

Do you receive bills, and pay them, via the US Postal Service?

Yes, online transactions are more popular than ever, but still, did you know that 4 out of all 10 bills are still paid using a paper check? So let’s start with them.

If you like the control of paper bills and checks, do you have a record of when your various bills come due and where the payments go? Would you be able to write and send at least a minimum payment if the actual paper bills didn’t arrive? (As we have seen, this isn’t fantasy. Over the course of the summer 2020 delivery times for the U.S. mail were severely impacted.)

You can be sure that just because the mail truck couldn’t make it through the flooded creek, your creditors will be looking for their expected payment. When that payment doesn’t arrive, your account will be automatically charged with a late fee.

Do you receive bills and pay them online by going to your creditors’ websites or by using the bill pay functions offered by your bank?

In a disaster, your bank’s website will continue to be open for business – but if your computer or smartphone isn’t able to access the internet, you may not be able to get to that website to pay the bills that are coming due every day!

What can you do starting now to protect your credit rating?

Even if you’re used to paying bills online, and using ATM machines for convenient transactions, there are three things you should do starting now to protect your credit BEFORE an emergency strikes.

Step One: Pay your bills immediately.

Pay your bills as soon after you receive them as possible. If you wait until the last minute, you may end up weeks behind because of the emergency and you run the risk of late charges and damage to your credit rating if your payments didn’t get there on time.

Step Two: Have payment slips prepared.

If you pay by check, take time now to make two hard copies each of the payment slips that have the account numbers, barcodes and amount/s due imprinted on them. Following a major even you can use these to make minimum payments by hand until things get back to normal.

Step Three: Set up automatic bill-paying BY COMPUTER.

Paying online is faster, less expensive (no stamps) and the chances are good that you will be able to get back to operating on line more quickly than by mail following a major disaster event. Setting up accounts to be paid automatically each month simplifies things even more.

Of course, monthly automatic bill pay assumes that you will have an automatic deposit made each month! You’ll want to find out just if and how you will be paid if an emergency interrupts your work.

How will creditors react?  

We’re often asked, “Won’t the creditors give me leeway in a major emergency?”

 Yes . . . there’s a concept called “disaster forbearance” that may apply — but usually only if you are in a federally-declared disaster area. And that declaration may take some time — or never happen. (We have witnessed a “forebearance” policy from some banks as the result of COVID-19 — but that period came and went . . .)

In any case, creditors will be happier to work with you if you contact them before your next bill is due! If you are lucky, you may be able to avoid late fees and extra interest payments.

But be ready to jump through all sorts of hoops to correct the records. Once you get put sideways into their (and the credit reporting agencies’) computers, you go through hell trying to straighten them out. Multiply this times the number of creditors and you have a monster of a problem to look forward to at a time when you will have plenty of other problems to be solving!

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide team

P.S. Oh, and getting back to that “emergency savings account?” Like every other good idea for saving money, the simplest approach is to set up an automatic “payment” to yourself, designed to go directly into a separate account.  Since the average American who says they have put money aside for emergencies has actually saved less than $400 (!), it would be a good idea to set that up now!

How many prescription medicines do you take? When you add up all the pills, drops, injections, teas, lotions and medicinal oils for every member of the family – including pets – how many do you get?

Many families take dozens of pills and prescriptions every single week! Our ability to afford them aside, we have gotten accustomed to being reminded to refill our prescriptions. We count on picking up refills at the local pharmacy or getting them by mail, whenever we order them.

In an emergency, what will happen if you run out?

Will you be troubled  . . . or will your life, or the life of a family member, actually be threatened?

This Advisory has been inspired by a report I heard on the news last night. Actually, it was a phone call coming from a quarantined passenger on one of the cruise ships being held off the coast of Japan. “I ran out of insulin. And although the ship promised they were working on getting me more, it wasn’t happening. Finally I called on friends back home who got my prescription filled and mailed it to me here on the ship. I’m expecting it to arrive tomorrow.”

Going on a cruise isn’t normally considered an emergency! But as we have seen, anything can happen.

Let’s take a look at pills and prescriptions so an unexpected event in our lives doesn’t become a disaster.

Getting an extra supply of essential medicines.

Know what’s essential for you!

Over-the-counter drugs are easy enough. Just buy a few of the ones you take regularly and be sure they are in your Survival Kits or long-term Shelter-in-Place stores.

When it comes to the essential pills and prescriptions, talk with your doctor. Understand which pills you could discontinue without a severe reaction. (You may be pleasantly surprised . . .!)

