Choosing the right Emergency Supplies could literally be the difference between life and death for you and those around you. By taking the time to ensure you have the correct supplies and in sufficient amounts, you can save yourself a lot of work and heart ache in the future should disaster ever affect you and your family. Though some companies do offer a pre set supply container, for example a year’s supply of food, this may not be perfectly tailored to your needs though it should be said that every effort was more than likely made to ensure maximum compatibility with most situations and people.

An interesting utensil to have in the home is a food dehydrator. These can be used to create your own dry store goods for an emergency which will have a superior shelf life to just storing these products as they are. Fruit for example is a perfect product to dehydrate. It will still contain all the flavor, vitamins and minerals you require but in a more convenient storage form and it will not contain all the additives of tinned fruit. In the long run the money spent on such a utensil could be saved by not having to purchase as many pre packed products.

Emergency Supplies covers a large area of items that you should build into your plan of how to survive should the worst happen. Food and water would be your obvious choices but there are other goods it would be a good idea to stock up on.

Many people have missed the opportunity to create sustainability in the event that nature wreaks havoc. Perhaps you should consider buying some seeds of all the fruits and vegetables you use currently in your day to day life so, in the event that the infrastructure of your local area not regenerating quickly enough you can grow your own food to keep you going through the lean times.

Light is also another problem should it all come down. We have grown so accustom to using lights in our house we are almost pre programmed to be awake in hours of darkness outside. There are many options to choose from including oil lamps, solar powered lanterns which charge in the day for use at night and even wind up torches that can double as a charger for battery powered goods.

Sanitation is a big problem when it comes to disaster areas. Choosing between using the water you have to either drink or keep yourself clean is not something anyone ever really wants to think about. If you own a home with a garden why not consider putting in a rainwater tank which can be used daily to water the garden, wash cars or even boiled and used for beverages such as tea and coffee. This system will not only help in a time of need but can save you money and help the environment in the mean time. By taking some simple steps and ensuring you have your Emergency Essentials ready and available, you can sustain yourself for an indefinite amount of time should disaster strike.

The first step to creating your is to do some research and find out what types of disaster could potentially happen in your area. As a follow up to this try to find out as much detail as you can from local experts, maybe try your local universities geology professor, on how best to prepare yourself and your family for each eventuality. Most communities will have a guide laid out for how to deal with natural disasters such as evacuation routes and warning systems. Find out how these warnings will be passed onto you and where you can safely evacuate the danger area. If you have a member of your family that is elderly or has special needs do not forget to ask if special provisions have been made for them.

Take into account that disaster could strike at any time so take the time to learn about how your workplace or your child’s school will handle such an event. They may even have their own Emergency Preparedness Checklist that you can draw inspiration from. With children it would be especially prudent to make sure they understand what can happen in such a situation and how they should deal with it, whether they are at home or at school. When discussing your plans with your family, be clear on the details, it could save a life. You should cover more than just the topic of natural disasters, what they should do in case of a house fire, for example would be of great benefit for children.

Takes some time to look around your home and find the safe places for different types of disasters. Illustrate these clearly to your family. Simple things like turning on the radio to receive emergency broadcasts, switching off the gas and water and where to cut off the electricity are all things that could easily be overlooked yet if your entire family is aware of the need to do so it is less likely to get missed. A simple trick is to leave emergency numbers next to the phone or even stick them to the wall. Everyone will slowly learn that they are there until they become instinct. Include contacts for friends or family that live in the local area and some from further away. In the case of a localized disaster, a contact that lives next door would be suffering just as much and as such someone who does not live in the local area would be a better idea.

You should already have your family records in a fireproof and watertight container, if not these are readily available from many retailers. Pick two meeting spots for your family, one outside in case of fire and the other away from the home in case it is not possible to return home in a disaster.

Your Emergency Preparedness Checklist will probably not cover all the bases, but by taking the time to learn these things with your family you can greatly reduce the risk of a disaster turning into a tragedy.

