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2016-03-13 -Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

This Biannual in Emergency Preparedness - Spring Forward

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Posted by swksvolFF 2016-03-13 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11130 views ] Top

#1 Another thing to not forget is a fire ladder for any bedroom upstairs. We also plan on having a fire extinguisher for each bedroom upstairs as well but that comes as money trickles in.

But it's hard to stress enough the importance of talking through these things with your family. Everyone has to be familiar with the plan and most especially their part in it.

Posted by Silentbrick 2016-03-13 09:38|| 2016-03-13 09:38|| Front Page Top

#2 Stuff a day or two of any vital med into the socks you put in those back up shoes/boots. Might be a few days before you can get your hands on refills while things sort out.

Posted by Procopius2k 2016-03-13 10:57|| 2016-03-13 10:57|| Front Page Top

#3 $200 cash, a change of clothes and pajamas for each child (I put last season's soccer uniforms, which had the trailing daughters' names on the back), and colouring books and crayons went into the bug out backpack when the children reached that age. And yes, several of each person's prescription meds in the original, labelled bottles. Most prescription meds have a three year expiration date -- double check with your pharmacist for yours.

Posted by trailing wife 2016-03-13 11:09|| 2016-03-13 11:09|| Front Page Top

#4 "Another thing to not forget is a fire ladder for any bedroom upstairs."

Agreed, #1 SB. During the timer I was a firefighter in our small county, I know of at least one life saved because she had such a ladder. She couldn't have gotten out otherwise, and we couldn't have gotten there in time to get her out.

I don't know what they cost today, but they're worth every penny if you have bedrooms on the second floor.

Posted by Barbara 2016-03-13 11:10|| 2016-03-13 11:10|| Front Page Top

#5 Very nice, swksvolFF. Very thorough.

I might add that at least one Weather Radio you have should be battery operated. The plug-in-only kinds don't work well if power is down. I like the Midland WR120 for an inexpensive ($25 at Sprawl-Mart) AC/Battery model or their EH55VP rechargeable portable ~$50.

I'm sharing this thread with a few other folks and you might see a weird nic or two in the comments.

Again great job.

Posted by Mullah Richard 2016-03-13 12:42|| 2016-03-13 12:42|| Front Page Top

#6 Oh, I missed the medicines. (wife gives me a dirty look as meds are part of her education)

My boogie bag has pain relievers and anti-histamines (bees/wasps/etc) and keep it in my storm shelter. Wife confirms to leave meds in their original container, very important.

Add to the check list - open windows to be used in an emergency to make sure they can open. Something we teach at the safety day is to take out a dresser drawer and using it as a battering ram if the window does not open, knock out all the glass, and use the heaviest blanket available to lay over the bottom of the sill.

I have also seen emergency hoods with a breath-through-mouth air filter, and cartridge masks with dedicated fire/smoke filters.

I have an emergency radio with runs on batteries, and also has a hand crank which will charge a built-in battery.

There is a lot of emergency supplies out there now, even more so than when I first started building. I have marine (boating) emergency food and water, basically highly concentrated granola bars and water in high-strength pouches; look like capri sun pouches but durable.

Posted by swksvolFF 2016-03-13 13:04|| 2016-03-13 13:04|| Front Page Top

#7 All seriousness aside be sure your beer supply is topped off. When the SHTF it'll be too late for a beer run.

Posted by BrerRabbit 2016-03-13 13:26|| 2016-03-13 13:26|| Front Page Top

#8 Just thought of something. Have a drinker and/or tobacco user, might want some of that nicotine gum and a pint....under somebody else's stewardship. Cold turkey can be ugly and that may not be the time for it.

For our rural readers, Greensburg KS is a good study. For our more urban, Joplin MO.

Two ways out of every bedroom. Ladders for 2+ stories, step stools for basement windows.

Stay low, it is the smoke which will make a person pass out. Check doors with the back of your hand and on the door so you do not fry-stick your hand to the knob.

