Thirty Seconds to Evacuate- what do you take?

This week, an acquaintance of mine sent this email out:

"Last night, our downstairs neighbors' dryer caught on fire and we needed to evacuate.  It all turned out okay for most of us, only the neighbors with the fire had damage.  But the thought I had was - it always happens to someone else until it happens to you.  

So here's your exercise - you now have 30 seconds to evacuate, what are you going to grab...ready go...

The neighbors with the fire had the bucket they tried putting the fire out with.  No coats or jackets.  They called the fire department and knocked on the doors on our side of the building.  Very altruistic.  

Their next door neighbor grabbed her dog.  I can't remember if she had a jacket on or not.  She said she wished she had grabbed her car keys.  

The other upstairs neighbor - they had on their pj's and sweaters.  I don't think they grabbed their dog because I didn't see it out there.  

Thanks to the church teaching emergency preparedness, I had - kids, coats, shoes, keys, wallet, cell phone, my glasses, two of the four 72-hour kits (the ones with money), and my bike trailer (it kept the kids contained while outside, plus it was by the 72-hour kits, plus I love it).  

I'm really glad I had at least practiced mentally at some point.  I probably could have cut off several seconds if I had physically practiced (I did my fair share of scrambling).  Things I wished I would have grabbed - external hard drive, the other two 72-hour kits, and an emergency binder containing all our important information (SS cards, birth certificates, insurance docs, etc.), but it doesn't exist yet (I bought the binder and page protectors last week but haven't put it together yet).  

Other things I learned - it is hard to come off an adrenaline rush like that easily.  I'm still shaky today and nothing bad even happened (to us).  Putting something for comfort in the 72-hour kits means a lot more to me now.  Also, the fire department got here quickly (they are a couple blocks away), but it still takes awhile for them to set up, get the water hose connected and in position.  I'm sure it was a matter of seconds, but seconds are sooooo slow when you're desperate for things to get moving.  And last, Brett wasn't here, so the kids and I needed to be more prepared to do it by ourselves.

Anyway, we're fine and I feel weird sharing, but I really felt like I needed to share to encourage you to make sure you are prepared.  We know what we're doing for family night this week.  =) "

I hope you all think about emergencies like this and have a plan in mind.  As for me, I'm probably in big trouble because my important stuff is all over the place.


And here is what another one of my friends said:

"I was just going to add that at night I always sleep with my purse, phone and a pair of shoes by the bed. If there is a snow or storm warning I tuck a bra, my contacts and phone charger in my purse, too. I also make sure there is nothing blocking the stairs or doors in the event we have to get out in a hurry in the dark.

Let’s just hope we don’t have to put our plans into action.."

Morrisville's emergency notification system

I got this information off of the Town of Morrisville's newsletter.

"Morrisville recently changed its emergency notification system to ReadyWake!  Make sure you register your number at https://wakecounty.onthealert.com/ to be notified in the event of an emergency.  The system will only be used for emergency purposes such as:  drinking water contamination, utility outage, evacuation notice and route, missing person, fires or floods, bomb threat, hostage situation, chemical spill or gas leak or other emergency incidents where rapid and accurate notification is essential for life safety."

You may wonder if any of these scenarios could ever happen here, and if you would need to be notified.  I was interested to see that a train derailment caused 300 people to be evacuated because of possible hazardous chemicals in eastern North Carolina just a couple of days ago:

http://www2.wnct.com/news/2013/feb/04/clean-continues-after-eastern-nc-train-derailment-ar-2995710/

Only 30 Minutes to Evacuate

Yesterday I talked about an internet post I read, talking about a bedside grab bag.

Here is some more information from that same lady.

She was doing the 7-Day Challenge from http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/.  On Saturday, Sept. 17, the challenge was to grab your 72 hour kits, and load everything in your car as if you were running from an impending disaster, and the time limit to pack your car was 30 minutes.  You were supposed to imagine that your home would be gone when you returned.  What would you take?  And what would fit into your car?

The woman chose to put these things into her car:

 her bedside grab bag
her 72 hour kit with all the regular stuff she normally keeps in there.
Insurance info
genealogy
4 sets of clothing
extra underwear, socks, sneakers,
pillow and 2 blankets
sleeping bag
25 meals she had previously sealed in mylar
picture albums, and flash drives containing more digital pictures
her emergency 3 ring binder (you can learn more about this on  http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/)
solar charger and cords for recharging cell phone
a couple of her precious antiques
water purifier

She said by this time the car was getting pretty full.  She was only able to fit in very few more items:

Bathroom bag with shampoo, toothbrush, etc.
a package of 6 rolls of Toilet paper
1 box kleenex
laptop
her purse

Then she said there was only enough room left for her body in the driver's seat.  And it only took her 18 minutes to collect and load everything into her car.