CONSIDER THIS Stephen Box this past Monday, the temperature in Los Angeles hit a record 113 degrees, prompting a press release from the City of LA’s Emergency Management Department (EMD) directing the public to cooling stations set up in locations such as LA’s Libraries. the next day, the EMD issued another press release, this time acknowledging their recent discovery that LA’s libraries are now closed on Mondays. there are a few elements of this scenario that demonstrate LA’s lack of emergency preparedness and emergency responsiveness. 1) Emergencies don’t work 9-5, Monday through Friday. the heat wave didn’t sneak up on LA, in fact at 8 am on Saturday morning the participants at the LAPD’s Community Policing Advisory Board (C-PAB) Summit were sweltering. Unable to find relief in the beautiful but unshaded open space of LAPD headquarters they found refuge in the new Deaton Hall where the limitations of the AC system were discovered. the theme of the C-PAB Summit was emergency preparedness and featured Caltech’s Dr. Lucy Jones and EMD’s James Featherstone. in a wicked display of irony, the top brass of the EMD and the LAPD discussed emergency preparedness on Saturday and then went home, waiting until Monday to let the public know "It’s hot, head for the libraries!" If only we were better connected and had the right information at the right time. 2) Emergencies involve everybody. Utilities collapse, streets buckle, the LAPD gets stretched thin, the fire Department must contend with medical emergencies and heightened fire risks, priorities shift and the last people to know are the ones who need help the most. this simple heat wave illustrates that the importance of our libraries, our parks, our schools, our open space, our neighborhood councils, our senior centers, and our public space. regardless of the emergency, all of the assets of LA are part of the emergency response system, from open space for staging areas to protected space for animals, to libraries and community centers for cooling stations or evacuation shelters, nothing is to be taken for granted. If only we were better connected and had a plan for the right facilities at the right time. 3) Emergencies are local, very local. in a real emergency people won’t be downloading PDF’s from EMD, they won’t be shopping for supplies or rethinking the recent interdepartmental competition over emergency preparedness funding. They’ll be yelling, using a whistle, listening to a radio and taking care of themselves, their families and their neighbors. A real emergency doesn’t respect bureaucracy and it hasn’t been trained by the personnel department in time management, loss-prevention, or the hierarchy of municipal decision-making. To wait for City Hall to recognize an emergency is to court disaster. If only we were better connected and were prepared to take responsibility for our own lives. Last year’s Station fire demonstrated the deficiencies in our current emergency preparedness system when it was unclear which department or authority was in charge. Inter-agency squabbling over responsibility left locals navigating the back roads in order to do what needed to be done, save lives and save property. two years ago, a series of bushfires in Victoria, Australia took the lives of 173 people. "Black Saturday" resulted in an inquiry that called into question the simple nature of authority and the process for communicating an evacuation alert. it got hot, it got windy, the fires started, people trusted a hesitant fire authority and lives were lost. Fifteen years ago, a heat wave struck Chicago and 739 Chicagoans lost their live due to the heat. the Center for Disease Control (CDC) sent an investigator to Chicago to study the incident and the researcher reported "It’s the heat!" he was wrong. it was hot all over but the deaths came in clusters, demonstrating the impact of social structure, access and mobility, isolation and connectivity. Quite simply, it’s not the nature of the emergency that puts Angelenos at risk, it’s our ability to prevent or minimize the impact and it’s our ability to respond and survive that makes all the difference. 1) the City of LA needs to integrate its emergency preparedness and emergency response strategies and accept that they must be in the DNA of every department. Chicago demonstrated that simple land use decisions had an impact on the survival rates in a heat wave, demonstrating that even the CRA is having an impact on LA’s inability to weather the storm. from the DWP to the Street Services to the Libraries to Rec & Parks to the LAPD to the LAFD, every department in Los Angeles plays a role but the fact that they are disconnected means that we’ll be playing "Who’s on first?" in the next emergency. 2) the City of LA needs to connect with the public now and there is no better mechanism for that outreach than the neighborhood councils. it was locals that went over the fences in the aftermath of the Chatsworth Train crash to take food to emergency service providers who worked around the clock to save lives. it was locals who used the back routes to evacuate the animals in the Station fire while the "authorities" set up roadblocks that hindered an emergency response. from Community Policing to CERT to Communications, the network must be in place now, not after an emergency has arrived, and the strategy for success must start with supporting the public, not interfering. 3) the City of LA needs to clearly communicate now the chain of command so that the people of LA never, ever again stand in the middle of an emergency and watch the Red Cross argue with CERT over funding or watch the LAPD argue with the County over jurisdiction. Those moments might be dramatic and entertaining on the big screen but they are the seeds of disaster when they take place on the streets of LA. the record-setting heat of last week may have passed but in its wake is a reminder that we must be prepared, we must take responsibility, and we must get connected. As always, it’s up to us. (Stephen Box is a grassroots advocate and writes for CityWatch. he can be reached at:        this email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it Disclosure: Box is also a candidate for 4th District Councilman.)  -cw CityWatch Vol 8 Issue 78 Pub: Oct 1, 2010

