What are you doing differently?
 

There are several postings on this board to the effect that there will be an investigation into the failures of preparation and response for the disaster this week on the Gulf Coast. I cannot imagine our leadership passing up the opportunity for wholesale pointing of fingers and assignment of blame. Of course there will be an investigation. Just like the investigations in to the 1992 WTC bombing, the Colombine shooting, 9/11. Many of those calling for an investigation have been in government since well before 9/11. Exactly whose failures do they think they will be investigating? Would your community leadership have performed better in this situation? What changes did you make in your lives based on these investigations? Remember the plastic sheeting and duct tape suggestions?

It seems apparent government at every level is likely to have significant limitations in the ability to protect us individually.

There are people in civilized society who will not accept responsibility for their own safety or protection. Some cannot because they lack the resources or are limited by age, infirmities, mental illness or institutionalization. Others will not.

That leaves those of us who can and will to accept responsibility to prepare ourselves to protect our families and do what we can for others.

Critical incident preparation should include not only food and water supplies and a first aid kit. Here are some other things you want to have at the ready:
1. identification for each member of your family (ss #'s, too)
2. a supply of medications regularly taken
3. ice
4. maps
5. a full tank of gas
6. paper towels, bleach, sanitary cleanser
7. a copy of your will, medical directives, power of attorney
8. pet medical records and a carrier or leash for each pet
9. a plan which you have discussed with your family which includes what to do if you are separated and if the crisis occurs while you are away from home and a checklist to make sure you remember what you want.

There were warnings about the approach of Katrina. Don't expect one for tornados, biological attacks, bombs, outbreaks of highly communicable disease (ever considered what you would do if your child was quarantined at a school and you were evacuated).

What are you doing differently? Let's learn from this exchange. Tell me what you think should be in a person's critical incident response plan. Preparation won't save everyone; but, it will save some. Thanks, Fodorites. Bless those who are suffering from this disaster.

Good post, cmc.

Honestly, we were much more prepared for any type of disaster when we lived in San Diego, 1.5 years ago. We were fairly prepared for earthquakes, fires (for which we did have to evacuate once), tsunamis, and any sort of attack from terrorists. Now we live in Tulsa, OK, and we have relaxed our emergency preparedness. We have our storm shelter stocked with all the essentials, but other than that we're not as prepared as we used to be. I guess we don't feel as threatened, and we really should be prepared for anything. As vulnerable as we are as a country right now, everyone should.

Good point, Jocelyn. We don't always know what the threat is, remember the shock when we realized it was American men who bombed the Murragh Building in Oklahoma City?

Come on, Fodorites, talk to me.

10. Keep cash on hand.

11.small medical emergency kit

12. lots of bottled water
13. battery powered am radio

14. Buying flood insurance.

Frankie, yes, a cc radio! I have one of those!

15. A propane gas burning stove and canned goods.

16. Gas mask - yes, I have had them in my house since 9/11.

Great ideas! Keep 'em coming.

17. Mosquito repellant.

-Freeze bottles, gallon jugs of water
-Have Balance/Powers bars which are small and easy to take with you and you can take days worth.

One thing we did differently between one hurricane and the next was freeze as many bottles of water, gallon jugs, etc we could and not only did it help sustain ice, it gave drinking, cleaning water as well.

More,more, more. These are great ideas.

These are some other items in our storm shelter not mentioned:
Flashlight.
Extra batteries for flashlight and radio.
Can opener for the canned food.
Small plastic cups for the water.
Plastic utensils for the canned food (we had beans and tuna--hearty and nutritious).

Hi cmcfong, here is my list: A lot already mentioned but not up to weeding through all the post.

Be prepared for 3 days..although I feel at least being prepared for 5 days minimun is better.

Being prepared means being able to take care of yourself and any household members, with hopefully enough in excess to help any neighbor that needs help.

Water
Food that can be eaten cold such as pork and beans, tuna, power bars, canned fruit etc. Frozen bread is good also.
A nonelectric can opener
Plastic glasses and paper plates and bowls.
Clorex, paper towels and rubber gloves.
Medication, prescription and over the counter meds.
Medical supplies, bandaids, gauze,alcohol etc.
Cash, all in small denominations.
Gasoline, always fill up when your vehicles get to half a tank.
Briefcase or some kind of a tote bag that has photocopies of your insurance health card, pertinent medical information and information regarding checking, stock brokerage accounts, credit card accounts etc. along with copy of any Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care, will or living trust etc. Negatives of precious photos..or if your photos are on your computer a CD backup. An address book with phone numbers of anyone that you would want to contact when possible. Add their email addresses also. Try to update it from time to time. That is a good place to put cash btw. You can grab the briefcase and run!