I thought it was a great exercise to read about.  I was out of town on Saturday, so I couldn't participate, but I am hoping that I will do the evacuation challenge some other time.  I really want to see how fast I can find all my supplies, and see how much will fit into my 15 passenger van (I am pretty sure I will be able to fit more than she did.)

Evacuation

FlyLady's 11 Points to Preparedness for Evacuation

FlyLady has a good list here.

http://www.flylady.net/pages/FLYingLessons_Prepared.asp

Emergency- New Era 1977 March

New Era » 1977 » March

Emergency!
by Lynn Tilton
Associate Editor

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=08855930f289b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=024644f8f206c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

A humorous fictional account of a fire alarm in a dorm.

Then, some good suggestions of what to include in an evacuation kit (also called a 72-hour kit).

Storming Back- Ensign March 2007

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=20460ed1d61e0110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD


Ensign » 2007 » March

Storming Back
By Norman C. Hill and Richard M. Romney

This article is about Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Katrina. Here is an excerpt:

Suggestions from Survivors

“Be both spiritually and temporally prepared,” says Charlotte Moore of the Waveland Ward in Mississippi. “Have food and water in your home, gas up your car, and know when the storm is coming. Then you’re not struggling to deal with basic needs, and you can take care of your family and serve others.” Here are some other suggestions from those who survived the hurricanes.

Evacuation, travel, communication

• Take evacuation orders seriously. Leave as early as you can.

• Travel in caravans. “It may slow you down a little, but there’s security in knowing you’re in a group,” says President Johnny Ross of the Orange Texas Stake.

• Be aware of gridlock. Highways may be tied up with evacuating traffic. Leave early to avoid it. Back roads may be open when major interstates are clogged.

• Contact your home teacher or other priesthood leaders, and let them know your plans. When you get to an evacuation center, check in and let them know where you are headed.

Evacuation centers

• Know where you can go ahead of time. If possible, have a plan to stay with family or friends.

Emergency supplies

• Gasoline. If you know a disaster is on the way, keep your gas tank full and have extra gas containers filled well in advance.

• Extension cords.

• Cash. Get it out of the bank in advance, or keep a small emergency supply if you can. “If you wait until everyone else is taking money from the bank, it will be empty,” cautions Melissa Moore of the Williamson Third Ward, Orange Texas Stake.

• Ward roster or address list. “You might not think of it first off,” says Keith Crossley, also of the Williamson Third Ward. “But when we were asked to start checking on people’s homes, it came in really handy.”

• Prescription medication.

• Flashlight with extra batteries.

• Portable, battery-powered radio.

• Waterproof matches.

• Fire extinguisher.

• First aid kit and instruction book.

• Blankets and sheets.

• Duct tape. At evacuation centers, duct tape came in handy for making labels and signs.

• Change of clothes.

• Adequate supply of food and water.

• Coloring books and crayons. These will give your children something to do during long hours of waiting.

• Favorite games, toys, and books.

• Consecrated oil.

• Scriptures.

For those who stay and those who return

• Turn off gas and electricity.

• Don’t open doors or windows during a storm. The change in pressure may cause destruction.

• Beware of downed power lines. To avoid electrical shock, treat every power line as if it is live.

• Take as many belongings as possible off the floor, or move them to a higher floor.

72-hr kits for Babies and Toddlers

Food Storage Made Easy has a great list of items you should remember to put into your Go-Bag if you have tiny children in your house.

http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2009/03/25/72-hour-kits-for-babies/

Prizes for Doing What You Committed to Do!

Last night at the Phyllis B. presentation in our ward I gave prizes of little loaves of homemade whole wheat bread to the women who achieved their goals from last month's "Hurricane Preparedness" lesson. (Those who were absent will get their prizes on Sunday.)

J.M.- Bought an inverter

K.B.- Ordered a wheat grinder.

K.A. Ordered food.

N.H. and H.C. and A.D. Stored more water.

L.D. Bought an inverter and copied her important documents and got phone numbers off her cell phone.

S.D. Got 72 hour kits and stored more water.

GOOD JOB! YOU ALL DID GREAT!

Now, here is your next opportunity to win a prize.

