Tag: go-bag

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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The need for being prepared doesn’t go down because we’re stuck at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, your summer preparedness plans may need to change right now — and that includes the contents of your Go-Bag.

Consider some of what’s happening right now. . .

Hurricanes are hitting! When will the next hurricane hit your neighborhood?

When Hurricane Hanna made landfall last week in Texas, city leaders reported having to borrow to stock up on personal protective equipment for personnel and for residents. Tropical Storm Isaias is on its way to South Florida. If a hurricane forces you out of your home or causes you to interact with First Responders, you’ll want to have more than just a couple of masks on hand.

Wildfire season is well underway. Will you have to evacuate?

The National Interagency Fire Center reports as of today: “More than 8,100 wildland firefighter and support personnel continue to work on 43 large fires . . . in 11 states!”  If a fire threatens you, how will your evacuation plans need to change because of the virus? You can’t expect to crowd unprotected into a high school gym somewhere and stay safe from the virus! What do you have in your go-bag now to protect yourself from others in that shelter?

Day after day of over-90-degree heat has overwhelmed East Coast cities and is forecast for the Southwest this coming week.

People without air conditioning risk illness and even death. How will you manage in a heat wave if the power goes out? Municipal “Cooling stations” may be a life-saver – but they will not welcome people without masks!

Something new to add to every Go-Bag in the Time of COVID – Face Masks

Every one of these scenarios makes it clear that your personal Go-Bag needs to include something it may not have included in years past – a supply of masks and nitrile gloves.

Different types of mask offer different levels of protection. You don’t need N95 respirators. Yes, they offer the most protection for you and for others, but their supply is limited. Let health workers have them. The best masks for home use are  reusable, multi-layer, and well- fitting. I’m sure you have a supply already.

But you won’t be able to wash and reuse masks if you have to evacuate!

So for your Go-Bag, consider disposable masks.

You can buy them in packs of 50 at reasonable prices and tuck a dozen or more into each family member’s kit. Of course, they need to fit well.

These masks from Amazon, where I’m an Associate, are similar to others with one important feature: adjustable ear elastic.

50pcs Disposable Face Mask, Facial Masks, Mouth Masks 3-Ply with Elastic Earloops, Breathable Non-woven Mouth Filter Covers for Home, Office, Outdoor – Blue

Today, just as I was working on this Advisory, Dr. Birx recommended that people consider clear face shields in addition to masks.  We recommended shields several months ago, and bought a couple for ourselves. Here’s what I have discovered – when you get the shield, be sure to peel off the very thin plastic covering so you can actually see clearly through it! (You may not even realize that protective covering is there.)  Also, the elastic head band can feel tight. That’s why I’d suggest you consider the shield model below, which attaches to glasses. Shields would not lend themselves to being packed into a Go-Bag, but for daily use they are something to consider.

Safety Face Shield, 2 Pack Reusable Goggle Shield Face Visor Transparent Anti-Fog Layer Protect Eyes from Splash

You’ll want nitrile gloves, too.

The news about surfaces remaining contaminated has died down considerably. Joe and I certainly don’t use gloves at home. But in an emergency . . .

If the family needs to move to another location, you will be touching all kinds of things that may be dangerous: door knobs and push bars,  gas pump nozzles, ATM keyboards, toilet flush handles, water faucets, TV remotes, etc., etc.!

Nitrile gloves are cheap, easy to pack, remind you not to touch your face – and can be easily discarded.  Get a package or two (different sizes?) and pack a baggie full of the right size for each family member’s Go-Bag.

Wostar Nitrile Disposable Gloves 2.5 Mil Pack of 100, Latex Free Safety Working Gloves for Food Handle or Industrial Use

You’ll want to be sure to have your favorite hand-sanitizer packets in each Go-Bag, too.

It’s summer – so protect against dehydration.

With temperatures so high, we all need to watch out for the dangers of dehydration, overheating and even heat stroke.

I personally experienced heat exhaustion one summer a few years ago. I was helping staff a service club “Summer Festival” fund raiser. You know the kind of event: food booths, baseball dunk tank, fire engine for kids to climb on, BBQ contest. I was chasing the baseballs for the dunk tank when I started to feel “disconnected,” clammy and faint. I thought I might throw up.

