Are You Ready For An Emergency?
We had Hurricane Melissa swirling around and tagged as a Category 5, which hit Jamaica and Cuba; record-setting rainfall in California; Midwest mayhem with tornados; and we in Connecticut experienced flooding and outages in early October with a nor’easter. We have had hurricanes, nor’easters, flooding, fire, tornadoes, and even earthquakes!
Being prepared for a natural disaster is more than stocking up on milk and bread. It is not unusual in a natural disaster to lose power. Is your cellphone charged? Do you have an extra cellphone? What is your battery inventory? What about lighting—and don’t list candles, they’re a fire hazard! Do you have a NOAA Weather Radio that can broadcast via electric or batteries and alert you to hazardous weather?
During an emergency are you prepared for an evacuation. Are you going to weather the storm at home? Just because your home is not on the shoreline does not mean you are safe. Residents living in Oxford can attest to that fact after historic flooding devastated the Naugatuck Valley over a year ago.
Do you have a “to go kit”, a waterproof kit that would hold all of your important papers? This to go kit should have not only your personal information, i.e. birth certificates, social security information, insurance information and passports, but emergency contacts, plus bank and credit card information. Don’t forget your prescriptions. You should also have a stash of cash! One of my “aha” moments occurred during Katrina, when friends of mine fled New Orleans and noted the importance of having cash. During a loss of power, credit cards are useless.You might want to fill up that gas tank, as gas stations need power to pump gas. Needless to say electric vehicles would not fare well either.
Still toughing it out at home? Do you have an electric can opener? You can buy a manual can opener for little money at the Dollar Store. Do you have shelf stable foods that can be consumed without heating? Paper plates and plastic cutlery? What about water? FEMA recommends 1 gallon of water per day per person for 3 days. Fill buckets and bathtub with water before the storm for flushing toilets.
Yes, an outdoor grill can be used to cook food and heat water. Do not bring that grill inside your house (fire hazard and carbon monoxide).
Don’t forget your animals. If sheltering in place, just make sure you have enough wet and dry food for them. If you have to abandon your house, tape an animal inventory on both your front and back doors to alert rescue teams.
Break out the extra blankets, warm clothing, sleeping bags, blow-up mattresses, to weather the storm.
You may think this advice is a no brainer, but did you pack soap, antibiotic ointment, aspirin/Tylenol, toothbrush and toothpaste, toilet paper, sanitary supplies?
Be Prepared….it’s more than just a Scouting Motto.