Ask your doctor for an “emergency preparedness prescription” for 2 weeks or a month’s supply. At the same time, start now to apply for regularly-scheduled refills a few days early. Squirrel away a few extra pills at the end of each month until you have your stash.

Action Item: Try to get at least a 2 weeks extra supply of prescription medicines!

Storing pills and medicines safely.

Many pills have a statement on the label that says something like: Store in dark, dry place. Some eye drops say they need to be refrigerated. Directions on insulin may say “Store in refrigerator.” but the label may continue with something like, “If refrigeration is not available, store at room temperature.” Nearly all medicines have a “Use by . . .” date.

In an emergency you may not have refrigeration. You may not be able to control humidity. You may need to consider taking “out of date” medicines!

Action Item: Talk with your doctor or pharmacist to find out what options you have for safely storing and using your essential medicines.

Organizing your pills and medicines at home.

In our house everything was going along fine until Joe experienced an unexpected and severe reaction to a drug. We’re still coping with the aftermath – and one thing that has meant is managing over a dozen new pills, shots and medicinal creams! The list changed weekly for a while and still changes.

Keeping track of when to take what has been a major effort!

In a disaster, without electricity or communications, or maybe not even being at home, managing medicines will be even tougher. You may not be able to do it safely without a couple of tools.

Tool #1: Your medicines list

You can do this on paper, but using the computer will be a lot more efficient. Keep an updated list of ALL your over-the counter and prescription medicines as well as medicines you doctor doesn’t even know about, like laxatives or pain relievers. Keep your list with you at all times! (Put one on the refrigerator, too, for the use of Emergency Medical Personnel. Read about our Vial of Life program.)

List name of the medicine (generic and/or brand name), dosage, and what it’s for. If you have space, describe the pill (“oval, white”) so that someone else could take over if necessary.

Tool #2: Your medicines calendar

When you have to take six or seven pills a day, it’s easy to skip one, particularly if they all come at different times. When you don’t feel well, managing is harder. As you age, it may become impossible.

Set up a calendar NOW so you can be sure you haven’t missed anything. Be disciplined about marking the calendar each time you take your medicine.

You can create your own layout based on your own logic, but here are the top few rows of the one we’ve developed for our household. As you can see, there is room for 3 medicines per day. You may need more. We put a O in the square where a pill is needed, and then an X inside the O to show it was taken. (If several people need calendars, I’d print them on different color paper.)

Packing pills and medicines for a trip or emergency evacuation.

Again, here we’re thinking about having to manage medicines when you are away from home. Here are three recommendations – and I make them from experience!

Pill box or pill container – Actually, I use a pillbox at home, all the time. My own box has roomy compartments, with ergonomic compartments – smooth, no corners — one for each day of the week. (It’s the blue one in the image at the top of the Advisory.)

I can see in a moment if I’m up to date on my pills.

As I mentioned, Joe takes a whole collection of pills these days. He needs a pill box with compartments for different times of day.

Here are two larger boxes from Amazon that I’d consider particularly for travel use. The first is water proof, and the second is smaller, discrete and flexible!

AUVON iMedassist Weekly AM/PM Pill Box, 2nd Gen Portable Travel Pill Organizer (7-Day / 4-Times-A-Day) with Moisture-Proof Design and Large Compartments to Hold Vitamins, Supplements and Medication

Lewis N. Clark AM/PM Folding Pill Organizer + Supplement Case for OTC Medicine, Prescription + Vitamins – 16 Slot Pouch, Black

Individual pill packets – I have used these small baggies for a number of items when I travel – for pills, for herbs, even for (small) jewelry. (Each is about 2 in. on a side.) I tuck the small baggies into a larger see-through container, then just pull one out when I want it.

Ezy Dose Pill Packs | Pill and Vitamin Organizer Pouches | 100 Count | Disposable

Original prescriptions – I don’t know exactly how the woman on the cruise ship managed, but I have had my own experience with being unable to get a prescription filled without at least a copy of the original, showing when it was issued and the doctor’s signature. If you deal with one medical service or one pharmacy, they probably have a computerized record of all your prescriptions. (But if that pharmacy is impacted by the disaster, will the records be available?)

Action Item. Scan and store prescriptions in the cloud. Take pictures of the actual bottles, too. That way you’ll have them in your phone and you can blow up the pictures to read the labels more easily.

This Advisory has a lot of ideas, and your own list of things to do may be even longer. But when it’s a question of life and death of a loved one, the effort is worth it. Please share any of your own good ideas for managing pills and prescriptions on a regular basis or during emergencies!

