Now that
Winter is here, here are a couple things you can quickly do this month to
better prepare for a winter emergency:
1.
Gather blankets and take an inventory. You should have at least 2 per bed in your home.
Do you have enough to keep warm if there was a prolonged power outage?
2.
Take
inventory of your coats, hats, gloves, boots and snow pants. Children grow
fast, do they all fit? Winter clothing
will already be on sale at many stores.
3.
Check
your power outage kit. Or assemble one
if you do not have one. We assembled one
of our own. In a plastic tub with a lid,
fill it with a few items such as: 2 or
more flashlights, batteries, matches, an old fashioned oil lamp, oil lamp
accessories such as an extra chimney, extra wicks, and oil. We also put in an emergency radio, candles
and you can throw in anything else that would be helpful. The new LED flash lights are very bright and
many are inexpensive. Put your kit in an
easy to reach and “easy to find in the dark” place such as a front hall coat
closet. (The oil lamps are very affordable and can be bought at Wal Mart stores
in the home décor department. I like
them because one can provide enough light for an entire room.)
4.
Throw
some extra things in your car or truck for the winter such as extra blankets,
an emergency car kit, a flashlight and some water and non-perishable food. If you live where it snows, add a folding shovel
and a bag of inexpensive kitty litter. When
traveling in the winter, always take along heavy coats, gloves etc just in case
you run into trouble.
A few things we can learn from Typhoon Haiyan and other
natural disasters:
1. Some disasters we cannot move away from or
predict like an earthquake. But there are disasters that we can see approaching
and we need to be aware of what is coming and take head of the warnings we are
given. We need to pay attention to our
surroundings and prepare the best we can.
Over the last 8 years I have seen several times the people most likely
to survive were those that prepared to the best of their ability and circumstances
and they headed the warnings that were given.
2.
Any
kind of preparation will help us and possibly others. It is never a waste of time. Do a little here and there and over time we
can accomplish a lot.
3.
Do
not expect that the government or even church or other agencies can come to the
rescue within hours. It is usually
days. That is why a 72 hr kit (3 day
kit), is just a start. Search the internet for “72 hr kits”, or “grab and go bags” etc for lists.
4.
The
first things people seem to need immediately is WATER and SANITATION. More people die not from the initial disaster
but from the effects of lack of water and sanitation and the diseases that
follow. Store as much water as
possible. Get the best water filtration
equipment you can afford and learn how to use it.
5.
Assemble
at least one port-a-potty (toilet
system) for your family. Include toilet
paper, cleaners, wipes etc to keep things as clean as possible. You can never have too much of these
items. Your neighbors probably are not
prepared. Most people aren’t. Learn safe practices for disposing of human
waste.
6.
Stay
up to date on all immunizations. People
in refugee camps are dying now from preventable diseases that most of us have
had immunizations for. We are lucky that
these are so available to us. Adults
need to ask their doctor what boosters they may need now.
