Home Emergency Preparation

1
Home Emergency Preparation

• Getting ready for disasters before they strike.
• If you fail to plan then plan to fail.

2
Types of disaster to prepare for
3
Types of Preparation

• Prepare to Evacuate
• What to take with you
• What to do before you leave
• Where to go

• Prepare to Shelter in Place
• What necessities should you have
• Where to store them
• How much should you have

4
Preparing to EvacuateWhat to take with you

• Clothes
• For the season
• Location relocating to
• Personal Documents and important papers
• Insurance documents
• Medical ID cards
• Marriage license
• Bank Account Info
• Passports
• Important valuables
• First Aid
• Medicines
• First Aid Supplies

• Food for the trip
• Canned foods
• Snacks
• Non perishable ready to eat
• Water
• Tools
• Flash lights
• Emergency road kit
• Blankets
• Some automotive tools
• Distractions
• Books, games, and toys for kids
• If you have pets
• Food, water, and medicines

5
What to do before you leave

• Prepare your home for your absence
• Empty and shut off your refrigerator and/or
  freezer
• Shut off your utilities gas, water, electricity
• Unplug all appliances
• Lock all your windows and doors and yard sheds

6
Where to go

• If at all possible go to a place you know well
• Family or friends who have the room and resources
  to let you stay for a few days to a week
• Smaller cities or towns if you have to get
  lodging (cost are usually less in smaller towns)
• Go to places that are free of putting you in
  further disaster mode.

7
Prepare to Shelter in Place

• Necessities cover everything you need to live
  without access to stores, banks, or having
  utilities-electricity, water, gas.
• (know your area where are local water
  sources, crops, livestock etc?)
• Three main categories require stocking up
• One sub category requires organization
• Tools and supplies

8
Three main categories of necessities

• Food
• Recommended 3 day supply
• Better to have a 7 14 day supply
• Shelter
• If your home is habitable then use it other wise
  you may need to set up shelter outside
• Tents in the backyard are a good way to go
• RVs and camping trailers
• Water should at least last as long as the food
• If water is to be obtained after the fact
  purification may be necessary
• Remember that your hot water tank is a source of
  potable water
• Toilet tanks will provide water for hygiene
  purposes
• If you know a storm is on its way, fill bathtubs
  and any other containers you may have such as
  (clean) trashcans, buckets, bins, empty soda
  bottles, etc. You can also line boxes and other
  containers with trash bags before filling, and
  then tie them closed. Water is CHEAP, but can be
  FAR MORE VALUABLE THAN FOOD in a disaster
  situation. You can live for weeks without food,
  but youll only last a few days without drinking!

9
Food

• Canned foods can be eaten from can or little
  preparation
• Vegetables, fruits
• Soups, stews
• Beans
• Meats, chili, tuna, canned salmon
• Honey (never goes bad, and is a good antiseptic)
• Dry foods
• Rice, noodles, beans, sugar, salt, cereal,
  oatmeal, flour
• Snack foods
• Peanut butter, crackers, cookies, hard candies,
  energy bars, breakfast bars, jerky, dried fruits,
  nuts, trail mix
• Cooking essentials
• Seasonings salt, pepper, baking powder, baking
  soda, powdered milk (with a can or two of
  condensed milk)
• Oil, butter, shortening

10
Shelter

• If your home is safe to stay in that is the best
  choice.
• It provides familiarity
• It reduces stress
• It will allow for a more rapid recovery
• If you must leave your house, you dont have to
  necessarily leave your property.
• If you live in a single family home consider
  putting up tents in your back yard.
• If you have a camping trailer, RV, or even a
  childs tree house you have either all you need
  or a good start
• In the absence of an RV or trailer, tents are
  temporary, you will need to make something a
  little stronger and sturdier for longer term
• If you are an apartment dweller you may have to
  find another location parks, school grounds,
  and church properties are good choices
• If you already keep some tools in a home kit,
  then a good supply of nails (10 lbs or more) and
  a hammer go a LONG way. If theres been a flood,
  tornado, hurricane or earthquake, then shelter
  can be quickly built with the debris and the
  hammer and nails. This type of debris shelter is
  much more permanent, protective and comfortable
  than a tent! Something as simple as nails become
  worth their weight in gold in some situations!
  Its funny how priorities and values change in
  certain situations.

