Part of good disaster preparation is having a disaster kit. One for home, work and vehicle.
There is no right set of 'stuff' for a disaster kit. As there is no standard container to store it all in. Some like the flexibility of a backpack, which exemplifies the concept of a "Go-bag", others like a large duffle, or even a plastic bin with supplies. You can get rather flexible and make a multi faceted approach and have multiple levels of disaster kits and go bags to be prepared for the right response.
I will separate these kits into three different categories. A shelter in place kit, a go kit- for the quick evacuations and an everyday carry kit.
Today I will discuss the shelter in place kit.
Shelter In Place:
This kit should consist of what you need to sustain your family for nearly any potential threat you deemed plausible in yesterday's threat analysis. At a minimum food, water, medicine, clothing, important documents and means to sustain yourself for a minimum of 5 days.
Since this kit will most likely be at your permanent home, we can look at your options and have some additional flexibility. Hurricane Sandy was an event that lasted for 10-14 days. Some select folks were without power for 17 days. Why not expand your selection to cover at least 2 weeks, if not 3 weeks.
Let me start with water. As mentioned earlier, a good rule of thumb would be 1 gallon per person per day. A family of 5 would need 5 gallons a day. Don't forget the pets! Now water weights about 8 pounds per gallon, so a day's worth of water for this family is about 40 pounds. Not exactly portable. A 21 day supply of water is not exactly practical as well. A twenty one day supply is over 100 gallons. Some people will be able to have 2 55 gallon water containers in storage. If you have the space and inclination two 55 gallon drums stored properly will provide you a solid 3 weeks of water for a family of 5. For most space is an issue and storage of 105 gallon jugs or barrels is not always practical. I always suggest having at least 35 gallons of semi portable water in hand in the form of 5 gallon 'water cooler' jugs and gallon jugs and smaller bottles. This will get you through the first week when disruption is presumably at its highest. So where do you obtain the remaining 70+ gallons? There are a few options. As the disaster unfolds, or the day before fill your tub(s) with water, fill large pots with water and other clean containers. You can instantly create over 100 gallons of temporary storage in just a few minutes. Of course water in the tub must be sanitized before use. They do make once plastic liners that store in a medicine cabinet you can deeply and fill your tub that reduces the risk of contamination, so that may be an option for those grossed out thinking of drinking from their tub. As for filtration, a chemical treatment of 8 drops of bleach per gallon for 30 minutes works, as do ceramic gravity filters or micro pump filtration systems. Each have pros and cons. But clean water in a disaster is a lifesaver. A rain barrel to collect run off, storage of tub water, and local collection are three viable ways to obtain more water. The risk with local collection is contamination. This water may have petrochemical and pesticide residue from recent storms or disaster events, may have high levels of bacteria and other contaminates. It should be boiled and filtered and run through carbon before considered safe.
On to food. Most people may have a variety of packaged foods, and canned goods in the house. No one likes to go shopping daily for meals. Take a look around and see what your working inventory is. Then see what it takes to prepare it. Will you have an over? Stove? Microwave? The realistic answer is not likely. Without power your gas stove may operate, but in extreme disaster your gas may be off as well. You may need to cook on an outdoor grill or camp fire. Do you have the requisite utensils for doing this? One can make a simple block/brick outdoor oven with some bricks and/or cinder blocks, but if you do not have them set up beforehand they will do you little good. A propane grill has a finite operating time and is only as good as the last time you filled it up. Camp stoves have limited power and also require fuel on hand. All are viable short and medium term solutions and are easy and common enough to have on hand. Just be sore your camp stove has spare fuel, your grill is topped off and you have practiced and planned for use of a ire pit or make sift block stove outdoors.