Posted by swksvolFF 2016-03-13 13:28|| 2016-03-13 13:28|| Front Page Top

#9 Thanks, swksvolFF.

This is excellent information, all in one spot.

You helped a lot of people today.

Posted by Barbara 2016-03-13 13:43|| 2016-03-13 13:43|| Front Page Top

#10 take the batteries OUT of your emergency radio, put them in a ziplock bag, and tape that bag to the radio. Take them out and use them for toys, put new ones in the radio and test it, then put them in the baggie every spring and fall. Prevents corrosion form the occaisional bad battery and ensures the radio works.

Or else get a hand cranked radio if you have the money.

One medicine to pack: Benadryl. Pills. It works great for allergic reactions (have the benadryl cream on hand if you/yours get rashes frequently), and can be used as a make-shift sedative to help a person sleep in unfamiliar or stressful situations in the aftermath of a disaster.

Posted by Heriberto Glumble9907 2016-03-13 14:47|| 2016-03-13 14:47|| Front Page Top

#11 awesome list!

Posted by newc 2016-03-13 14:49|| 2016-03-13 14:49|| Front Page Top

#12 Everything HG9907 said is right on.

I will say that both my flashlight in my bunker gear and my 'what was that noise' on the bed stand, I keep the batteries in but unscrew the back enough to break the circuit but not let the batteries fall out. So far (couple years now) no corrosion.

Flashlights today: wow. They will knock out a person's night vision for sure - consider if that is a good thing or bad thing.

Posted by swksvolFF 2016-03-13 19:25|| 2016-03-13 19:25|| Front Page Top

#13 I have a ladder that would reach the upstairs windows but in an emergency I'm sure I'd have never thought of it. That's a good idea.

Posted by Abu Uluque 2016-03-13 21:01|| 2016-03-13 21:01|| Front Page Top

#14 inside rope ladder = better

Posted by Frank G 2016-03-13 21:03|| 2016-03-13 21:03|| Front Page Top

#15 There are emergency rope/chain ladders which will fit underneath a bed; hooks over the sill.

Posted by swksvolFF 2016-03-13 21:46|| 2016-03-13 21:46|| Front Page Top

#16 Another thing I need to add to my bug out bag is a charged extra battery with appropriate tips for the various cell phones, and make sure there are car chargers in the various cars. I've given this away as a stocking stuffer to the trailing daughters and acquired offspring, so I won't have to worry that their phones will die during an emergency. I carry the next size up for myself, because heaven forbid both the phone and the iPad die at the same time while I am away from electricity -- the thought that I might not be able to reach Rantburg is too horrifying to contemplate. ;-)

Posted by trailing wife 2016-03-13 22:30|| 2016-03-13 22:30|| Front Page Top

#17 A cigarette lighter inverter, and there are solar chargers with various attachments, as well as solar chargers for traditional sized rechargeable batteries.

I have one which one end goes into a cigarette lighter charger, and the other end is a USB port. There are also various sized battery to battery chargers like TW's link.

There is a battery pack/tire inflator ostensibly for jumping a car/filling tires, but the capacity and sockets allow for recharging items or even running a microwave for x amount of time.

I have an inverter with which I can plug into car's CL charger, run the car, and it could power my fridge and freezer (as gasoline allows).

Posted by swksvolFF 2016-03-13 22:52|| 2016-03-13 22:52|| Front Page Top

23:46 Nguard
23:32 Whiskey Mike
23:28 Alaska Paul
23:26 Alaska Paul
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22:57 trailing wife
22:52 swksvolFF
22:30 trailing wife
22:28 Ulutch Shase3619
22:26 Ebbulet Ghibelline2809
22:24 Solomon Snore2074
22:11 Knuckles Trotsky2582
21:46 swksvolFF
21:34 Procopius2k
21:09 Abu Uluque
21:06 Abu Uluque
21:03 Frank G
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20:38 lord garth
19:25 swksvolFF
19:18 Mullah Richard