With Long Island in the middle of hurricane season, New York State Sen. Charles J. Fuschillo Jr. and Assemblyman Dave McDonough, both Republicans from the Merricks, are inviting local residents to an emergency-preparedness seminar they are sponsoring.

The program will be held at the Wantagh fire Department headquarters, 3470 Park Ave. in Wantagh, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 23. Representatives of the Nassau County Office of Emergency Management and the American Red Cross will teach residents how they should prepare their families and their homes to deal with an emergency, what supplies to have available, how to make a “go kit” and what to do if a hurricane or other emergency were to occur.

“Being prepared is the best way to deal with a hurricane or other emergency. There are a number of simple steps each of us should take that will go a long way towards keeping our families and homes safe. I encourage residents to attend this meeting and learn from the experts about how to be ready,” said Fuschillo.

McDonough noted, “We just saw a hurricane come close to hitting our area. while we were fortunate that it did not affect us, it’s important that residents take advantage of the opportunity to prepare themselves. planning for the unexpected will go a long way, and we want to make sure people know what they can do to be prepared.”

Residents who would like more information about the program can call Fuschillo’s office at (516) 882-0630 or McDonough’s office at 409-2070.

BUSINESS > COMPANIES Preparedness materials offered by SERVPROSep 3, 2010 Area representatives of SERVPRO are offering free emergency preparedness materials throughout September in recognition of the seventh annual National Preparedness Month.The focus of this year’s campaign – “Plan Now, Work together, Be Ready” – is to encourage Americans to work together to take concrete actions toward emergency preparedness. John Strachan is La Jolla’s SERVPRO franchise. Contact him at (858) 270-5234. blog comments powered by Disqus