Fortunately, I had my walkie-talkie and called Joe. He found me a bench in the shade and I lay down with a bottle of water. Within about a half-hour I was feeling well enough to go home – but not to go back to chasing balls!

So that was heat exhaustion. Heat stroke is a lot worse, and a lot more serious, with seizures and even unconsciousness. But both of these can very likely be avoided as long as you don’t get dehydrated!

Hydrating drinks

In hot weather make sure to have “hydration” drinks available: water, fruit-infused water, coconut water. More important, have an added source of electrolytes like you find in sports drinks (Gatorade).

You could even offer watermelon, like in the image above! It’s about 92% water and it’s easy to keep down.

Hydration powder

Of course, packing extra hydration drinks (not to mention watermelon!) into a Go-Bag is challenging, so you might consider packets of “hydration powder” that can be added to a glass of regular water for extra hydration efficacy.

Emergen-C has packets of different flavored powder, easy to pack and have at the ready. (Be sure to keep them dry.)

Emergen-C Hydration+ Sports Drink Mix with Vitamin C (18 Count, Orange Spritz Flavor with Glucosamine), Electrolyte Replenishment, 0.34 Ounce Powder Packets

Don’t overlook these hot weather items for your Go-Bag.

Depending on where you live and your own preferences, don’t forget to check for these important additions to your summer go-bag:

• Sunglasses (wrap-around)
• Sunscreen (for lips, too)
• A sun hat (wide brim or added neck flap) that fits! The hat below adjusts to your head size.

EINSKEY Men’s Waterproof Sun Hat, Outdoor Sun Protection Bucket Safari Cap For Safari Fishing Hunting Dark Gray One Size

I am sure you unpack and repack your Go-Bag from time to time.

This may be one of those times. After all, if you are stuck at home . . .

Just be sure you add extra protection against infection from the Coronavirus.

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide team

P.S. This Advisory assumes you have a Go-Bag for every member of your household. If you don’t, may I suggest you consider getting your hands on our Mini-Guide: Custom Go-Bags. We’ve updated and improved this booklet, which was one of our very first! Here’s the link to the ebook at Amazon.

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By now you know that at Emergency Plan Guide, when it comes to survival kits, there’s no such thing as “one size fits all.”

By now you know that having “the one perfect kit” doesn’t work, either!

No matter how well stocked your survival kit, if it is at home when the emergency strikes, and you are 43 miles away in the car, that kit will do you absolutely no good!

Different Survival Kits for Different Situations

The chart shows the four different sets of supplies that we think everyone needs:

1-A Go-Bag or Survival Kit (also known as a 3-day or 72-hour kit)

This is the kit you grab as you head out the door in an emergency. This kit needs to provide basics for the top  nine categories: water; food (stuff you like and can eat cold); shelter/warmth (clothing, blanket, sleeping bag, fire igniter); health/safety (first aid kit, medicines, sanitation supplies); communications (radio, whistle); light (flashlight, headlamp, lantern); clothing (shoes, gloves); cash (for vending machines and/or for buying supplies); personal items (toothbrush, prescription drugs, extra eyeglasses, paper and pen/pencil, and if it suits, a weapon for self-defense).

By and large, an off-the-shelf kit will be missing more than one of these main categories, so while it may serve as a start, you really can’t count on it.

2-A kit for the car

We all travel. And any of us could be trapped overnight in a car for something as mundane as road construction, a fallen tree – or a full-blown blizzard or hurricane. Your car kit will keep you comfortable and safe until you can find your way around the damage.

Your car kit contains the same basics as listed above for the Go-Bag, but it also may have some transportation-related items including tools for car repairs, jumper cables, a work light, maps, and flares. In snow country? Consider a folding shovel and non-slip mats. (You can see that you may actually have to pack two kits – one with personal stuff, and the other with car stuff. Tools and jumper cables are heavy and get dirty.)

One final note about your car. Remember it has a battery that can be used to charge your phone and power other items (like flood lights) as long as you have the right connections.

3-A kit for at work

Once again, this kit starts with the basics. Then, depending on where you work – how far it is from your home, what sort of building it is, what actually happens at the workplace – you may need some specialty items.