Phyllis B. taught us about the Red Cross's website for locating family members after a disaster. The SafeAndWell project will enable people in a disaster to list themselves, and will enable their family and friends to find them.

Phyllis is giving 3 presentations in the area this weekend, and wants her students to practice listing themselves on the site, and practice searching for people on the site. The Triangle Red Cross set up a special temporary test site for her students to practice using. It will be up ONLY THREE DAYS. It will be deleted after Monday Sept. 13. So you only have until then to use it and teach your family how to use it.

Here is how to win your prize (I'm only giving prizes to Relief Society members in my ward. Sorry to everyone else.)

Number One.
Pretend you are in a disaster. Find the redcross.org website. (You'll have to find it yourself, I'm not giving you the link.)

At the top of the page, find "Getting Assistance" then "contact family members" then "List yourself as safe and well" then "Read More".

Yes, that sounds like a lot. But thats how you can get to the SafeandWell website if you are in a disaster and don't have the link.

Number Two. Here is another way to find it. :

Find the redcross.org website.

At the bottom of the page, find "How to Get Help" then "Safe and Well" then "List Yourself or Search Registrations".

That is another way to get to the SafeAndWell website.

Now that you know you can find it even if you are in a disaster and don't have the link, I will give you the link:

http://www.redcross.org/safeandwell.

Go there, and search for me. (You'll need to get my home address or phone number off our ward list). If you find me, you will see my message. Email me and tell me what my message says, and I will bring you a delicious prize!

You will learn a lot more about the site if you go ahead and list yourself. No one can see your information unless they search for you with your accurate address or phone number (and it will all be deleted in three days anyway). When you start to list yourself, you have to fill out "About Me", and the first thing to choose is "Disaster Event". The "disaster" you can practice on is called "Triangle Area Exercise". After you list yourself, ask your husband, or your sister in California to see if they can find you on the site.

This is a great resource for large disasters like Katrina, because the displaced people in a situation like that are frantic to locate their families. If you practice doing it now (and tell your family members in other states about it now), then it will be a resource for you when you need it.

Phyllis said that when a big hurricane is coming our way, the site will open up for us to list ourselves for real. On an everyday basis, you can't list yourself. (Only when a disaster happens or is about to happen.) If you look at the disaster list for today, they only have "California Gas Fire", "Colorado Wildfires" and "Texas Floods", along with our little "Triangle Area Exercise".

When Disaster Strikes- Ensign Jan. 1982

When I find good talks about Emergency Preparedness in the Ensign I am going to share them here.

Marvin K. Gardner, “When Disaster Strikes: Latter-day Saints Talk about Preparedness,” Ensign, Jan 1982, 67

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=c07eaeca0ea6b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Paul and Jean Kreiner of Sylmar, California, were glad they had a year’s supply when the earthquake hit. While others were standing in line for two or three hours every day to buy food and necessities, “I didn’t go to a store for a month,” Jean says.

Their biggest problem was water shortage—all their water containers broke in the earthquake. (They’ve since discovered that cans and bottles packed in cardboard boxes with cardboard dividers suffer little damage if not stacked too high.) “I was really glad for all the plastic utensils and paper cups and plates we had on hand because most of our dishes were broken and we didn’t want to waste water washing the ones that were left.”

The Kreiners learned other storage tips from the earthquake: (1) Store supplies in various locations in the house so if one part is damaged you still have something left. (2) Have some food available that doesn’t have to be cooked, and a variety of other foods—dehydrated, frozen, and canned. (3) Keep on hand a supply of medicines your family uses regularly, and some consecrated oil. If you wear glasses, have a spare pair, well-packed to prevent breakage.

Here are some more good tips from the article:

But what if you have faithfully stored a year’s supply and it’s washed away in a flood or carried away by a tornado or burned up in a fire?

“I found that the mental security of having a year’s food and fuel supply was even more important than the physical security,” says Ruth V. Tingey of Lincoln, Massachusetts. “If our year’s supply had been destroyed, then, having been prepared and having helped others to have their supply of food, I would have felt free to ask for their support, and they would have given it without bitterness. When the Lord promises that if we are prepared we shall not fear (see D&C 38:30), I think he means regardless.”

LDS families feel that by following the counsel to be prepared they are witnessing to the Lord that they are obedient and that they have faith in his promises. And many, unable to use their own storage, still receive the benefits of a year’s supply—that of friends and family who come to their rescue.