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09.27.2010– LOS ANGELES, CA – On September 24th, a sudden and violent storm raged through Port-au-Prince, Haiti with the highest intensity levels hitting the J/P Haitian Relief Organization’s camp in Petionville significantly damaging portions of the organization’s infrastructure. however, due to diligent emergency preparedness by J/P HRO with the support of the United States Army’s Southern Command in the months following the earthquake, internally displaced persons at Petionville, once designated the “most susceptible topography to flood and mudslide,” remained remarkably safe with few minor injuries. due to heavy winds and rain, J/P HRO lost an office and living space (tents) for J/P HRO staff and volunteers. Also destroyed in the storm was a hospital, pharmacy and many medical supplies. J/P HRO staff and volunteers worked through the night to relocate the hospital and patients to a nearby gym at the Petionville Club. Within minutes of relocating, J/P HRO responders were receiving patients and dispatched a nurse and midwife to deliver a baby in a makeshift obstetrics ward. the early estimated damage to replace the infrastructure lost to J/P HRO in the storm is approximately $350,000. despite the setback from the storm, J/P HRO staffers continue to provide medical support and services for the 50,000 IDPs living in the Petionville camp under J/P HRO management. Other camps in Port-au-Prince and across the country did not weather the storm as effectively, as at least five fatalities have been reported and major flooding continue to devastate the region. in recent weeks, J/P HRO and its heavy equipment wing have continued relocations into hard shelters in the Delmas 32 area where they have focused their highly successful rubble removal project. the relocations established by J/P HRO came under fire recently by Jean-Christophe Adrian, country manager for the United Nations Human Settlements Program, who told the Miami Herald that J/P HRO and U.S. Military were “completely wrong in evaluating the risks.” in fact, in the wake of last night’s storm, J/P HRO’s precautions very likely saved lives in the Petionville camp and certainly mitigated what could have been far worse damage.“It has been a very difficult 24 hours for our team and the community they serve in Petionville, but they have weathered this storm with courage, and continue to perform heroic and vital services for the people of Haiti, even under the most dire of conditions,” said Sean Penn, founder of J/P HRO. “The combined efforts of J/P HRO and the U.S. Military dramatically minimized harm and damage to PAPS largest tent camp of internally displaced persons. Drainage mitigation and relocations that had been previously criticized by some U.N. organizations proved their value today. we have been shouting for months about the severity of the hurricane season, and last night underscores the importance for the need of sustained and smart support in the region.”J/P Haitian Relief Organization is asking friends and supporters to help rebuild the lost infrastructure and to continue their efforts in Haiti. to donate, please visit www.jphro.org. ABOUT J/P HROJ/P Haitian Relief Organization is dedicated to providing long term support for the people of Haiti. Following the tragic earthquake of 2010 J/P HRO began working immediately to make an impact in Haiti. J/P HRO works with both government and non-government agencies to deliver immediate results where the need is greatest. Efforts include but are not limited to providing emergency medical and primary care services, delivering badly needed medical equipment and medicine, distributing food and water purification systems, improving communication systems, and developing housing and education facilities. the goal of J/P Haitian Relief Organization is to help lift the nation of Haiti out of the rubble and give the Haitian people a better life. more information can be found at www.jphro.org###

Emergency drills and preparation are fast becoming a habit for the city of Mercer Island, and it seems that the third time is the charm.

“It was really well done and went much smoother this year,” Emergency Preparedness Officer Jennifer Franklin said of Wednesday’s drill.

The three-hour session simulated the first day of a catastrophic 6.7-magnitude earthquake along the Seattle fault line, which runs under Mercer Island.

Franklin commended the 34 registered volunteers — from professionals who took time off work to retirees who changed their daily routines — who participated in the drill. In addition to the registered volunteers, all city staff and many other community members turned out for the drill.

The exercise also included the Mercer Island School District and Puget Sound Energy, which communicated via ham radio.

The Council Chambers served as the main operations center with city staff while volunteers communicated via ham radio at City Hall, opened a mock community shelter in the Community Center at Mercer View and operated the emergency well at Rotary Park.

Technology caused the only minor disruption of the day, although it shouldn’t be an issue next year, she said.

The current incident management software, which was created in-house about eight years ago, is out of date and the system is ready for an upgrade, which will likely be done next year, she said.

The 2010 budget contains $17,000 that is budgeted toward a new system.

Still, most city officials and emergency personnel live on the mainland and would be unable to immediately help Island residents.

For that reason, city officials strongly suggest that Mercer Island residents have the necessary supplies to be self-sufficient for at least one week.

Islanders have been lucky so far. There have been severe storms and power outages that have forced residents to alter their resources, but nothing on a catastrophic level, she said.

“When you actually see it work like this, it paid off,” Franklin said of all the work put into the one-day simulation. “Everyone knew the plan.”

The real goal, she said, is to get Mercer Island residents prepared.

In case of a real disaster, the emergency operation center will be based out of City Hall at 9611 S.E. 36th Street. The court room will serve as a volunteer meeting area, and a shelter site will be available at the Community Center at Mercer View at 8236 S.E. 24th Street.

Contact Jennifer Franklin, emergency preparedness officer, at (206) 275-7905 or jennifer.franklin@mercergov.org for more information, or visit www.mercergov.org/emergencyprep.

In case of an emergency

In the event of an emergency or widespread disaster on the Island, here are some helpful numbers:

• Non-emergency police: (206) 275-7610

• Non-emergency fire: (206) 275-7607

• Puget Sound Energy: 1-888-225-5773

• Emergency Operations Center at City Hall: (206) 275-7600

• Shelter site at CCMV (8236 S.E. 24th Street)

• Radio stations: KIRO 710 AM, KOMO 1000 AM

Mercer Island Reporter City Reporter Jenny Manning can be reached at jmanning@mi-reporter.com or (206) 232-1215.

