Simple
and convenient steps you can take to protect those who wont prepare for
themselves. One person can make a difference. Updated 02mar10
Power outages, fires, floods,
earthquakes, wind, and storms can interrupt utilities, phones, stores,
ATMs, and travel. You can be forced to leave your home because of
flooding, sewage backflow, fire, chemical accident, or terrorist
threat. These things occur when you are least prepared. This is an
inexpensive common sense preparation document. It will help your
commute and vacations.
The large disaster relief
organizations can provide basic relief for a lot of people, but need a
few days to get set up. Wise people are prepared to handle problems on
their own for 3 days to a week.
Don't buy any survival kits or
anything you are not familiar with. After the power goes out is not the
time to try something out. Don't waste your money buying "special
survival food". It will probably get old before you need it. Just keep
your regular canned goods stocked. This is not a complete guide
to preparation; it is only to give you a starting place. Experience,
training and special equipment provide better preparation. And nothing
is better than common sense (which doesn't seem to be very common).
Notice
Copyright 2005-2010 Ken
Young (http://www.DinoDudes.com).
All rights reserved.
This document may be freely
redistributed for educational purposes at no charge in unaltered form.
This information is for
educational purposes only. There is no guarantee of any kind that it is
accurate, or that no harm will come to anyone who uses it.
This information is
provided on an "as is" basis with absolutely no warranty or guarantee.
The information is not necessarily correct, complete, or suitable for
any particular use. The entire risk is with you. Should harm arise from
using this information, you assume responsibility for all damages and
injuries. In no event shall the copyright holder, or any other party,
be liable for compensation or damages arising from the use, misuse,
failure to use, or inability to use this information.
Locate the cutoffs for the
water, gas, and electricity. There may be special tools to operate
them, know where they are.
Make sure children can recite
their name, address, & phone number.
Organize a camping kit. This is
great to have in case you must leave home. Organize a family camping
trip for whoever you can get to come at least once per year and make it
fun.
Motivate everyone to make a
travel bag. This is everything they need for an overnighter or a
week-long vacation (except clothes) in one small bag. Travel bags save
an hour of frustrating rounding stuff up every time someone wants to
spend the night somewhere.
Put a family zip-kit in every car. If some people get
around without cars, motivate them to put a personal zip-kit in their
backpack or bike-bag.
Pick two out-of-area relatives
who messages could be left with in case of separation. Pick relatives
most family members would know the phone number of. Tell the family
members to leave messages there in case of separation.
Keep the computer backed up.
Install a smoke detector and a carbon monoxide detector. Keep
the batteries fresh. Most houses have smoke detectors; the ones that do
not have most of the fires. Inspectors find that 1/3 of all smoke
detectors have missing batteries.
Keep two pocket flashlights and
spare batteries. Hide them if necessary. Keep a flashlight by your bed
where you can find it without fumbling around in the dark. Keep the
batteries fresh.
Make sure there are enough
blankets for a cold night with no heat.
Own some basic tools, like a
claw hammer & nails, screwdrivers, big pliers, and an adjustable
wrench.
Keep a fire extinguisher rated
for grease in the kitchen. Shake the fire extinguishers every 6 months
to keep the powder from caking.
Own a cell phone and keep the
batteries charged.
Keep copies of insurance
information and computer backups in a safe deposit box or with a
relative in a distant city. Open safe deposit boxes annually or some
states will gleefully sieze the contents.
Anchor water heaters, bookcases
& cabinets to the wall to prevent toppling.
Put foam sleeves over exposed
exterior pipes.
Keep 10 gallons of gasoline in
a non-sparking can if possible. Put stored gasoline in your tank and
buy new gasoline every year.
Keep a home disaster box hidden away
for riding out disasters at home.
Keep an evacuation pack hidden away in case
the disaster makes you leave home.
Women should always have a
scarf. Most people on the planet always have some sort of scarf or
bandana, except for urban/suburbanites in safe industrialized
countries. Scarves have hundreds of practical and fashion uses. See the
separate pictorial scarf research document.
Identify a "back-road" route to
use to get out of the area when the highways are clogged. This is handy
to know about on holiday weekends. The route does not have to be
faster, just less likely to be clogged.
Establish good relations with
your neighbors. They are priceless in emergencies. Good neighbors can
make your life easier in the best of times.
When you interact with a
contractor, plumber, or hardware store manager, maintain a simple
long-term relationship. They are good to know when problems occur.
Your preparation needs will differ.
Go over this list once a year to make sure you are still prepared.