11
One sub categories

• Personal papers
• Insurance policies, bank account numbers,
  official documents like marriage licenses,
  custody papers, passports and other valid IDs
• These do not need to be the originals. You can
  typically get away with photocopies. As such, you
  do not have to worry about running around
  collecting your important documents in an
  emergency, you can have all pre-copied in your
  kit ready to go. Ive even seen someone do a high
  resolution scan of each of their docs, and store
  them all on a memory stick. They kept the stick
  in a film container in their kit. Its a nice way
  to keep it small, especially if you have a LOT of
  docs, treasured pictures, mementos etc that you
  value! You could also use CD, DVD, hard-drive,
  etc, as long as its in a safe, hard-shell
  waterproof container. Everything can be printed
  out later, after the emergency has passed. Many
  folks that have lost everything say that the
  house is NOTHING when compared to photo albums,
  etc! Modern technology means you can carry a
  filing cabinet worth of mementos in a VERY small
  package.
• Cash, gold, valuable jewelry, and other SMALL,
  high-value items that can be easily carried are
  worth taking. These can be hocked or traded in a
  pinch

12
Additional items

• Tools
• Hammer, bow saw, axe or hand axe, wrenches,
  siphon pump or siphon tubing, shovel, good length
  of strong nylon rope, good length of light nylon
  line or strong small cotton line, camp stove,
  lanterns, flash lights, battery, hand-cranked, or
  solar, etc operated radio, manual can opener, a
  good sturdy camping utility knife
• Supplies
• Large and small plastic bags, extra toilet paper,
  extra batteries, fuel for camp stoves and
  lanterns, candles, pots, pans, a Dutch oven, mess
  kits or large supply of paper plates and plastic
  utensil, water purification, bucket, several
  rolls of duct tape, small roll of utility wire,
  chlorine bleach (non fragrant), extra blankets,
  gloves, filter breathing mask, writing pad, pens,
  and pencils

13
Storage of foods and supplies

• Foods
• Box up canned foods, bag dried and other foods
  and store either in an outside shed or close to a
  garage door for quick and easy access Be careful
  to keep dry stocks (rice, flour, cereals, etc)
  well up out of the reach of mice and other
  rodents!
• Water
• Store in water bottles, boxed and with the stored
  food
• Tools
• Should be kept in a large canvas duffel bag with
  the food and water
• Supplies
• Likewise supplies should be boxed or in a large
  canvas duffel bag and store with other items

14
How much is enough

• Emergency agencies suggest a 3 day supply to hold
  you till emergency services have time to set up
  and get moving.
• 3 days will get you through a lesser disaster.
• Katrina, Rita, and the Northridge quake
  experience shows us that at least a week is a
  better idea.
• Some disaster may be so substantial that a
  months supply may not even be enough.
• When the infrastructure is sufficiently
  disrupted, governments will have to struggle with
  getting basic services taken care before being
  concerned with assisting business recovery which
  means NO STORES.
• Without electrical power stores are unlikely to
  open since all of their cash registers are
  electric powered and computer connected to supply
  and accounting networks. Networks will also be
  down without telecommunications capabilities, gas
  stations will also be out of service since pumps
  run on electricity and are computer connected as
  well. A few cans of gas in your garage or shed
  could SAVE YOUR LIFE. If you need to evacuate on
  short notice, and youre low on gas, you need to
  be able to gas up your car yourself. Dont count
  on gas stations being open!
• If you dont have the things you need before a
  disaster strikes you are just out of luck.

15
First Aid

• First Aid kit
• First Aid manual
• First Aid courses
• Alternatives to conventional first aid items and
  common medical supplies

16
First Aid Kit

• Can be purchased or built
• Pre-made kits are commercially available and some
  are not so expensive
• You can build your own kit and depending on how
  elaborate your cost will be about 1/5 of a
  commercial one.
• Start with a container
• You need something to store the kit in
• A box, old back pack, canvas beach bag, old empty
  tool box, fishing tackle box, a large plastic
  kitchen container, etc.
• Choose basics
• Band-Aids, disinfectants, dressings, bandages,
  tape, scissors, OTC medicines, tweezers,
  thermometer,
• Expand from basics
• Large bandage dressings, baby powder, baby oil,
  Vaseline, needles and thread, lip balm, vitamins,
  emergency reflective blankets, Icy Hot, calamine
  lotion, hand cream Dont forget to pack any
  prescription medications that you or your family
  might need!