I tend to change purses and consequently put my wallet, cellphone etc. in a drawer all the time. Probably keeping important items like this in a purse is best, so it can be grabbed in case of emergency.

Battery operated radio.
A good battery operated lantern. Mine is a Coleman.
A few strong flashlights.
Check the batteries from time to time to make sure they are still usable.
Extra batteries.
If you have precious (to you) jewelry try to keep it in one jewerly box so that you can grab it if need be.

Have if at all possible an out of state phone number you can call to let that household know you are alright, or whatever your status is. Make sure all your loved ones know that is the number you will be calling. They can call that one number to find out how you are.

Don't flame me but a few bottles of wine and a corkscrew is helpful!

Always have one good pair of shoes that will work for you in an emergency and that completely cover your feet along with clothes that would be good for an emergency such as jeans, Tshirt, sweater, jacket, sweatshirt, whatever.

If you have the storage, old milk bottles cleaned and filled with water to put in the toilet tank in case you are without water. That way you can flush the toilet.

Filling up the bathtub (especially if an earthquake hits) is good too, for the toilet tank etc.

Sanitary supplies.

Know who may be elderly or ill in your neighborhood so you can help them if need be.

I obviously have gotten "relaxed" since our 1989 SF earthquake. This thread is a wakeup call to me!!!

I am down to a quarter of a tank of gas, not a lot of cash on hand, briefcase is empty.

Thanks cmcfong. This is a good thread and a public service IMO. Take care!

Remember that many emergency shelters will NOT take pets. And don't rely on the local vet's office as an emergency shelter for your pet, because the veterinary staff is going to be evacuating, too!

Make sure you have extra pet food and any medications your pet needs. Also, please keep your pet's vaccinations up to date and proof of vax.

We have a list of hotels that will take pets, in the event we have to leave here.

Great stuff, folks. Just keep it coming!

PS LoveItaly, no way would I flame you for bringing a bottle of wine. It is good for the digestion, so I see it as almost medicinal.

Hi cmcfong, well you and my European born grandfather who had vineyards here in N CA would have gotten along just great! He always said the same thing. BTW, so did the Dr. I had for 30 years. Loved that guy, LOL. But just to be prepared, more then one bottle of wine I think...especially if one has to be prepared for five days, LOL. Take good care! And may we not see any more disasters for a long time.

Wine!!! I knew I was missing something....

See, I told you this would be a good excercise. We are learning from each other.

Having worked as a pharmacy tech in the past I should let you know that medication purchased in advance will not be paid for by insurance. Some types of medication will not be available in advance at all. Certainly all pain killers, Ritalin (and others), anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, etc. are never given out in advance doses for obvious reasons. And while you may be able to get insulin, you probably cannot get needles. Perhaps drug regulations should be looked at when considering future emergency plans.

Hi shaz, needles, prescriptions etc. and the fact that insurance does not cover future needs and perhaps that should change. That is something I have been thinking about.

I am greatly blessed that I am not on any medication at all but know many people that are. And this Katrina Hurricane has got me thinking about the need for people to have an extra supply in case of an emergency. I sure do not have any brillant answers. If one can afford to pay out pocket then then keeping one month in advance would be a good thing IMO. If one does not have the money to do that perhaps this is something that family memebers mights think about doing as birthday/holiday presents instead of just more "stuff"? And of course, at least here in CA we have so many noninsured residents guess the discussion is moot.

What a pathetic situation.

And Shaz, if people cannot get an additional month of prescriptions because of drug laws there should be a way the law should change. Getting 13 months or prescriptions in a 12 month timeframe for example. But doubt if our clever "leaders" will tackle that problem. If I sound sour on our lawmakers and leaders I am! Best wishes.

This might be a stupid questions, but why ice??? You can't take it with you and if there is any significant emergency it's unlikely the power will remain on for long to keep the ice frozen.

My family thinks I am crazy because I am prepared for anything.

I have a large box in which I have all emergency items which include:

tap lights
flashlights
battery operated tv/radio/lantern
candles/waterproof matches
tons of batteries
a non cordless phone (which needed if power is lost)
healthy canned food
sterno
can opener
plastic forks spoons

Always in the house:
first aid/medications
vodka/wine - a must
deep freezer stocked with bags of ice
cash
laptop with wireless
bottled water - lots of it due to water delivery
gatorade
paper products
bleach
coffee bags - need coffee!
propane for gas grill
wood for fireplace

When a storm is approaching:
fill cars with gas
secure the house
I also keep my non replaceables (wedding videos, photos, yearbooks...etc) in large plastic waterproof containers. I don't look at them all the time, but i know they are somewhat protected.