The experience of the Teton flood impressed many Saints with the need to have something in addition to a year’s supply: a portable emergency supply that’s ready to be thrown into the car at a moment’s notice. It should contain enough water, clothing, equipment, and ready-to-eat food for the family to survive on for seventy-two hours. Cash and important documents should also be handy. (See lists in Essentials of Home Production and Storage, pp. 7, 11.)

The car should always be in good repair and the tank at least half-filled with gas. And it’s a good idea to have an evacuation plan already decided upon as a family so you’ll know where to meet if family members are away from home when asked to evacuate.

Hurricane: Communication, Evacuation

If a hurricane hits here, and we have no electricity, how are we going to be able to communicate with the outside world?

No electricity = no computer. (unless you have a generator or inverter.)

We won’t have our computers to see the internet.



And whats worse, we won’t have our computerized lists of friends, family, ward lists, hospitals, or any other information. Before the hurricane hits, you need to print off all your important phone numbers and address lists.

Email your friends and family with your tentative plans. If there is a chance you will be evacuating, email or call and tell your friends and family so they will know. You might not be able to tell them later.

Pay your bills online ahead of time.

No electricity=no cell phone.
Your cell phone’s battery will go dead eventually. You need to get all your phone numbers off of it, in case you can use someone else’s home phone with a cord.

Charge cell phone ahead of time or plug it into an inverter.
Be aware that if the cell phone towers are blown down in the storm, you won’t have any coverage even if it is charged.




Cord phones usually work when the power is out. If the cell phone towers are down, you will be happy if you have one of these dinosaurs, a home phone with a cord (not a cordless phone). These don’t need any electricity to work.




How can we get information when the power is out? There will be no electricity to power a TV or radio.
It is important to buy a radio that uses batteries or some other source of power. This one has a solar panel on the top and a crank on the back, and cost about $15.

Plug a TV into the car inverter.
If you have a small TV that is new enough to use digital signals, buy an antenna for it and plug it into the inverter in the car. We loved our little TV during Fran, I went out to the car and watched it many times during the day we had no power.

Become a HAM radio operator. If you really want to know what is going on, train to become a Ham operator and buy a short wave radio. We have many people in the stake who can help you with this.

If you have to evacuate: You won’t have a computer to print out Google maps, so be sure you have some good maps, or print them from the internet ahead of time. You might need alternate routes. Also, be aware that the roads may be completely jammed.

Have a full tank of gas and plenty of food.

If you go to a Red Cross shelter, they will provide you with the bare minimum. It is much better to bring all your own necessities of life.

After the hurricane passes, what things do you need to be aware of?




A great number of the deaths in hurricanes come from drowning. Do not drive on roads that are covered with water. Several inches can float a car and sweep you away.

Signs may be blown down. After Hurricane Hugo, my friend drove from here to Florida, and she said there wasn’t a single road sign left in South Carolina. You’ll need to know how to get where you are going.

Boredom will set in. You might be without power for days. Its good to have some entertainment for the kids, they will be bonkers without the TV and computer.

Final comments:
Please know that when disaster strikes, you will be thankful for ANYTHING that you did to prepare. Even basic preparations can relieve suffering and save lives.

The Lord has lovingly commanded us to “prepare every needful thing” (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we can care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others.

"We encourage members world-wide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings.
"We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings.

—The First Presidency, All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage, Feb. 2007, 1

By following the prophet and apostles, and preparing for adversity, we will be blessed and we can bless others.
It is time to prepare.

(End of Relief Society presentation on Hurricane Preparation for Morrisville Ward, Aug. 5, 2010)

Evacuation- Some tips

http://blog.totallyready.com/survivor-stories-emergency-preparedness-emergency-management/05/26/

I took this whole quote from the May 5, 2010 blog post of Totally Ready. I love to read that blog because she constantly talks about things we should be thinking about for emergencies.

It was interesting what things this woman did and did not remember to take when she evacuated from the San Diego fires two years ago.

"We had a half hour notice to evacuate. A friend called when he was called by a friend who received a reverse 9-1-1 call. My initial thought was, this is a drill, we’ll be back tonight, we’ll be the only ones on the road. All of these assumptions were wrong. My husband grabbed the kids and told me to grab a few things. What did I grab? Makeup! Of course when he came in and saw me I woke up to the important things. We ended up taking three days worth of clothes, photo albums, camera, computer, file documents, journals, scriptures, 72-hour kits, and the kids each picked one toy. There was no forethought; I just grabbed what I could, what was visible.

I wish I had taken....."

And you'll have to go to the blog to read the rest.