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide team

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional so my comments are based on info from sources I believe to be reliable. Consequently, please check with your own sources and try to stay up to date with this rapidly developing emergency.

What’s the latest on the coronavirus?

As I write this on January 30, 2020, China has placed 50 million of its citizens under quarantine because of coronavirus. Facebook and Google are restricting employee travel to China (and Hong Kong). Foreign governments are airlifting their citizens out of Wuhan, the center of the outbreak, and, in the case of the U.S., flying them to Alaska and to the mainland U.S..

Two days ago the World Health Organization changed its earlier assessment and now labels the virus a Global Health Emergency.

Meanwhile, here in my California neighborhood, two elementary school children crossed my street wearing white surgical masks.

Should your kids be wearing masks?

Should you?

As the coronavirus spreads, what should we do at home?

First, try to be realistic about this virus. Even though it is a new one and spreading rapidly, it does seem (so far) to be like other viruses. That is, a lot of people get sick, but it doesn’t mean they all will die.

(The most recent statistic I’ve seen is a mortality rate among people with severe cases of 2-3%. Compare that with Ebola, with a death rate of 90%. Another disclaimer – statistics like these can be misleading because it’s never quite clear which strain of the disease is being tracked. Similarly, it’s never clear exactly what the definition of “severe” is. Still, you can get an idea of the relative danger.)

Keep up with the news so you’ll know when to take action as a result of the coronavirus.

I have several sources that I turn to: broadcast news, online news, and my LinkedIn Emergency Management group. I recommend you also take a look at the regularly updated pages at the Center for Disease Control: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov

In the meanwhile, follow these basic sensible steps.

• Don’t plan travel to Wuhan, China or anywhere in China, for that matter.
• Wash your hands often, with soap and water.
• Don’t touch your eyes, nose and mouth with dirty hands.
• If you cough or sneeze, smother it with a tissue and throw the tissue away.
• Clean often-used objects and surfaces with disinfectant.  (Phone? Computer keyboard? Kitchen counter? Bathroom faucets?)
• If you do get sick, stay home. If persistent high fever or trouble breathing, contact your doctor. (Do NOT walk in without instructions.)

If you are working and traveling, do you need to be ready to be quarantined because of coronavirus?

Today I read that a planeload of Americans scheduled to land in Ontario, CA had been diverted to a nearby military base where they are being kept quarantined for 14 days. (They will get to watch the Super Bowl in their quarantine setting.)

Your plane or even your office could be caught up in quarantine, too.  So it’s good to understand what “quarantine” really means, and to distinguish it from “isolation.”

Important definitions: quarantine vs. isolation.

• According to Health and Human Services, “Quarantine is used to separate and restrict the movement of well persons who may have been exposed to a communicable disease to see if they become ill.” That explains why the planeload of people watching the Super Bowl won’t be locked into some sort of hospital. Rather, they’ll be observed for several days.

• Isolation is different.  Per the HHS, “Isolation is used to separate ill persons who have a communicable disease from those who are healthy.”  You may remember the dramatic cases of Ebola victims being isolated during and after transport to the U.S.

Isolation and quarantine are authorized by the Federal Government for a number of communicable diseases including Cholera, Diphtheria, Infectious tuberculosis, Smallpox, etc. Today’s news reports that the governments of both the U.K. and Australia have authorized quarantine for up to 14 days for people returning from Wuhan.

How to prepare to be quarantined.

You can consider the preparations for quarantine to be the same as for sheltering in place.

So, right now, before anything more happens, ask yourself these questions:

Do we have supplies to carry EVERYONE through a 14-day quarantine? 

At home you are likely to have to make no extreme emergency preparations. And since you will have running water and utilities as usual, life won’t be onerous. Make a list today and get extra dog food, toilet paper, aspirin, etc. immediately.

Think of a few projects you can engage in with other family members. Just remember, once the quarantine starts, there will be no running to the grocery store or to the hardware store.

At work it could be a whole different story. Do you have food and water for everyone in the workplace? Where will people sleep, and with what blankets and/or pillows? What about hygiene?  What to do about people who refuse to stay quarantined?

Preparing to be quarantined at work because of the coronavirus could take several days and cost a fair amount. 

Find out what your legal responsibilities are in this situation.

On the road you may find yourself quarantined without any notice. If you travel, be sure you have basic emergencies items in the car or in your carry-on bag. In particular, have a few snacks, a warm jacket, a supply of your prescription drugs and your list of emergency contact names. Carry batteries and a portable battery so your devices won’t run out of power.