In addition to a lot of what has been listed above, I also have a large wrench in a handy location to turn off the gas where the pipe comes into the house!

I think of protection first: so rubber gloves, work gloves, long sleeve shirt, rain jacket with hood, chemical mask, goggles (I shop a lot at Home Depot! :) ), jeans, and sturdy shoes are in the emergency kit inside the house.

I also pack a backpack with essential supplies for each car. Also carry some bottled water in the car along with jacket, sneakers, and a small tool kit.

Living in California has many people being prepared for earthquakes. We have lists from various governmental agencies, hospitals, etc. and, over the years, I've "improved" on these lists for the needs of my family. E.g., for a second story house, I also have a window ladder stashed in a central part of the upstairs.

The scout motto is very good: Always Be Prepared!

It's never too late to start collecting all the odds and ends for your emergency kit.

Over the years, I've added matches, a small sewing kit (the hotel ones are perfect), safety pins, small bottle of vaseline (the wonder rub!), and all sorts of wonderful stuff from REI, a sporting goods store, where things are made in small but potent sizes for backpackers.

Happy collecting! :)

Reading this makes me aware of just how woefully unprepared my husband and I are for a power outage, much less a disaster!

We rarely carry much cash, cell phones aren't always fully charged, flashlights are scattered about, batteries shoved in drawers--don't know if they work...don't own a battery-operated radio unless I can find my old walkman...Gas in the cars goes to 1/4 tank until this latest crisis..Food? Some weeks we have a pantry full, other weeks it looks like Old Mother Hubbard's empty cupboards around here...we pretty much always have tons of bottled water though so guess we wouldn't dehydrate and generally have a couple of bottles of wine and vodka around and lots of Clorox Cleanup (not for drinking, silly!) What does this say about our priorities?? Egads.

Besides the necessary survival supplies, the things I would want to grab are the irreplaceable items--photos from years ago, my wedding album, my grandparents wedding invitation which hangs framed on my bedroom wall...stuff that means so much...

And what would we do w/o our Palm Pilots once the batteries died? I don't know about you guys but I don't know anyone's phone #s anymore! Better write some important numbers on old fashioned notebook paper and stick all important papers in a big ziploc bag! All the electronics we rely on will be useless once the batteries run down and there is no elec. to recharge them!

Don't forget - we are all supposed to have plastic sheeting and duct tape for our windows! (Still not sure what that idea was designed to accomplish)

In our family of pack rats and bulk buyers, we always have all the stuff mentioned above - but can we find it - that is another question.

So this situation has once again reignited my desire to become more planned and organized about our stuff - flashlights will do us no good if we can't find them in the dark because they are in 5 different places in the house.

Hi OWJ and Gail, yes, if there is no power and if one doesn't have emergency supplies where they can be gotten to easily and in the dark, if one is without cash or much gas in the car etc. in time of a true emergency you will fee so panicky,

OWJ, just take a notebook and write down the phone no's and the email addresses of everyone you would want to contact. It doesn't have to be anything fancy.

I have my Coleman lantern, which really lights up a room in the dark, right on the shelf of my entry coat closet. I can get to it with my eyes closed.

Putting info and copies of everything of importance as I noted earlier in a briefcase or tote bag sure would cut down on confusion.

Maybe, if nothing else, this horrible tragedy will wake all of us up to the fact that with just a little extra effort we can be prepared if need be. It is obvious that if there is a large tragedy we only have ourselves to depend on.

One other suggestion. Go around your house and video tape of take photos of each room including the insides of cabinets and closets etc. If your home is damaged it will not only "prove" to your insurance company that you own what you do but it will jog your memory of what you own. I recently took a journal and listed everything. I was amazed at would I would have forgotten if say my residence burned down. I of all people should know that, have been in the insurance business for a long time.

Do NOT put the records of your personal belongins in your own house (you would be amazed at the number of people that do that). Put these records in your safe deposit box or at the home of a family memeber or close friend. I have my journal along with the photos at my daughters house. If you take photos you do not have to keep the photos if storage space is a problem. Just keep the negatives.

Time for all of us to get organized!!
Best wishes.

It is so wonderful to see the good ideas flowing in and folks doing a reality check of their own situations. OWJ, your candor is to be admired! I think you describe a condition which mirrors most homes. This is our individual chance to respond to a national tragedy by doing something positive for our own families and loved one.
I for one am glad that those who only want to bicker and complain are airing their thoughts on other threads and this one continues to produce good information we can really use.
Keep it coming! We will all learn something.

This morning, a woman at the shelter where I'm volunteering broke her glasses--she doesn't have a back up pair or her contacts. Something to think about.