If you have to set out on foot to get home, you’ll need, above all, comfortable shoes. (Break in new shoes/boots for your office or car kit by wearing them on the treadmill at the gym!)

Your work kit might contain any of these specialty items: the comfortable shoes mentioned above, personal safety equipment including gloves, dust mask, and safety glasses; tool for shutting off equipment; list of business and family contacts; a good whistle.

If people have already left the workplace, and aren’t planning to come back, you might check out your colleagues’ desk drawers for extra snacks, band aids, etc. Most office workers have that “personal drawer” that could be a small treasure trove in a big emergency!

4-Shelter-in-place

Here in California, we have been asked by our local fire department to be prepared to shelter in place for 10 days to 2 weeks after “the big one” hits. If you live in a different area, with different threats, you may want to pull together supplies that will keep you going for months, not weeks.

Shelter-in-place supplies start with the basics, just as in the smaller kits. But you’ll need more of everything. Think of it as an extended camping trip, and build a plan . . .

Plan for buying and rotating canned food, stocking up on toilet paper and other sanitary supplies and buying and storing extra batteries. You may need more substantial shelter – like a big tent, or plastic to seal windows, with the ever popular duct tape, of course. A variety of more substantial tools. Like the concept of dried meals? Be sure you have something to heat water in so you can reconstitute it – for example, a camp stove and pot.

For each kit, your complete list will be longer that what we’ve just gone over.

But today, we’re not seeking perfection. We’re getting a handle on general readiness!

Rate yourself on the state of your own survival supplies.

So as you have read these reviews of the different emergency supply kits, how would you rate yourself? One easy way is to estimate the percentage completed for each of the following statements.

• I have assembled supplies for all four needs — Go Bag, Car, Work, Shelter-in-Place. My percentage completed _____
• I have considered all nine major categories — water, food, shelter/warmth, health/safety, communications, lighting, clothing, cash, personal items. My percentage completed _____
• I have added specialty items that I personally need or want for each kit. My percentage completed ___

If your score isn’t where you’d like it to be, consider the following.

Over the years we’ve asked many, many people why they haven’t put together their preparedness supplies. Here are the most popular “reasons:”

• I don’t know how to get started.
• It will take too long.
• People will think I am strange or weird.
• Why bother?  If it is the end of the world, it will not matter.
• Nothing has happened so far, so why should I start to worry now?

Any of these sound familiar? I’m sure you’ve thought or heard them all at one time or another!

However, here at Emergency Plan Guide we figure these are all pretty weak reasons. In fact, we call them “excuses!”

Why so weak?

Because we’ve seen so many people start with one or two items and just keep working at it over time until they have built up a perfectly respectable stash!

When they do, they feel pleased and satisfied and a lot more confident that they’ll be able to handle that emergency, whenever it DOES come!

And that’s what we’re all working toward!

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide Team

P.S. Here are more lists of emergency supplies that you may be interested in:

• Top Ten Emergency Starter Items – For people who don’t have a lot of money to start with but are determined to take that first step.
• Car Kit for the Commuter – We wrote this for Joe’s daughter, who has the stereotypical L.A. commute that takes her 50 miles from home every day.
• Top Ten Survival Items — Detailed info on pretty much all 9 of the basic categories.

Here in California wildfires are threatening thousands. Last Tuesday the evacuation area got within 5 miles . . . but fortunately for us, the fire turned and headed in another direction.

That fire is still burning, but for the time being we are safe.

The whole situation developed quickly. People just 15 minutes north of us were forced to leave their homes with only minutes’ warning.

Moreover, even though their houses haven’t been damaged, these people still haven’t been able to get home again!

The close call right here at home has made me reconsider our own state of preparedness.

I am embarrassed to tell our story of being “ready for evacuation.” 

I have written many times about go-bags.

Our go-bags were ready.

We have them in the house and smaller ones in the car.  They include a change of clothing, some water, first aid kit, personal items. At the top of each bag: shoes and a flashlight. So, all I had to do was put in some prescription pills.

I added a couple of personal items to my house bag, and some energy bars, and stashed it near the back door. So far, so good.