What’s your plan for letting people know you’ve been quarantined because of coronavirus?

Family members may be concerned is they hear about you being quarantined. Be sure you keep them up to date. Don’t forget to cancel and/or reschedule appointments, etc.

Use your crisis communications procedures at work to let employees, suppliers and customers know that activity at your business has been temporarily interrupted (and to what extent). Prepare draft messages NOW so they are ready to be finalized and sent out at a moment’s notice.

Operate from knowledge and caution and not from fear.

The more you know about how the virus is developing and the steps the various governments and/or medical authorities are taking, the easier it will be for you to anticipate any changes you should be making in your personal or work life.

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide team

P.S. And to answer that question about face masks? It seems to me that since the virus is transmitted when people sneeze or cough, the people who really should be wearing the masks are not well people (after all, the mask doesn’t protect your eyes) but rather people who themselves have flu symptoms! (The problem is that multi-day incubation period . . .)

Sure, wearing a surgical mask keeps large particles of smoke/soot from your mouth and nose, and keeps you from touching your nose or mouth with dirty fingers. But it doesn’t block airborne viruses.

Still, wearing a mask probably can’t hurt.  Read more about masks here.

If you love words like I do, you probably cringe when you read something like “practice situational awareness!” I guess if I had to use a better expression it would be “Pay attention to what’s going on around you!”

This image above is one of my favorites. That young woman could walk right off a curb, or into the arms of a stranger, without even realizing it!

OK, now let’s add a second image to help our story. Imagine this driver cruising right up beside the woman in the first picture, grabbing her phone and speeding off!

Have you heard about the Moped Muggers? Phones are being snatched from purses, from pockets and right out of people’s hands — often by thieves on skateboards or scooters.

As one newscaster put it, “You wouldn’t go out on the street waving five $100 dollar bills in your hand, would you?” (Time to update that figure to more like six or seven $100 bills, eh?)

Situational Awareness will save you.

Being aware will save you from losing valuable items. It will save you from embarrassing mistakes. It could also save your life in an emergency by giving you a head start on decision making.

You can train yourself and your kids to be more observant.

For example, when you go into a building, note the number of people you see, where they are and what they are wearing. (Try to do this unobtrusively, of course!) Notice the number of doors to the room or exits from the building.

When you get back outside, quiz yourself and the kids on those details!

Here’s another example. If you find yourself waiting for a train or a bus, take a closer look at people around you. Try predicting where they might be going or what they are planning to do. If your timing is right, you may actually be able to see if your prediction was accurate.

These exercises can be fun. The most important result? You’ll find yourself getting better at noticing when and why people “just don’t fit.”

When things don’t look or feel “right,” trust your instincts and take action.

At that point, your first action may be to simply move away from the uncomfortable situation. You can go further and report your concerns to authorities. (“See something, say something.”)

Either way, you have taken a move to protect yourself from possible danger.

Paying attention to what goes on around you isn’t hard. But it surely is essential to being prepared!

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide team

P.S. Response to our Advisories about Situational Awareness has been so great that we added a lot more on the topic in our Q&A Mini-Series booklet, Personal Safety. Situational Awareness starts off the second part of the book, and there are several more “exercises” for practicing with your kids. Perfect for getting a conversation started on being responsible for your own safety!

We have written regularly and determinedly about being prepared for a power outage – planned or unplanned — as the most common “emergency” in the country.

Our goal is to keep an inconvenience from becoming an emergency. Or perhaps, keep an emergency from becoming a disaster.

Inconveniences, emergencies and disasters are happening right now in Northern California because of a massive planned power outage.

PG&E, the country’s largest utility, is deliberately shutting down power during an anticipated high wind event to avoid possible forest fires from downed lines.

So far, about 500,000 people have been affected.  Further planned outages may impact as many as 1 million households — 2 million people!

It’s the most extensive planned power outage ever employed.

Some examples of how residents are coping – and struggling.

• Gas stations have long, long lines or are closed completely as people rush to fill their cars and buy fuel for generators.
• Stores have sold out of generators, water and batteries.
• Food stores without generators have packed some items into ice-filled containers or refrigerated trucks, trying to keep them cold for a few more hours. Other stores have already started disposing of ruined food.
• Some retail operations show emergency lighting, but are closed because they can’t operate cash registers.
• Traffic lights are blinking or out completely, creating dangerous intersections and traffic jams.
• Cell phones are running out of battery. “Community Resource Centers” have been opened, and can  provide residents with bathrooms, bottled water and power recharging – but apparently only during daylight hours. (Find list of open centers here.)
• People who need electric medical devices may be in real trouble unless they have made advance preparations for back-up or alternatives.