17
First Aid Manual

• A small first aid book
• Some kit in stores come with first aid
  instructions
• Small books can be purchased on line for under 5
• First Aid instructions can be down loaded from
  the internet and printed out at home
• Medical clinics sometimes have first aid
  instructions

18
First Aid Courses

• First Aid courses
• CPR classes are available in most towns and
  cities
• Community Colleges have life study courses that
  include First Aid
• Military teaches basic first aid

19
Alternatives to conventional first aid items

• Large dressings
• Feminine napkins make excellent large size and
  volume dressings
• They are sterile and compactly packaged
• Tampons also will act as sterile dressings once
  removed from the tube
• Bandages
• Ace bandages can be cut and used to secure
  dressings
• Any sterilized cloth can be cut and used as
  bandages
• Super glue will work like liquid skin to keep
  smaller cut closed
• Sutures
• Sutures are available for commercial consumption
  but it is easier to have a needle, thread, and
  alcohol
• Dental floss is already sterile and ready for use
  as suture material, use only unwaxed
• Sanitized monofilament fishing line also makes
  good suture material
• As suturing is difficult at best with regular
  needles, use it as an absolute last resort.
  Instead have or make butterfly bandages out of
  medical tape.
• Antibiotics and disinfectants
• In a pinch amoxicillin can be purchased at pet
  stores
• Homeopaths use Turmeric made into a tea with salt
  as both anti-viral and antibiotic
• Listerine is and excellent disinfectant for
  broken blister and toe nail fungus
• Topical analgesic
• Whole cloves soaked in mineral oil makes a great
  topical analgesic, just rub the oil into the skin
  on the afflicted area

20
8 weeks to a 72 hour kit

• Week 1- Develop an evacuation plan.
• Make a plan if you are not sheltering-in-place,
  have a location where
• you all will meet if you have to leave home have
  a telephone contact
• outside the state for everybody to check in with
  as local telephone lines
• may be too busy to get through. Check out
  "www.Ready.gov."
• Week 2- Store a gallon of water for each person
• in the home.
• If water is interrupted for three days, have on
  hand three gallons of water
• per person, but even one gallon per person is
  better than none. In
• time, add to your 72-hour survival kit.
• Week 3 - Top off supply of water.
• Make sure some of your family drinking water
  supply is in small enough
• plastic bottles to carry remember, three gallons
  per person should last
• you the first 72 hours.
• Week 4 - Get a jar of peanut butter and enough
• crackers for everybody for 3 days.
• Be prepared for a snack-attack. Peanut butter and
  crackers go a long
• way to make happy campers.

21
8 weeks to 72 hour kit continued

• Week 5 - Get an extra flashlight for the car and
• an extra one for the house, plus extra batteries
  for each.
• Don't be in the dark about emergencies lighten
  up with two extra flashlights
• and extra batteries, and don't forget extra
  bulbs.
• Long burning emergency candles or oil lamps for
  basic light in your shelter (theyre cheap and
  last a LONG time). Also the keychain type LED
  lights for personal use (get the type with the
  on/off switch, NOT the push to light kind). These
  little lights put out a lot of light, and last
  for a long time. In addition to this, they weigh
  very little, and extra batteries also are small
  and weigh very little. You can buy these in bulk
  for a few dollars each, and the batteries for
  under a dollar each, so having quite a few in
  your kit is an easy proposition. Each person
  should have at least one!
• Week 6 - Purchase three cans of ready-to-eat
• food for each person in the home.
• Don't go hungry when the lights go out. Three
  cans of your favorite
• ready-to-eat food per person will be a major part
  of your survival diet.
• Dont forget a manual can opener.
• Week 7 - Get a first aid kit.
• Check your home first aid kit for all the things
  it came with, and replace
• missing items check the one in the car, too.
• Week 8 - Buy canned or dried fruit for
  breakfasts
• and desserts.
• Begin and end each day with your favorite fruit,
  in a can for emergencies,

22
Water Purification

• Tablets
• Tablets for purifying water are available where
  camping supplies can be purchased
• Bleach
• Plain chlorine bleach, non fragranced goes along
  way, use 16 drops per one gallon of water, let
  stand one hour and drink your fill
• If the smell and taste of chlorine is too strong,
  try transferring the water back and forth between
  containers, the action releases the chlorine in
  gas form from the water
• Filtering
• Filtering also works well, you can purchase a
  filtering system or build your own
• From the inside of a three pound coffee can punch
  holes through the bottom
• Lay two to three layers of coffee filters in the
  bottom of he can.
• Fill the bottom of the can to about a 2 inches
  deep with crushed regular charcoal brickets
  (dont use the quick lite kind, it is saturated
  with some form of igniter fuel
• A narrower container or tube that is filled
  deeper (at least a couple inches) will do much
  better. A soda or tennis ball can filled most of
  the way with crushed charcoal will work just fine
  as a water filter. If you dont have much
  charcoal, then simply crush up the charcoal and
  add it to the water. Leave it for an hour or so,
  and then filter through the coffee filters.
  Charcoal can also be obtained from burnt wood,
  just scrape the black off like you would your
  burnt toast.