How about the car?

Our car was 7/8 full of gas, thanks to Joe’s unfailing attention.

Plus there’s a warm blanket and even a pillow in there, our CERT duffel bag, and a couple of walkie-talkies.

But what else would we put into the car?

Here’s where the challenge became clear.

• What about our “original official documents” that we’ve collected over a lifetime – birth certificates, death certificates, marriage and divorce certificates. Military records. Transcripts. Credentials. At least they are all mostly in one filing cabinet drawer! One big swoop and they all landed in a cardboard file box.
• What about proof of ownership of the house, the car, past houses, past cars, property taxes on all? What about insurance on all these? OK, another drawer and a second box was filled.
• All the business records – we’ll take the computers themselves, a laptop plus a desktop with keyboard, screen, mouse. The back-up drives. Oh, and that binder with all the account passwords in it . . .Ugh. This would take time to disassemble and haul outside. We leave all this for later.
• Photo albums! Another THREE boxes full, and we’re leaving the framed pictures behind on the wall.
• All the cards — credit cards, health cards, insurance cards, passports. Plus some cash. Surprising how much room these take up when you never seem to have enough of them!
• Phones, power bank, plugs and cords. Ham radio and batteries. This stuff is scattered throughout the house.
• And more . . .

It quickly became clear that we have far more to save than is possible to stuff in the car.

But what was even more painful was the realization that for all our writing and speaking and encouraging and nagging, we had never taken the time to prepare fully for evacuation.

We have procrastinated about scanning our official papers!

The data from more than half the items listed above would fit easily on a couple of flash drives!

So, that’s why you see that photo of me at the top of the page, scanning what is actually my mother’s birth certificate! I’m using our all-in-one printer. Even a  modest multi-function printer can do a reasonable job as a scanner.

Of course, it will take hours to scan EVERYTHING using this printer/scanner.

So, I’m actually going to take it step by step. (I’ll be leaving the filled file boxes stacked in the hall, just in case another emergency arises!)

1. First I need to come up with the labeling system I want to use to be able to find things later. (Not too hard. I’ll use the same file names I have in my computer.)
2. I’ll start with documents that would be difficult or impossible to recreate, like that birth certificate, or photos.
3. Documents that exist in some government or commercial file somewhere (like property tax records) will be a lower priority.

Of course, I could also scan documents using a smart phone. Depending on what version of phone you have, you can get an app that will allow you to scan documents into your phone, send to your computer or store in the cloud (DropBox, OneDrive, Evernote). Some of these apps are free; some cost a few dollars. Depending on what you need, you can adjust for size and clarity, combine multiple pages into one document, convert text into editable files, etc. This would work really well for scanning on the go, of course.

If scanning each document one at a time gets too onerous, I’ll likely invest in a higher-speed document scanner. (In the past we used a desktop scanner for business receipts. It scanned well but became outdated and as our business needs changed it wasn’t worth it for us to upgrade.) A full-featured desk-top scanner that can handle multiple pages at a time, with documents of different sizes and shapes, may cost $200-$400; the “mobile” models (about the size of a short box of tinfoil – the documents feed through one at a time) cost less than $100. Before you buy, make sure to find out if you are required to purchase a monthly subscription for the software and/or the digital storage as part of the deal.

Of course, you can also consider using a professional document scanning service. Many options are available. Some services scan, store, or shred. Some certify. Some can convert scanned documents to searchable pdfs for ease of retrieval. Photo retouching may also be available. It all depends on the number and condition of your documents, and your concerns for privacy.

In my case, images of my documents will end up in my computer, copied on a flash drive, backed up on our back-up drives, and . . .

I’ll also file these digital documents somewhere in the cloud!

We’ve prepared before for evacuation from potential flooding, but we had plenty of time to do it. This last week, once the order came down, we would have had only minutes to get things organized and out the door.

Yes, that go-bag is the first step. But taking care of other “loose ends” is also part of preparing for an evacuation.

This has been a valuable lesson for us. I hope it’s useful for you, too. I’ll let you know how the scanning goes.

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide Team

P.S. These are the boxes I mentioned. As you can see, they’ve been used before. We always have a few empty ones on hand!