How long will the planned outage last?

Again, according to news reports, “Once the fire weather subsides, PG&E will inspect and test the grid both electronically and with on-site crews before restoring service. That could take up to five days.”

(Surely California can expect help from other states and/or utility companies, just as Florida and Georgia did during Hurricane Dorian.)

It’s not often that we experience a self-inflicted disaster.

PG&E Senior Vice President: “The safety of our customers and the communities we serve is our most important responsibility, which is why PG&E has decided to turn power off to customers during this widespread, severe wind event.”

As you can imagine, many citizens and citizen groups are outraged that the power line infrastructure has not been maintained to withstand high winds. Watch for more on this. In the meanwhile . . .

Check out these Emergency Plan Guide Resources.

• https://emergencyplanguide.org/power-outage-scheduled-for-next-week/  Electrical medical devices, food spoilage
• https://emergencyplanguide.org/power-outage-scheduled-for-next-week/ Do’s and Don’t’s for when the power goes out
• https://emergencyplanguide.org/power-outage-in-the-workplace/ Lots more can go wrong when the power goes out at work.
• https://emergencyplanguide.org/managing-medicines-in-an-emergency suggestions for managing medicines that need to be refrigerated
• https://emergencyplanguide.org/reviews/best-emergency-lanterns-for-power-outage/ How to buy the best emergency lighting for your needs, with our recommendations

Even if you aren’t in Northern California, an extended power outage could hit at any time. Please take simple steps to keep an outage from being a disaster for you and your household!

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide team

Think for a moment. In your household,  how many people take prescription medicines?

In all, how many different pills or medicines do you keep track of on a regular basis?

Last week, I told you about Joe’s episode with the allergic reaction. Since then, OUR list of medicines has grown exponentially! New pills with dosages that changes daily. Inhalers.  The doctors assure us it’s a temporary thing, but keeping track of them all is tough!

Managing medicines in an emergency will be so much more difficult!

Imagine how you’ll cope when your home is damaged by flood, fire or winds!

• First, you have to find all those medicines.  If your home is severely damaged or you had to rush out, it may take a while, or you may not be able to rescue the medicines at all! Do you have an emergency supply packed up so you can grab it and take with you at a moment’s notice?
• Next, to make sure no one is taking the wrong dose after an interruption, you will have to set up a new schedule. (Surely you have seen bottles that say, “Do not stop taking this medicine!” or, “If you miss a dose,  follow these important instructions . . .”) Consider people taking insulin. You need to know by heart what the appropriate response to missed insulin would be for YOU based on your condition and the type of insulin you take.
• OK, you have no emergency supply, or you’ve used it up, and the emergency continues. You are searching desperately for a refill, but all the offices and stores where you usually shop have been shut down by the disaster, too. What can you do?

Here are some new resources for managing medicines in an emergency.

Find a pharmacy with RX Open. 

When Dorian hit a month ago, a website was activated that showed all the pharmacies that were open for business in every state in the southeast. Here’s the notice I got thanks to a post from Michael Smith that appeared in the LinkedIn CERT group. (Not a real clear image, sorry.)

Rx Open displays the precise location on Google Maps of open pharmacies, closed pharmacies, and those whose status is unknown. The site is maintained and is open to the public at no cost during a disaster through the support of Health Care Ready and the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs, (NCPDP) Foundation.

Of course, pharmacies have to sign up to be listed in the RX Open database.  Action item: Next time you head to your pharmacy, ask if they are members.

Get an emergency prescription refill.

Let’s assume you had an emergency supply of prescriptions, and were able to use it. But now you’ve run out. Your doctor is unavailable, and your usual pharmacy is still closed. What are your options for getting an emergency refill?

It turns out that some states have what are called emergency prescription laws. They vary, of course. But they all seem to require that first, an emergency be declared. Then, if a pharmacist can’t reach the usual doctor for authorization, a prescription may be refilled “if failure to refill might interrupt the patient’s ongoing care and have a significant adverse effect on the patient’s well-being.” (These quotes are from a statement issued in 2017 by the CA State Board of Pharmacy.)

This last paragraph applies to California, which seems to allow “a reasonable amount of the medicine.” Some states limit emergency refills to a 72-hour supply. Some states have NO emergency refill laws.