23
Disaster Psychology

• Mentally coping with a disaster
• Disasters are intense trauma to the senses,
  mental and emotional faculties
• Knowing before hand what you might face and
  planning to deal with it is 90 of the problem
• Preparing and planning ahead
• Getting your kit ready and making a plan of
  action will be the first step in keeping a proper
  mental state that will see you through
• Realizing you are your own
• Both Katrina and Rita are perfect examples of how
  long and how poorly officials will react to
  disasters
• Since they cant and sometimes wont react in
  time you have to take the necessary actions to
  take care of yourselves and your family
• Dealing with the problems that arise
• By their very nature disaster are a problem and
  create many more as time goes by
• You may not be able to think of every possibility
  but, you can think of enough of them to be ready
  to deal with them
• When making your plans and kits keep thinking
  What if.
• Keeping a positive attitude
• When the going gets tough, keep your focus on
  taking care of yourself and your family
• As an old friend of mine used to say, Attitude
  determines altitude.

24
Before you begin

• The first thing you should do is an inventory of
  what you have
• In any survival class the first thing they teach
  you about surviving is to take stock of what you
  have
• Much of what you need you already have
• The question is then how much do you have
• How much will you need to get
• Take a written inventory of food, water, tools
  and supplies and start from there
• Improvise, improvise, improvise !!! Almost
  everything has alternative uses, cans become cups
  and pots, a hand axe becomes a hammer. Dont
  limit yourself, get creative!

25
Security

• In the times of crisis after disaster strikes
  people who are unprepared will be doing
  horrendous things to survive.
• There will be lawlessness
• People will be desperate
• They will not be willing to share, they will be
  wanting to take and they will hurt you to do it
• Law enforcement will be minimal if at all
• Security for you and your family will be as
  important to protecting your preparations as the
  preparations themselves

26
Security Measures

• First and most important is mindset
• Understand that everyone will be a little
  disoriented at first
• Realize that survival is a strong instinct and
  people will do things to survive that they would
  not normally do
• Remember that you to are determined to survive
  and make your determination stronger than those
  who might attack you or your family
• Keep a low profile
• If you are sheltering in place, dont make a big
  show of how much more comfortable you are because
  you prepared
• Keep your movements to a minimum, the fewer
  people who see you the better
• Work with neighbors
• If you have close neighbors help them to prepare
  and then work together as group to survive
• Strength in numbers
• Pooling resources
• Be careful who you trust, if word gets out that
  you have supplies you may be inviting trouble so
  keep a low profile
• Get and keep contact with whatever local law
  enforcement that is available
• If local law enforcement is available, get in
  touch with them and let them know you sheltering
  at home
• Ask them to make as regular passes as possible to
  check on you
• It will be a good idea to have some food and/or
  coffee ready to offer them as an inducement
• As a last resort be ready to defend your self and
  family
• Start this by setting up some kind of barrier
  perimeter to you and your family
• If need be set up watches where some one is
  checking to see who is in the area

27
FEMA Emergency Kit Guide

• http//www.ready.gov/america/get_a_kit.html
• http//www.ready.gov/america/make_a_plan.html

28
Washington State Emergency Management
Preparedness Guide

• http//emd.wa.gov/5-prog/prgms/pubed/home-prep/hom
  e-prep-idx.htm

29
Survival Resources and Information

• http//members.aol.com/SaveMoDoe2/emergency.htm
• http//www.first-aid-product.com/pgSurvival.htm?so
  urceOverturewcwoverture.comovmkt42KPBD9987LSG
  KC9SGK6PD6PRSOVRAWsurvival20kitsOVKEYsurvival
  20kitOVMTCstandard
• http//www.quakekare.com/index.asp?PageActionVIEW
  CATSCategory1
• http//www.bereadyinc.com/
• http//mountainsurvival.com/survivalkit.html