Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

I just got the update from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) that the Atlantic hurricane season ends tomorrow (phew!). "The season began on June 1 and was the most active hurricane season since 2005, with 19 named storms and 12 hurricanes." The email goes on to urge individuals to prepare in advance for all sorts of natural/unnatural disasters & emergencies.

Earlier this year, I organized a Know Your Neighborhood meeting for the people on my block. We compiled our contact details, a skills & equipment inventory and became familiar with who might need extra assistance in case of an emergency. We set a meeting point and communication protocol. Earthquakes are our biggest concern here, but this could apply to an ice storm or anything that cut the neighborhood off from services.

I carry an emergency escape pack in the trunk of the car but I've had a few false starts getting a comprehensive emergency kit together. The water storage bottles are sitting empty, in the basement (oh the shame!). I know I can confess the truth to my friends here. I keep meaning to make copies of all those important documents, and probably more importantly, to have a bug out bag under my bed with at least some clothes in it, in case 'it' happens after dark.

I'm pretty sure our house will stay standing but just in case, we've decided to put the 72-hour kit in the free standing garage because if it did collapse, we know we could move the rubble of that structure to get to our kit.

What do you have ready for an emergency?

From FEMA:
If you haven't taken the steps yet to be prepared for emergencies, you can visit www.ready.gov or www.listo.gov to learn more, including how to put together an emergency supply kit, develop a family communications plan, and stay informed of the hazards that exist in your area.

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

My wife is the volunteer Milwaukie Emergency Preparedness Network organizer.

http://milwaukiepsf.org/MEPN%20Disas...%20%281%29.pdf

She has arranged shelters, Citizens Emergency Response Teams and all sorts of things. We have enough food and water here to keep us going for quite some time.

In my Jeep I have enough to last me 3 - 4 days but that is because I can be called out to take blood to either the coast or central Oregon, both of which mean going over mountain passes in the heart of winter, and if I get stuck I can last until rescued. I also carry thermal blankets and extra warm clothing. Of course I have never even come close to getting stuck yet but wifey insists I be prepared. The one thing I have considered getting for blood trips, but not got around to it, is an emergency beacon as some of the routes have considerable gaps in cell phone coverage.

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Woefully little :o

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

The Northeast Blackout of 2003 taught us that we needed a supply of canned food and potable water on hand. (We lost all water pressure in addition to electricity). That's taken care of now. No B-O-Bs at the moment, thanks for the reminder. We need to get some together.

The neighborhood meeting is a good idea... but I think if I shared my entire "preparedness inventory" they might have second thoughts about what they need to be protected from :D

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Pistol, AR-15 and a shotgun with 10,000 rounds of ammo for when the zombies come.

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

hee hee.. yes, sometimes an incomplete answer is best. The inventory contains things like chain saw, water purification, external cooking device (aka gas BBQ!), first aid supplies, language proficiencies, child/elder care etc. I suspect a couple of the neighbors might be packin' heat too, but it didn't come up.

If you want an outline for that meeting, message me and I'll see what I can scrape up.. they tend to be city sponsored, so check your city's website but it's really down to the neighbors to organize. The city provided some printed guides, but none of it would be difficult to create. People can participate at the level they're comfortable with and provide what information they like.
We wanted our neighbors to have our emergency contact info, for example. We have no family living here, and no one would know who to reach if Something Happened.


lansbury, I never had a doubt.. :D Didn't one of you do the NET training too? Or you have a version of it there. Maybe I'll do that one in the spring/summer.


Nevermind.. I just read the link in lansbury's post.. that is a great start and it even has the OK/HELP sign (staple a wrapped band-aid/plaster to the page and it can double for tape when you need it).
Substitute your local shelter & contact info in there and you're off to the races. I'll find the skills/equip inventory later and add it.

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

I need a shotgun... got all the rest :)

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Those are all very important points. Thanks again for starting this thread.