Action Item: Find out about YOUR state’s requirements regarding managing emergency prescription refills! Here are two places to start your research:

• https://www.healthcareready.org/blog/state-emergency-refills
• https://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2019/09/prescription-preparedness/

Store prescriptions safely at home.

A couple of reminders before we move on. I hope you’re familiar with these.

If you have specific medical conditions or allergies, consider wearing a medical ID bracelet. Essential in an emergency situation.

If you get regular medical treatments (for example, dialysis) find out what the emergency procedures are at your clinic and get a list of back-up service providers in case you need to get treatment in an emergency. Keep that list in your important papers.

Now, we’ve said it so many times. The most LIKELY emergency you’ll encounter will be a power outage. That means no refrigeration.

Your problem: medicines that need to be refrigerated! 

Here are some suggestions that we put into the new Disaster Survival Guide series Workbooks. Will any of these work for you? Build your own Action Item list.

• Find out the safe temperature range for your medicines. (Some may not really need refrigeration.)
• In an emergency, could a different formula of your medicine work, one that doesn’t need refrigeration? Check with your doctor on this!
• If an outage is announced, be ready with an insulated cooler that you can promptly fill with ice to protect medicines for at least a few days.
• Consider purchasing a solar-powered refrigerator/freezer and know how to use it in an emergency.

Below is an example of a solar-powered portable refrigerator so you can get an idea of size, capabilities, and cost. What to consider as you shop:

• Capacity – Measured in quarts. How much space do your really need for your medicines?
• Weight – While most portable refrigerators have wheels so they can be rolled, they are heavy to lift.
• Temperature achieved – A number of the “camping” or “portable” refrigerators get down to -4 degrees, which is below freezing. The lower the temperature you require, the more expensive the refrigerator you’ll need.  “Cool” or “freezing” is the question.
• Battery power – Some portable refrigerators have no battery. They simply  plug either into the wall or into the car battery for power. If you want solar, you’ll need a DC connection for solar AND a battery to store the power when the sun isn’t shining. (You’ll probably get an AC connection, too.)
• Solar panels – The chest itself does not provide sufficient solar panel expanse (if it has any at all) to provide the cooling power. You will need to purchase companion panels (maybe  80 – 120 watt) at additional cost.

Click on the image or the link below to go to Amazon, where we are associates. This particular model of portable refrigerator/freezer has a lot more information below all the sales and comparison information, so scroll down to read it. There are pictures of a complete set-up (with panels and storage battery) and also a couple of homemade videos that I found very useful.

Thanks for reading, and taking action.

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide team

P.S. If I had a need for emergency refrigeration, I would probably keep the portable refrigerator pre-cooled all the time, using its electric hookup. Then in the emergency, use the solar to keep the frig “topped off.”

One of my favorite sources for preparedness information is the online newsletter, Government Technology.  (It has various sections, including Emergency Management, Cyber Security, Emergency Tech, Cloud, and more.) Two weeks ago the magazine included a report from a local Oklahoma newspaper on the results from a preparedness survey.

The article really struck home and has pushed me to further action here in my own neighborhood! I hope you’ll find it as interesting as I did!

Background to the preparedness survey

OK, swivel your thinking from wherever you are right now to the middle of north-central Oklahoma. Plains, rolling hills. Flooding earlier this year. Consider, specifically, the town of Stillwater.  

(For those who like to know stuff like this, the area was settled in the 1880s and 90s during a series of famous “land rushes.”  Today, it is the 10^th largest city in Oklahoma with about 47,000 inhabitants and is home to Oklahoma State University.)

It turns out that Stillwater put out a “flash-survey” on the topic of emergency preparedness. They sent the survey to citizens who had signed up to participate.

(Note that whenever you have people willing to “self-select” you tend to get more accurate responses.)

And here are some of the survey questions – and answers.

Please think about what YOUR answers would be!

Question: What disasters do you worry about?
Stillwater: Tornados (93% named this as #1!), floods and then earthquakes. Other choices were wildfires, public health emergencies, heat, cold, and terrorist activity. Plus “other” – which was mostly power outages.
Your turn: What disasters to YOU worry about? (Are you being realistic?)

Question: What have you done to prepare? (I assume they provided a list of options to check.)
Stillwater:  Flashlight and extra batteries (81.5%), first aid kit (68%), portable radio (less than half), NOAA weather radio (37%), 3-day supply of food (less than 50%), 3-gallons of water per person (22%). “Have done nothing” (10%).
Your turn: What preparations have YOU made?

Question: Have you signed up for Stillwater’s emergency alert system?
Stillwater: Yes, 45%. Never heard of it, 55%.
Your turn: Have YOU signed up for your local alert system?

Question: What does our community need to do a better job of when it comes to emergency management?
Stillwater: More public trainings or drills; need more public or community tornado shelters.
Your turn: What more should YOUR community be doing? Have you let them know?

So here’s the last question, and it comes not from the Stillwater newspaper, but from Emergency Plan Guide.

Question: What answers would your neighbors give to these survey questions?

What’s the next step?

If you’re not sure what your neighbors’ answers would be, why not put out your own survey so you are working with facts, and not supposition? You can do an online survey, via SurveyMonkey (free if fewer than 10 questions and 100 responses), or on paper.

Some suggestions for designing your survey (based on my years in the marketing world!):

• More than 10 questions will depress response.
• If you make the survey anonymous you’ll get more responses.
• To improve response and capture names and/or emails and build a list – add a deadline with offer of a drawing and prize to the winner. At the very minimum, promise to share results of the survey with participants.

Whether you make it formal or informal, the answers to your survey should serve to help as you plan for upcoming meetings or events for your community.

After all, September is preparedness month – so you could use the survey to get the ball rolling for your team! That’s what we’re planning to do! 

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide Team

P.S. Need some suggestions for questions to include on your survey? SurveyMonkey has a sample survey on their site. I’m not necessarily recommending it but it may help you get started drafting your own. Here’s another sample series of questions from the State of Indiana:

If you need more details of what preparedness options to put on your survey (“Check all that apply.”), the government offers this basic list. We also have an even more complete list here at Emergency Plan Guide.

P.P.S. Thanks to reporter Michelle Charles, who wrote about the survey in the StillwaterNewsPress. Let me know what YOU decide to do with a survey and I’ll pass along to her the impact that her article had, across the country!

For a writer, that’s an important question! And for every writer, like it or not, there’s one answer that seems to come up every time.

People want to read lists!

If your list is short, you can write details about each item. If it’s long, you can break it into sections. You can use icons instead of numbering your list. As a direct marketer, I tend to use empty check boxes in front of the items on my list, so people will subconsciously feel they need to “check them off!”

Whatever format you choose, people love ’em!

Over the years I have written many, many lists. Here are three of them that statistics tell me people want to read:

1. Emergency Supplies for your Pet
2. School preparedness questions
3. 5-Point safety checklist for time change

Today, it’s time to bring up another of my lists that is a favorite of my own. This is a very long list, the longest I’ve ever put together. It has no detail. It doesn’t even have checkboxes to help you decide which item to follow up on.

My favorite list — A list of threats

This is a list that’s perfect for people who are paranoid. It’s also good for anyone thinking about emergency preparedness! The directions? Pick out the 5  threats most likely to impact you!  Then, get started in preparing for them!

• Active shooter
• Arson
• Bomb threat
• Bomb blast
• Brown out
• Cable cut
• Chemical spill
• Communications failure
• Construction
• Crime investigation
• Drought
• Earthquake
• Electrical outage
• Emergency alert
• Employee strike
• Epidemic
• Evacuation
• Explosion
• Extreme heat
• Fire
• Flood
• Frozen pipes
• Gas line leak
• Hail storm
• Hazardous materials
• Home fire
• Household chemical emergency
• Hurricane
• Ice storm
• Insect infestation
• Lightning
• Landlord conflict
• Landslide
• Land subsidence
• Nuclear explosion
• Nuclear power plant leak
• Place crash
• Pandemic
• Power failure
• Power surge
• Public disturbance
• Raw sewage
• Rodent infestation
• Sabotage
• Smoke damage
• Snow storm
• Terrorism
• Theft
• Thunderstorm and lightning
• Tornado
• Train derailment
• Tsunami
• Vandalism
• Vehicle crash
• Virus
• Volcano
• Water supply problem
• Wildfire
• Wind storm

Hope you got this far, and selected 5 threats to get started preparing for.  Which were they?

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide Team

Day 25  of Summer Vacation: A time for some shorter and lighter Advisories as a welcome change-of-pace!

Just a couple of weeks ago I wrote an article about the importance of water this summer for keeping cool – particularly when you have no air conditioning. Then just last Saturday I was on the phone with my son in Germany, talking about keeping his young family safe during the heat wave that was going on in Europe!