The food you do have may still require additional processing. Like a bender or refrigeration. Those food items would generally be off the table. But things easily prepared with water (from your supply), that require merely heat to prepare, or better yet no heat are ideal. Since perishables will spoil rather quickly it is good to have some long life foods on hand. Canned goods are excellent. Just be sure to have at least 2 manual can openers! Jar foods and home canned products are also excellent. Keeping these items as part of your regular pantry and restocking when you use will ensure freshness and ensure they are products your family actually will eat. It does you no good to stock up on 500 pounds of rice and peanut butter if your family hates both. Some typical good storage foods include canned vegetables, fruits, meats, and sauces. With a nice pot of boiling water, dry pasta or rice mixed with a can to two from the pantry ca make a simple meal for a family. A simple griddle over a fire and biscuit mix will allow for griddle cakes or similar even without dairy.
Along with your pantry storage have a dedicated supply of additional canned and dry products. Include simple pleasures for kids and yourself like chocolate, granola bars, cookies as well. But primarily focus on the nutritious foods and not junk. These should get rotated at least annually an again be foods your family will consume. For a family of 5 for 21 days consider at least 1 can of vegetables, fruit and meat/soup per day. That is 15 cans of food per family per day. If you figure your pantry lasts 1 week, then you can gain another 7 days with 105 cans of food. This sounds like a lot but you would be surpassed how much space it really takes. A can of chicken, or corn is not huge. They can be stored in crates in the basement or underneath beds or on the bottom of closets. Ideally where they will not be exposed to excessive moisture, heat or cold. You can get over 450 cans of food under a twin bed single stacked. In slide out plastic totes you can store well over 1000 cans. To round out your storage some bags of beans, rice, pasta and other 'dry' products can supplement any canned meals. You can eat quite well and have plenty of variety using nothing but dry foods and canned foods. It may not be ideal for ever, but for the type of disaster we are preparing for it would sustain you just fine.
There is also long term food options. Many companies make and sell freeze died, or dehydrated foods that last for 5-20 years. These can be single ingredients or entire meals. Some brands are better than others and some meals or combos work better than others, but they take minimal space and can feed your family well in an extended crisis. Also consider MREs. These are not the C Rats of old, but are self contained, often available with chemical warming units, that provide a days or meals worth of nutrition in a vacuum sealed kit that stores for 3-7 years. A case typically has 12 meals with 1200-1300 calories. That one case which is a bit bigger than a shoe box could sustain your family of 5 for 2-3 days. Not gourmet living nor as satisfying as a full meal but could get your though a rough patch before services are restored.
A combination of pantry items, dry goods, canned goods, long term storage and MRE make for a well rounded kit. Be sure to have on hand items like beef jerky, granola bars, fruit (for vitamin C) and vegetables in cans and dry. When local supermarkets hold can sales and the like you can stock up easily for a relatively low cost and be more prepared to weather out a disaster at home.
In addition to water and food you need to account for your shelter. Your dwelling may have minor dame. If it sustained more tun minor damage you may consider evacuation which will be covered later this week. Items to have on hand for your kit at home would include tarps, plastic sheeting, duct tape and half sheets of plywood. These can easily and quickly path leaky roofs, broken windows and minor damage.Even the most tool inept can clumsily seal a window with plastic and duct tape. For those more handy, your basic tools can offer more advanced quick repairs. Just realize power may be out and your collection of battery powered drills, saws and such will not work for long. A good old fashioned hand drill, hand saw and screw driver still have a place in this world. Tarps and cord (any weather resistant rope or cord, many like 550 paracord as it has many others uses as well) can help create shelters or patch up existing ones. I prefer grommeted tarps as they standup to wind and abuse better. While your tool kits and disaster tool preps do not have to be with your shelter in place kit they should be accessible and identified in advance.
Personal items and medication and first aid Every house should have a nice assortment of first aid items for everyday use. If you don't then you are already behind the curve on this. Basic materials would be bandages, sterile gauss pads and wrap, elastic bandages, antibiotic cream and ointment, lip balm, disinfectant, rubbing alcohol and assorted over the counter medications for family to treat pain, fever, allergy, cough and cold as deemed appropriate.In addition a dedicated kit should go with your disaster supplies. It should contain all of the above in addition to some more robust bandages. You may not have 911 service immediately after a disaster, so the more severe lacerations or even a fracture may have to be dealt with at home. Having additional gauze wraps, bandages, trauma pads, cardboard and foam splits and triangular bandages should be in the kit. Also a huge factor is mental preparedness and training. At the absolute minimum have a good book on first aid in your kit. You can learn as you go. But be proactive and take a first aid and CPR class. Better yet get First Responder, CERT or EMT training. You can be a valuable resource to your family and community that way. Different levels of first aid and medical kits will be covered in another day.
We have now covered water, food, simple shelter and simple first aid items. Next is clothing. In the northern climates be sure you have plenty of warm clothes and blankets. You may find yourself without heat for days to weeks. Thermal undergarments, layers, sweaters, head covering and goo socks all will make life more comfortable. In more hot climates loose fitting yet protective garments is critical. Related is loose clothing that protects against insects. In a serious disaster the insect population may spike and your risk the spread of disease. Protective clothing to minimize mosquito and other biting insect access and good bug spray are a must. A comfortable person is far more mentally prepared to die out adversity than a cold/hot miserable person.
Most of these items you may already possess. Take the time to inventory your food, water, medical supplies and tools and have a plan as to where you can store more and gather the essentials together for your shelter in place kit.
Do not forget important documents. A USB key of scanned important documents is great, but also copies or even originals of wills, insurance papers, power of attorney, passports, birth certificate, etc should be protected yet available for immediate access in the vent of evacuation. I like to scan all of these documents including banking and credit card info and keep an encrypted USB stick and have my copies/originals as needed in water proof sealed bags ready to go. A simple fire rated safety box can protect them from fire and water, especially of they are double wrapped in sealable document bags and is easy to grab and go should you need it. Redundant off site storage is valuable. Scans of less critical items can be stored in secure 'cloud' space, safe deposit boxes (keep in mind you do not always have access here) and with trusted family members in different geographic regions.
Last for this topic is communication. As cellular and land line and internet may be disrupted, especially locally and for incoming calls yo need a communication plan. An out of state/area person of contact is a great idea. Make someone or someones outside your local area a point of contact. You need to get word to them and they will disseminate this info to all other friends and family. Arrange these numbers to be shared in advance. Be aware in this digital age cell phones are more common than land lines. In all likelihood both types of phone will be disrupted for various reasons. Land lines are vulnerable to physical pole and line damage from high winds; cellular systems are easily overloaded and require constant owed as does your handheld phone. Cordless phones will not work without power, so have a back up corded phone s well. For family locally that are out and about like at a job or offsite when disaster hits make pre planed methods of contact. Be it the outside contact person or other pre arranged method. For example, if a is aster strikes and I am commenting I will try to make contact between 4-5 PM and again 9-10 PM or every 5 hours until you get through. This helps alleviate some fears if someone cannot get in touch immediately and you know when to expect communication so you can spare battery powered devices until those windows.
This information is all disaster prep 101. Preparations can get far more involved and have layers upon layers of contingencies. Before we get to those levels we need to ensure the basics are covered.
Showing posts with label FEMA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FEMA. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
Planning for the unknown
This will be part of a series of articles dealing with preparedness. With winter storms approaching much of the Eastern US and a holiday weekend approaching it is a great time to review basic concepts for being prepared.
Whether you believe in a zombie apocalypse or just want to be prepared for the next large scale power outrage, having a plan and some basic items is critical. What you basic needs are doesn't change and many of the basic three - food, water and shelter are rathe generic for any type of disaster.
Your first step is to take stock of your potential threats. I call this the threat analysis. Every location is subject to a different threat analysis. I like to break this down further into natural, man made and technological disasters. Natural would be anything like hurricanes, wildfires, floods, tornados, earthquakes and the like. Man made could be as simple as a car hitting a critical utility pole, to a terrorist attack consisting of a dirty bomb, to a civil unrest and riot situation. Technological can be caused by either of the previous two types but lies more in a failure of critical infrastructures and technologies we all depend on. Examples include cell phones, electricity and running clean water.
Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy and Irene all have taught us not to take for granted getting 'help' quickly and how severe the damage may be. Those living with the risk of tornado or earthquake know all too well how quickly it can all change in mere seconds.
So a few reminders. Our government- both local, county, state and federal have some responsibility to managing disasters, responding to them and providing support from them. We as citizens cannot wholly rely on them to support us. For a host of reasons, aid may be delayed by hours, days or even weeks. While your issue is the center of your world, there are hundreds of other immediate situations and limited resources to deal with them all. Even a simple winter storm can delay critical services like EMS, fire and police response.
Threat Analysis
●Identify most common disasters that occur●Identify possible hazards with most severe impact●Consider recent or historical impacts●Identify susceptible locations in the community for specific hazards●Consider what to expect from disruption of services
From this you can start to develop a plan of what you need to keep you and your family protected. You may have a zombie defense plan or merely weather related plans, but should the unexpected happen, any plan will benefit you and your family. You should now develop a disaster plan. This is a written plan detailing the basics of what you need to do for the various threats you felt needed to be addressed. Some questions to ask are:
●Where will you meet family members? ●Who is your out-of-State “check-in” contact?●Will you have an extended stay? Shelter in place? Evacuate?●How will you escape your home? Workplace? School? ●What route (and several alternates) will you use to evacuate your neighborhood?●Do you have transportation?●Did you practice your plan?
These are just some basic questions to ask yourself.
Consider special needs cases like sick and infirm, chidden, elderly, and pets. These factors should be tarn into account. You should have easy access to important documents like passports, wills, banking information, property lists, insurance papers, mortgage documents, birth certificates, etc. Often a digital and encrypted off site storage can provide an excellent backup. Do not rely on home protection alone, or even keeping them in a safe deposit box. In a large scale disaster that safe deposit box may be unavailable.
The three main killers in a disaster are shelter, water and food. You cannot survive long without all three. You can plan to shelter in place - your home or apartment, but you have to have backup plans in the case of home loss, or having to evacuate. Your vehicle is another shelter in place option. Getting stuck in the snow along an interstate with 3 kids is a problem. For an hour or two you may just have some frayed nerves. For 8 hours you have real needs for bathroom, food and possibly medical needs.
The first step after your disaster plan is your disaster kit. Keep one in your home, vehicle and place of business. The primary and most extensive should be the one in your home.
1. Important documents and cash.
2. Water - 1 gallon per person per day for 5 days minimum.
3. Means of filtering additional water and storage. A simple hand filter, bleach, etc.
4. Non-perishable food for the family for 5 days minimum and means to prepare it.
5. Season and disaster specific clothing and footwear.
6 Medications and personal items.
7.Battery powered flashlight and radio with spare batteries
8. First Aid kit
9. Signal Whistle for help
10. Dust mask, heavy gloves
11. Wrench and simple tools to turn off utilities and perform basic functions
12. Manual can opener
13. Written disaster plan with contact numbers
14. Something to do - books, dominoes chess.
Keep in mind the Katrina disaster lasted for week. Hurricane Sandy lasted for days before services returned to normal.
Ask yourself could you and your family survive with no power (including heat, water, refrigeration, etc.) for the next 7 days? What if you couldn't purchase any goods for the next 2 weeks? This is possible if there was an infrastructure problem or computer problem with the Nation's telecom and payment processing. Hurricane Sandy was cash only for a full week in most places. If the local grocery store and pharmacy couldn't accept debit or credit cards would you ave cash on hand?
These are just some simple questions to make you think and start planning. Subsequent posts will detail more specifically what steps you take to get on the road to basic preparedness levels.
FEMA suggests the following at a minimum:
That is a minimum recommendation. A longer shelter in place situation would require additional food and water. Following a disaster it may be many days before basic services are restored. And while helpers may start up in your area, wouldn't it be preferable to shelter in place at home?
Whether you believe in a zombie apocalypse or just want to be prepared for the next large scale power outrage, having a plan and some basic items is critical. What you basic needs are doesn't change and many of the basic three - food, water and shelter are rathe generic for any type of disaster.
Your first step is to take stock of your potential threats. I call this the threat analysis. Every location is subject to a different threat analysis. I like to break this down further into natural, man made and technological disasters. Natural would be anything like hurricanes, wildfires, floods, tornados, earthquakes and the like. Man made could be as simple as a car hitting a critical utility pole, to a terrorist attack consisting of a dirty bomb, to a civil unrest and riot situation. Technological can be caused by either of the previous two types but lies more in a failure of critical infrastructures and technologies we all depend on. Examples include cell phones, electricity and running clean water.
Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy and Irene all have taught us not to take for granted getting 'help' quickly and how severe the damage may be. Those living with the risk of tornado or earthquake know all too well how quickly it can all change in mere seconds.
So a few reminders. Our government- both local, county, state and federal have some responsibility to managing disasters, responding to them and providing support from them. We as citizens cannot wholly rely on them to support us. For a host of reasons, aid may be delayed by hours, days or even weeks. While your issue is the center of your world, there are hundreds of other immediate situations and limited resources to deal with them all. Even a simple winter storm can delay critical services like EMS, fire and police response.
Threat Analysis
●Identify most common disasters that occur●Identify possible hazards with most severe impact●Consider recent or historical impacts●Identify susceptible locations in the community for specific hazards●Consider what to expect from disruption of services
From this you can start to develop a plan of what you need to keep you and your family protected. You may have a zombie defense plan or merely weather related plans, but should the unexpected happen, any plan will benefit you and your family. You should now develop a disaster plan. This is a written plan detailing the basics of what you need to do for the various threats you felt needed to be addressed. Some questions to ask are:
●Where will you meet family members? ●Who is your out-of-State “check-in” contact?●Will you have an extended stay? Shelter in place? Evacuate?●How will you escape your home? Workplace? School? ●What route (and several alternates) will you use to evacuate your neighborhood?●Do you have transportation?●Did you practice your plan?
These are just some basic questions to ask yourself.
Consider special needs cases like sick and infirm, chidden, elderly, and pets. These factors should be tarn into account. You should have easy access to important documents like passports, wills, banking information, property lists, insurance papers, mortgage documents, birth certificates, etc. Often a digital and encrypted off site storage can provide an excellent backup. Do not rely on home protection alone, or even keeping them in a safe deposit box. In a large scale disaster that safe deposit box may be unavailable.
The three main killers in a disaster are shelter, water and food. You cannot survive long without all three. You can plan to shelter in place - your home or apartment, but you have to have backup plans in the case of home loss, or having to evacuate. Your vehicle is another shelter in place option. Getting stuck in the snow along an interstate with 3 kids is a problem. For an hour or two you may just have some frayed nerves. For 8 hours you have real needs for bathroom, food and possibly medical needs.
The first step after your disaster plan is your disaster kit. Keep one in your home, vehicle and place of business. The primary and most extensive should be the one in your home.
1. Important documents and cash.
2. Water - 1 gallon per person per day for 5 days minimum.
3. Means of filtering additional water and storage. A simple hand filter, bleach, etc.
4. Non-perishable food for the family for 5 days minimum and means to prepare it.
5. Season and disaster specific clothing and footwear.
6 Medications and personal items.
7.Battery powered flashlight and radio with spare batteries
8. First Aid kit
9. Signal Whistle for help
10. Dust mask, heavy gloves
11. Wrench and simple tools to turn off utilities and perform basic functions
12. Manual can opener
13. Written disaster plan with contact numbers
14. Something to do - books, dominoes chess.
Keep in mind the Katrina disaster lasted for week. Hurricane Sandy lasted for days before services returned to normal.
Ask yourself could you and your family survive with no power (including heat, water, refrigeration, etc.) for the next 7 days? What if you couldn't purchase any goods for the next 2 weeks? This is possible if there was an infrastructure problem or computer problem with the Nation's telecom and payment processing. Hurricane Sandy was cash only for a full week in most places. If the local grocery store and pharmacy couldn't accept debit or credit cards would you ave cash on hand?
These are just some simple questions to make you think and start planning. Subsequent posts will detail more specifically what steps you take to get on the road to basic preparedness levels.
FEMA suggests the following at a minimum:
FAMILY SUPPLY LIST
Ready Kids & The Federal Emergency Management Agency present:
Family Supply List
Emergency Supplies:
Water, food, and clean air are important things to have if an emergency happens. Each family or individual's kit should be customized to meet specific needs, such as medications and infant formula. It should also be customized to include important family documents.
Water, food, and clean air are important things to have if an emergency happens. Each family or individual's kit should be customized to meet specific needs, such as medications and infant formula. It should also be customized to include important family documents.
Recommended Supplies to Include in a Basic Kit:
- Water, one gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation
- Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
- Battery-powered radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert, and extra batteries for both
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- First Aid kit
- Whistle to signal for help
- Infant formula and diapers, if you have an infant
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
- Dust mask or cotton t-shirt, to help filter the air
- Plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
- Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
- Water, one gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation
- Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
- Battery-powered radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert, and extra batteries for both
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- First Aid kit
- Whistle to signal for help
- Infant formula and diapers, if you have an infant
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
- Dust mask or cotton t-shirt, to help filter the air
- Plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
- Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
Clothing and Bedding:
If you live in a cold weather climate, you must think about warmth. It is possible that the power will be out and you will not have heat. Rethink your clothing and bedding supplies to account for growing children and other family changes. One complete change of warm clothing and shoes per person, including:
- A jacket or coat
- Long pants
- A long sleeve shirt
- Sturdy shoes
- A hat and gloves
- A sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
If you live in a cold weather climate, you must think about warmth. It is possible that the power will be out and you will not have heat. Rethink your clothing and bedding supplies to account for growing children and other family changes. One complete change of warm clothing and shoes per person, including:
- A jacket or coat
- Long pants
- A long sleeve shirt
- Sturdy shoes
- A hat and gloves
- A sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
Family Supply List (continued)
Below are some other items for your family to consider adding to its supply kit. Some of these items, especially those marked with a * can be dangerous, so please have an adult collect these supplies.
- Emergency reference materials such as a first aid book or a print out of the information on www.ready.gov
- Rain gear
- Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils
- Cash or traveler's checks, change
- Paper towels
- Fire Extinguisher
- Tent
- Compass
- Matches in a waterproof container*
- Signal flare*
- Paper, pencil
- Personal hygiene items including feminine supplies
- Disinfectant*
- Household chlorine bleach* - You can use bleach as a disinfectant (diluted nine parts water to one part bleach), or in an emergency you can also use it to treat water. Use 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
- Medicine dropper
- Important Family Documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
- Emergency reference materials such as a first aid book or a print out of the information on www.ready.gov
- Rain gear
- Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils
- Cash or traveler's checks, change
- Paper towels
- Fire Extinguisher
- Tent
- Compass
- Matches in a waterproof container*
- Signal flare*
- Paper, pencil
- Personal hygiene items including feminine supplies
- Disinfectant*
- Household chlorine bleach* - You can use bleach as a disinfectant (diluted nine parts water to one part bleach), or in an emergency you can also use it to treat water. Use 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
- Medicine dropper
- Important Family Documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
That is a minimum recommendation. A longer shelter in place situation would require additional food and water. Following a disaster it may be many days before basic services are restored. And while helpers may start up in your area, wouldn't it be preferable to shelter in place at home?
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