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Tallahassee, Florida (Press Release) –

On September 1, Governor Crist proclaimed September as ‘Florida Preparedness Month.’ In recognition of the month, the Florida Division of Emergency Management will be partnering with more than 3,200 organizations across the U.S. to help create a culture of disaster preparedness.

“With the tropics becoming more active, and as we approach the historical peak of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, it is vital that all of Florida’s residents and visitors take the time now to prepare their families, homes and businesses for any disaster that may occur,” said Governor Crist. “This month is the perfect time to learn about how to prepare for the potential hazards in your area and to create your disaster plan to ensure you are ready to protect yourself and your loved ones.”

In addition to participating in Florida’s Preparedness Month, the Division is participating in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Ad Council’s seventh annual National Preparedness Ready Campaign, which will focus on encouraging Americans to work together to take concrete actions toward emergency preparedness.

“This is an excellent opportunity for all residents to get involved in local efforts such as Citizen Corps, Community Emergency Response Teams, and local faith and community-based organizations,” said Division of Emergency Management Director David Halstead. “By participating in these organizations, Floridians can help prepare for future disasters and learn how to build resiliency in our communities.”

The Division of Emergency Management has created an online program to assist Floridians in creating their family or business disaster plan. Visit the link below for more information.

Gov. Crist’s proclamation is attached above.

Latest Comments

Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 2, 2010 at 04:43 PM it says right there in the article “as we approach the historical peak of the Atlantic Hurricane Season”. September is usually the month when the monster hurricanes hit. Posted by: dog Location: gone on Sep 2, 2010 at 04:16 PM WHY NOW ? trying to look NATIONAL. OH the world of POLITICS. Posted by: Joyce Location: Tallahassee on Sep 2, 2010 at 09:46 AM It’s great to have preparedness month. however,since Florida’s most common natural disasters are hurricanes, wouldn’t the first month of the hurricane season be a more appropriate time to focus on “preparing”?

I know, I’m totally guilty of blog neglect–but I intend to start making up for that now…. thanks for coming back to read!

I think that I have mentioned before that I am on the rather extensive e-mail list of an emergency preparedness expert down in Utah. Those of you who may also be on said list may find the following information familiar, but with permission and slight modification (names, offers specific to the area, etc.), I am posting the e-mail here for more to see, since I think it contains great information for preparing for emergency evacuations:

“I have had many questions about what should be on the 5, 15 and 30 minute evacuation lists. The following are my lists. yours will be different and the priority will vary, sometimes extremely, depending on your family situation. there are only three adults for us to evacuate but I have some suggestions for families with children below.

5 minute list:

A) Grab 72 hour kits for each of us and stuff meds in refrigerator in top along with billfold and purse so we have credit cards, cash and checks.

B) run to basement and get zipped 3 ring binder with copies of important papers, and memory sticks and disks with pictures on them, plus the bucket of instant meals that sits next to fire safe. {It would be wiser for us to put all of the ring binder things on a memory stick and put that in the 72 hour kits, eliminating the trip to the basement. I just haven’t taken time to scan it all yet. that is going to the top of my list of “things to do”}

C) One of us take down pictures of great grandparents while other one pulls quilt and pillows from bed to wrap them…I love my pillow and want that with me anyway! [You may have jewelry, photography equipment, collections or other sentimental or valuable things, and hunters will want their weapons ]

D) Grab laptop, Ipad and current tax record file folders from office drawer.

E) Get in car and truck and leave to pick up W’s mother at the assisted living center.

If I had young children at home I would grab their 72 hour kits and strap them with their favorite blanket or toy in their car seats first so I would know they were safe and couldn’t go missing. then I would pack what I could in the order on my list in the time left. it may take 3 minutes just to get every little one buckled in. With older children they need their own lists posted on closet doors or back of bedroom or bathrooom doors where they can find it immediately. they will have hair dryers, video games, etc that are necessities to them. they MUST understand that they ABSOLUTELY MUST be in the vehicle in 4 minutes max so you don’t have to worry about looking for or waiting for them! it would pay to practice this to see just what you can do in 5 minutes even if takes a half hour to put back everything you tried to pack! Practice yelling Go! Go! Go!!!