Interesting thread. Great suggestions, so far. Here in CA, we are always updating our "earthquake kits" also.

In filling out the kids' emergency contact information during school registration, we are always asked for one out-of-state contact in case of an emergency. Watching the Katrina survivors trying to find loved ones, the importance of this hit home with us.

If all 4 of us are separated, (which would be the case if a disaster hit during the school day) we have designated my mother as the out-of-state person to call. However, DH doesn't know my mother's phone #'s, so I have programmed them into his cell phone.

The household inventory with pictures is something on my to-do list.

Another thing we were told to do after an earthquake is to fill all the bathtubs in the house with water immediately. That way, in case the water is turned off, you have a supply water for flushing toilets, cleaning, etc. Swimming pool water can also be used for this purpose.

I know this post will not be politically popular and I expect to be flamed big-time, but I beleive it is true and important.

In addition to all good suggestions in prior posts, I think every house should have a shotgun and #4 or larger shotgun shells.

As the situation in New Orleans has shown quite clearly, in a major emergency, local law enforcement will not have the capacity to protect you, often for many days. To the extent they are not themselves directly effected by the emergency, they will be directed toward rescue and relief and not toward their normal functions of patrol, prevention, and enforcement.

At the same time, in any large urban area, and in many not as large areas, the junkies, crooks, and gangsters will begin to loot, rape, and raid. Anyone who looks like they have something the mob wants can be a target.

It is regrettable but a fact of life. If you are not prepared to protect yourself and your loved ones, no one else will likely be there to do it for you.

As for whay a shotgun, it is the most effective self-defense weapon available, both physically and physchologically. Handguns are very difficult to shoot accurately unless you have extensive training and maintain your proficiency. Rifles are unwieldy and also most have much more power than is appropriate. Most people can quickly learn to shoot a shotgun accurately and there is nothing more attention-getting than the sound of a shotgun slide being cycled.

I think a shotgun for personal protection is like a fire extinguiser. You may never need it but it is much better to have it and not need it than it is to need it and not have it.

Let the flames begin.

dwoodon - you wont get any flames from me about the shotgun thing. I heartily agree. A shotgun has always been the weapon of choice in my family for home protection. It is easy to use and effective - and like you said, just the sound of that shotgun slide may be enough to make whoever is causing trouble think twice about proceding.

We found that after the 89 Loma Prieta Quake (we were living in Santa Cruz at the time and got hit pretty hard) that our camping equipment saw us through pretty well. We were quite comfortable camping in the back yard until the inspector came through to give us the ok on the house. We had our camp stove and plenty of fuel, so we ate well. We grilled up the meat on the BBQ that defrosted in the freezer. We got fresh water out of the water heater. We built an outhouse in the backyard. Overall, it was fine.

Looking at our current situation, it seems like our weakness is water. We still have the water heater tank, but I know we shouldn't totally rely on that. Even though it is strapped in, it could still fall or rupture.

No flaming here! My husband and sons are quail hunters so we have several shotguns in our home and I will have to say, after watching the looting in New Orleans, it does give me some peace of mind.

I agree with the water issue. All the disaster planning guides I have seen recommend that, in addition to filling the tubs at the onset of an emergency, that every household store a gallon of water per day per person in their homes. In my case, I plan for at least a ten day emergency and double that recommendation. In the plastic 2-gallon bottles, it is easy to store and really does not take up a lot of room in my garage.

We live in Southern CA so earthquakes are a high possibility for us and we have as much camping equipment as we can store just for earthquakes - we are definitely not campers but if we have to we can. We also have back packs in each of our cars that have a small amt of food, water packets, flashlights, some medical supplies and medications (which I rotate and use frequently) as well a jeans, heavy shoes, sweatshirts and some other things I can't recall. We figure we have to have comfortable clothes and shoes in case we are trapped while we are out and dressed up. Unfortunately, we won't know what we should have had until we really need it - but we are trying.

Oh, these are all wonderful suggestions. One thing I plan to do differently (since I'm reasonably prepared) is put aside a stash of cash.

I keep an inventory of my belongings in my safe deposit box at the bank. I also keep some photos of my apartment there. I try to update this every year, when I'm doing my taxes. I also update my address book, and my financial information.

I live in the Pacific Northwest, so I think more about an earthquake than any other type of disaster. If one strikes, hopefully, I can reach the bank in a few days and reconstruct my records, as well as notify the insurance company about what I've lost.

Another thing not just in an emergency, but as a traveler as well - get a TETNUS shot---every 7 years. Even if you do not have health insurance...$75.00

So important!

Never even thought about that, Annabel. Great suggestion! This thread has certainly produced some good ideas.