At the same time my LinkedIn feed is full of pictures of flooding in the Midwest – often with the caption “No end in sight!”

What do you expect this summer? Too much or too little water? And does it really make a difference?

I think it does. According to the United Nations, “about 90% of all natural disasters are water-related!”

90%? Just think about it. Here are 5 miscellaneous facts that give us an idea of the role water is playing right here, right now in the U.S. I think we should all be familiar with details like these:

• This year’s floods in Iowa are so bad that Governor Reynolds didn’t even have to do a damage assessment in order to apply for disaster relief.
• The 2018 wildfires in California (“worst in history) were intensified by nearly 8 years of drought. This summer, utility company PG&E has already begun “Public Safety Power Shutoff’s (PSPS)” to protect from more electrical fires.
• When Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina in last September, dozens of “hog lagoons” overflowed or were damaged – leaking pig poop onto surrounding acreage and into the groundwater. (Did you realize that over 40% of Americans rely on groundwater for drinking water?)
• Florida has been in the news lately, not just because of political activity. Turns out that the sea level there is rising by 1 inch every 3 years. Water comes right up through the ground in coastal cities! And saltwater in getting into drinking water and compromising sewage plants.
• Remember Hurricane Harvey, in Houston? So do the residents there! A study of over 13,000 people shows that mental health damage has had a bigger impact than physical damage. . . both for people whose homes were flooded and those whose homes were spared.

So what can we do about water this summer?

We can’t change the weather. But we can certainly be more aware of how precious clean water really is. We can do our best not to waste or pollute, and we can encourage those around us to do the same.

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide team

P.S. Here in California that drought had an impact on more than the forests. All sorts of restrictions were placed on washing cars, watering lawns, etc. Even today, waiters bring out silverware and menus but not necessarily water. You have to ask for it!

What’s going on in your neighborhood to save water?

Day 5 of Summer Vacation: A time for some shorter and lighter Advisories as a welcome change-of-pace!

“Take care of your tools and they will take care of you.” This comment seems to refer most often to garden tools.

In today’s Advisory from Emergency Plan Guide, though, taking care of tools refers to the computer tools we are using right now – our computers, tablets, phones – all those digital tools that make it possible to share stories, images and, in this case, blog posts!

Now, I want to be able to finish the 31 days of this summer blog challenge without a computer hitch. So when over the past week I received several warnings, one after another, I paid close attention.

And then I thought of you, and knew you would be interested, too!

Take care of your computer tools!

Here are the three warnings I’ve received in the past couple of weeks.

Warning #1 comes from Avast. It’s about a phishing scam that arrives in an official-looking WordPress email. It urgently requests that you update your username, password, etc. Because you’re a good reader (!), you might notice one little strange grammatical quirk in the email, but MOST people won’t notice it.

Anytime you get an email from what you consider a trusted source (most popular phishing emails come from Microsoft, PayPal, Netflix, banks, etc. ) that urgently demands an update or action on a bill or some such, consider it a scam first and then follow up VERY carefully. (Don’t hit that Update Now button!)

Warning #2 comes from Microsoft. It’s about BlueKeep, a 2019 “worm” affecting older versions of Windows, traveling from computer to computer. The windows versions that are vulnerable: Windows 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 7. If you haven’t been taking care of your tools by updating, do it now! (It you are running Windows 8 and Windows 10 it looks as though you aren’t affected by BlueKeep.)

Warning #3 comes from ithemes Security. Actually, it’s two separate warning reports!  The first lists 9 WordPress plug-ins and themes that have vulnerabilities and the second half of the report lists 19 more. A couple of the plugins have been removed by WordPress; the others have a patch that fixes the problem as long as you update. (I found 3 familiar plugins on these lists, and 2 that I currently use, so this isn’t wildly esoteric stuff.) Here are links to the two reports:

• WordPress Vulnerability Roundup: June 2019, Part 1
• WordPress Vulnerability Roundup: June 2019, Part 2

How do I get these warnings?

The reason I get these warnings is because I have installed multiple security software packages on my computer network. Some of them are paid, others free.

The software itself doesn’t necessarily catch everything. I certainly have received my share of fake Wells Fargo phishing emails! But I do get a warning bell from time to time, and questionable emails end up in my JUNK file where I can carefully review them. Plus I get regular alerts like the ones described here.

You can also get warnings simply by setting up a Google Alert.

Are you taking good care of your tools? What security software do you use?

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide team

Day 3 of Summer Vacation: A time for some shorter and lighter Advisories as a welcome change-of-pace!