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Yes Mrs L did the Clackamas County FD training. I was unable to see that a group of people most of whom are 60+ would be very effective dragging people from burning buildings or from underneath collapsed ones. However to give them their due they take it very seriously and train and she now has three CERT teams to cover all of Milwaukie (City) and which can be activated by either the PD or CCFD1.

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

http://www.ci.milwaukie.or.us/sites/...Newsletter.pdf

Front page of the May Milwaukie Pravda with Mrs L holding her OK and Help signs. The leaflet I linked to in my previous post was written by herself

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Yay, Missus L!!! :thumbsup:

btw, lansbury, you forgot to send me your address.. looks like you guys have the supplies we, I mean you, need... :D

PS: enjoyed your exchange in the ed section this week, you almost sound ready to move into Portland proper. ;)

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

turn left just past the radar van :angel_smile:

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Curses, foiled again! :lol:

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

I just made it through the hurricane season, with no emergency supplies.:o

Now I'm on a road that will definately stay iced up for days if it snows I'll probably get some food in. We usually have bottles of water (5 gallon) because we are on well water. I do know how to find a flashlight in the dark and have plenty of firewood.

I've been told Mormons store food, we all need to befriend some local Mormons http://lds.about.com/od/preparedness...toragewhat.htm

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

First year not prepared at all - Hurricane Ike visited - we ran away to Dallas.

Second year - prepared with all the recommended supplies - nothing happened.

This year - checked supplies, 5 gallon water bottle has leaked destroying kitchen roll, toilet roll, battery powered radio. We still have everything else including a very basic porta loo but did not bother stocking up with more food etc.

So I guess I ain't :o.

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

We sort of slipped thru this years hurricane season without really noticing it...I was surprised to read it had been so active!

Our emergency kit is the boxes of stuff in the garage that stay packed for our camping trips- lamps/flashlights, first aid, flares, axes, stoves/gas etc already in there along with the tents and groundsheets and so on. Given that our main risk is Hurricanes, we'd expect to have chance to add in the food and water as necessary before it hit. Once a year I update our photos of the whole house (inside and out) for insurance to make sure that I have any changes/additions documented, make sure scans of important documents / photos are up to date, then back it all up to an external drive and lodge it in the safe at my inlaws house. Hopefully we wouldn't both be totally wiped out at the same time, although they're only 7 miles away, so not perfect.

When Ike came thru, there was only one house in the neighborhood that boarded up.....he got a bit of mickey taking, especially when it blew thru during the night with hardly any damage. Deep down I think a few of us thought we should have done the same....its on my to-do list, but quite a long way down, mainly because I counted 54 windows and couldn't work out where to store the acres of plywood required!

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

I'll be the one on CNN, stuck on my roof, being pummeled by helicopter water bottles.

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Well like Mo our biggest threat would be an earthquake, or if Mt Rainier went up, but I suspect living where we are if it just blew we wouldn't know a whole lot about it!

We carry an emergency first aid/survival kit and food/water supply in the car all winter, mainly because we ski alot and if we did ever get stuck on the mtn pass would want some chow and a hot cuppa tea!! also always carry chains and a snow shovel!

At home I have everything I need - just not in one place :o (so I need to get that more organised) and if it happens at night then my neighbours would get a treat!! :p

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

We should get cammo Slankets for just in case. :D

What if the house falls in on all your stuff (and don't even joke about the volcano.. altho I will say farewell to you now, you know, just in case... I have made an offering to Mt Hood just to cover my butt. <---better than a slanket any day).

Yorkieabroad: I'm impressed! You are my inspiration!

ChocolateBabz et al: We were told that the plastic for the traditional water bottles (the 2.5 gal dispenser type + the milk jug shape) are NOT a good long term storage selection, for just the reason you learned. We were recommended to wash out 2 litre soft drink bottles, and change the water every 6 months.

bevinva: I've made the same observation myself. :D

Leslie66... I'll wave to you? :lol:

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Need to add in a rubber dinghy and/or a surboard too......kids just did a project on tsunamis and apparently you guys in seattle are a high risk area because of the funneling effect of the coast! Whodathunkit?

