(left to right) Personal 72 hour kit, sanitation kit
extended first aid kit, CERT back pack
Many of you know I'm really into emergency preparedness, emergency management and self-reliance. This month is officially preparedness month set by FEMA and Homeland Security. Even though everyday you see and hear about things happening around the world and country, it is amazing how many people still do nothing to be prepared. Watching the evacuation this morning of the Texas coast, because of the huge hurricane "Ike" that is headed its way, it made me wonder how many of them were ready. Before Katrina it was said to be prepared to be on your own for around 72 hours. Post Katrina they learned prepare to be on your own for up to 3 weeks or more. If there are a lot of different things going on, help could be very limited and slow in coming.
Then it makes me wonder how many of you are ready? Sure, we aren't going to have a hurricane here in the desert, but there are other possibilities. For Clark County our top four threats are communicable disease outbreaks, flooding, earthquake and fire. No matter where you live, stuff can happen. NO PLACE is immune!
I belong to the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) locally. I have gone through CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training with our local fire department under the direction of Homeland Security. I've taken classes upon classes on different aspects of being prepared, training, etc. The thing that amazes me most? How many people I meet in those situations (some of them work in the field) that aren't prepared. In an MRC meeting I attended in July, they asked how many of us had emergency kits ready to go. Only about a half of a dozen (including me) out of about 30-40 raised their hands. Then at the beginning of the month Paula (the head of the local MRC-great woman :), e-mailed the Reserve and asked anyone who had a kit ready to go, to e-mail her a picture of their kit and she'd send them a flashlight/radio or such. So of course, I did, and them some :). She emailed me back and and asked if I would take more pictures of what was inside my different kits-to-go. So, I did. I also figured I'd post them here, to give anyone who wanted ideas of how to build their own.
My personal 72 hour kit and its contents. (This one is at home)
I also have a small back pack in my car. You should keep a
small back pack type at work. Each member of the family
has their own tailored to their needs (even your pets should
have one!). My bag can be carried or it has sturdy wheels and
a handle. It has essentials in it like food, water, shelter, warmth,
light, hand crank/battery radio, small first aid kit, hygiene kit,
change of clothes, extra glasses, pen, paper, scriptures, a game
or something distracting. Any essential medications, and copies
of important documents, list of phone numbers and address,
extra keys, cash in small denominations, etc. (For a complete
list, let me know and I'll e-mail you what I have in mine).
This is my extended first aid kit. Most people would
not have one this big. It's just a "me" thing :). Take
a first aid/CPR class in your area. You should take a
refresher course every year or two to keep your skills
current.
The CERT kit was given to everyone who finished the class.
It has handy-dandy tools and items to perform duties as a
CERT member in the event of an incident. I highly recommend
everyone (and their family 8+)to take a CERT class in your
community. Most of them will let you drop in for a refresher
session if you let them know ahead of time. These classes are free.
My sanitation kit. Okay, if it is bad enough that your
out of your home. There is no water or electricity, so
there is no sewer. A girl has to have some way, some
where, to take care of business. There is a bucket with
a toilet lid, special bags to line the bucket, tp, Clorox, a
tarp and rope for privacy, containers for water with soap
attached for washing up, a plastic wash basin, hand towels,
LOTS of thick garbage bags for double bagging waste,
duct tape... (gotta always have duct tape :).
A safe easily accessible place to store everything
for a -grab -and -go situation. I also store extra
supplies and shelter in place items in here.
Know your area. If you had to evacuate your city, what
routes would or could you take? (Note: Las Vegas, does not
have many ways out of the city.) Where would you go? Do
you have a plan to meet with other family members? How
would you contact them? If you are not all together when
something happens, how will you reconnect or make contact?
(Dad's at work, kids at school, mom is gone to a meeting, etc.)
Do you know your children's schools plan? How about your
employer? Do they even have one? Remember, phones, even
cell phones don't always work during an emergency. Especially
locally. You might be able to call a different area code, but
not a local number, if you can get out at all. Have an appointed
out-of-town contact that (that agrees to be a contact) everyone
knows to call to check in with and get information from.
Also consider any one with special needs, medical conditions,
ambulatory issues. They all can put a kink in your plan and
how you THOUGHT it would work. Plan ahead, practice your
plan. Practicing your plan is important. How do you know if
what you have on paper, or what you think will work unless
you try it ahead of time by practicing. More than one plan has
had to be scrapped because it looked good in theory, but could
not be executed.
Do you have pets? (Cat's, dogs, horses, pigs, birds, fish, etc.)
Don't forget about them! Make plans for them also. If you
have to go to a shelter, most DO NOT allow pets. Clark County
is trying to find a solution for the problem locally, but as of yet,
pets are on their own. YOU need to plan for their well being
(they are part of your family also :), along with the rest of your
family.
Most importantly "members of the Church have been counseled
for many years to be prepared for adversity. Preparation, both
spiritual and temporal, can dispel fear. With the guidance of
Church leaders, individual members and families should prepare
to be self-reliant in times of personal or widespread emergency. "
(Provident Living web- site). This counsel has been going on for
decades. Are we listening?
I know this is a long post and it doesn't even begin to cover all the
things to consider. For more information go to one of the links I
have listed on the side, or ask me for more information. I'd be
happy to help.
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