15 minute list:

Do first 5 minute things as fast as we can except for (E)

F) Pack first aid and home remedy things ( see lists on inside of doors under main and guest bathroom sinks)

G) Grab journals and boxes of unscanned photos on bottom basement shelves ( see list on shelf at bottom of stairs. Empty bins are next to fire safe )

H) Stuff more clothes and bedding in back of car ( see list on closet door )

I) Toss cases of water and camping and cooking things in back of truck along with garbage can on wheels full of the “175 hour kit” ( see check list on wall by garage door)

E) Get in car and truck and leave to get W’s mother at the assisted living center.

30 minute list:

We are still working on this. I am making lists for pantry and closet doors. I think this will depend on the situation for priority order. if it is an “evacuate for a couple of weeks and come back” the priority will be different ( food storage can stay put) than “evacuate and you probably won’t be back and your house won’t be here either”. or “the looters will steal or destroy everything you leave.” or whatever scary emergency you might have in your community. Food storage is a valuable investment and I would want to take what I could of the most expensive and light weight things… freeze- dried stuff, if at all possible, for an example. if you have expensive tools that might be your prioity.

We have to plan to pick up W’s mom at the assisted living home if conditions require it, so possibly we won’t even have this full 30 minutes. we may have only 5 extra added on to the 15 minute deadline. almost too much to think about and decide on now. Imagine how much more overwhelming it would be if we haven’t even considered what to do before “IT” happens. it is no wonder that many people lose everything because they cannot begin to decide what to do, so they do nothing but leave.

If you do not have a 72 hour kit for every family member now is the time to get one. You really don’t have time to pack everything you need in 5 minutes. first look around your home for old backpacks or diaper bags to carry your things. Basically tho it is what you will need to survive at least the minimum 72 hours it will probably take for the churches, the Red Cross or others to get to you if the emergency includes thousands of people. think Katrina or an earthquake. for smaller emergencies like the Herriman fire help will arrive right away. even then it is nice to feel you have some control over your own well-being. “

Thank you, preparedness expert from Utah! I need to update my 72-hour kits, and make out my own lists for the different time limits for evacuation. Yeah, a lot to do, but a lot easier when I have (I hope!) a lot more time than 5, 15, or 30 minutes to do it in….

The world of emergency preparedness contains a wealth of important information.  We knew, at the start of this one-month project, that we simply couldn’t cover the full spectrum of emergency management.

You’ll notice, however, that we covered the big messages of “Get a Kit,” “Make a Plan” and “Be Informed” throughout the month of September.

DAY 29 ACTIVITY:  Today, however, we want you to tell us everything we missed…..and we mean EVERYTHING!

You will earn +1 for each task idea submitted, relating to emergency preparedness, that you can think of.  We will award up to +6 points total to each player for submitting up to six different ideas.

PROOF: Share your answers in one of the following ways:

• Leave a comment with your answer in it on this blog post.
• You can put your answer on the CRESA Facebook Fan Page or tag CRESA in a note, if you are recording your activities on your own page.
• You can post the answers on Twitter (please include @CRESA or hashtag #30days30ways in your tweet
• If you are uncomfortable sharing this information online, you may email your answer to: cheryl.bledsoe@clark.wa.gov

REMEMBER, you have until midnight TOMORROW night (9/30/10) to complete as many of these tasks as possible!
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DAY 28 UPDATE:  We have received out-of-area contact calls and recorded points for Andy C, Tim B, Scott C, Angela O, Carolyn H and Northland Fox.  please also know that we’ve received a number of  “hang-up” calls.  We will continue to update the Day 28 Blog and Facebook post (in the comments section) so that you can check-back and see if your out-of-area contact person has called in for you!  Remember, this a voicemail line only, so folks can call anytime!