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Boy, either you're easily impressed, or I missed my calling by not going into marketing!!:D

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Oh yeah, forgot, we got one of those too - its called a shovel:rofl:

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Bah ... this is what we pay FEMA for.

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Yeah, "apparently". :eek:
My parents lived in a beautiful part of the Oregon coast and happened to have a house right on the front. They attended one of the tsunami preparedness meetings and were getting more and more upset... at the end of the meeting, the presenter was going over some elevation maps and mom went up to see 'how bad' it was at their property.
"Oh yes, the Xs, let's see.. you are right here (points at map). Oh, you are screwed."

The folks moved to Arizona shortly afterward. :lol:

When that wave comes, there will be no escaping. Call me a doomsayer, but seriously, if it is anything like history suggests, you simply can't run uphill that fast.
Our fault line (shared with Seattle) is the same sort as caused the Indonesia tsunami. It's due any day now too (don't tell your little kids that tho, please?).

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

"apparently" Portugal's not such a good idea for a holiday home either.....

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Not them too... oh, the humanity!

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Ideal place with minimal natural disasters:-
Hurricanes - no
Tsunamis - no
Forest fires - no
Earthquakes - no (ok, mini ones but no-one notices)
Tornadoes - no
Volcanoes - no
Icestorms - no
Heatwaves - no
Mosquitoes - no
Snakes - no
Poisonous spiders - no
Scorpions - no
Tanked-up inbreds ripping up the town on a saturday night - the closest thing to a natural disaster waiting to happen......
Where is this idyllic paradise I hear you ask -...?
.
.
.
.

YORKSHIRE!!!:D

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

What about Zombies?

fwiw I think I read that the "safest" place in the United States from natural disasters, statistically speaking, in Winchester, VA, which, not coincidentally, happens to be the headquarters of FEMA's Disaster Operations Center.

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Think they are covered in my last point....although adding a few zombies to our high street on a saturday night would probably double the IQ levels....

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Hurricanes are our bugaboo here. I have a case of water on hand AND have a portable lockbox with all important papers in it. Luckily only had to bug out once in 18 years so far and that ended up being a close but no cigar you get more wind from a fart, :rolleyes:

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

I put clean knickers on every day...you never know when something unforeseen may happen and you have to go to hospital. :)

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

We are screwed aren't we... knowing our luck there will be a big earthquake, causing the tsunami just as Mt Rainier blows its top..

hey hoooo, I will be prepared but also carry on in my bubble thinking "it will never happen" :D

The biggest risk to me is driving to work everyday with all those trucks out there!!!! especially when it snows :rofl:

Edit to add: I am convinced I am going in an avalanche anyway...... :)

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

OMG, you're my hero! I want to be that organized some day when I grow up.....:thumbup:

I've got a few tins in the pantry and stale box of saltines and by god everyone else will have to fend for themselves! :sneaky::frown:


No, seriously you've brought up some good ideas. Don't know how well it would be to organize anything with my neighbors. This is a bedroom community to be sure....:thumbdown:

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Hey all I need is for Mt Rainier to blow its top, that will take care of us.....:eek:

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

That's preparedness for sure, JG.....;):D

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Just think of the embarrassment if you were buried under rubble...legs akimbo...wearing dirty knickers. :blink:

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

I'll be sure and not soil myself when Mt Rainier blows it's top and it all rains down on my parade.....:D I just know the last thought I'll have is JG warned me about days like this.....:o

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Water, warmth, light, mirror, TOILET PAPER. First aid kit. Emergency blankets. Bondage gear. Food. Medication. Gore-Tex. Pocket knife. Goat cheese.

Re: Emergency Preparedness: Is You or Is You Ain't?
 

Emergency Preparedness: I isn't.

The way I figure, a tornado is the most likely disaster to befall us. Not sure how one can prepare for something that could (literally) blow away every ounce of preparation you can make. Or collapse your house onto all those items that you need. I'm open to suggestions though. :thumbup: