Not Dying 101: Be Ready

Posted by Blair on February 29, 2012 · 2 Comments 

Oh, heyyy. Here I am. Look at me.

Turns out, this whole moving/getting settled/making my apartment functional thing has taken a lot more time and energy than I expected. But, I now have fast internet, a working computer, AND a few free minutes with which to write. Wild, I know. My free time lately has been dedicated to geeking out on The Sims: Medieval, since it has been so long since I had a computer fast enough to actually play games effectively. Unfortunately, this means my free time has NOT been dedicated to blogging.

Oklahoma is fab. I love it here. I love the peace and quiet, I love the ten mile visibility that actually feels like a thousand, I love the incredible sunsets and the nice people and the warmer weather. I lessthanloved the FBI takedown that happened outside of my apartment the other day, but hey, everywhere has it’s faults. Trufax: I staked out a stake out. Literally. I was totally creeped out by the tinted window cars that had people sitting in them for a long time parked all funny and acting shady, so I pulled out the old Canon and started snapping away. Whatever was happening, I knew it wasn’t good. Turns out, those were the good guys– I was taking pictures of the FBI agents, who were taking pictures of my neighbors. OOPS. But hey, at least I know my instincts are in good, working order. Buying a house is a high priority for me right now, for obvious reasons.

We’re coming into tornado season, and this will be my first one here in “Tornado Alley”. In a second floor apartment. Without a storm shelter. Next to wide open fields. SO. I have spent some time putting together all that emergency stuff the government says we should have, but most people ignore. 20-somethings tend to think they are invincible, or “too cool” to be prepared for an emergency. They think it’s crazy, or “lame”. But an emergency doesn’t have to be a huge, end of the world event. It could be something as simple as a transformer blowing up and needing to be prepared for a few days without power. With the weather what it has been in all parts of the country for the last couple of years (tornadoes and earthquakes happening in places that had never seen them before), I don’t know why anyone would take a chance. I also think that we get jaded to the fear mongering the government tends to do when it comes to these issues. It’s “ZOMG THE WORLD IS ENDING, MAKE SURE YOU’RE READY!!!” But you never hear WHY you should do each individual task they recommend, which makes it easy to ignore.

Hillsborough, NJ 2011

Now those who know me personally, know that I am a pretty prepared person in life overall– when the hurricanes came and knocked the power out, we barely blinked an eye. But how do you prepare for an event that could potentially provide a one-way ticket to Oz? I am going to tell you how I am doing it, and I am going to tell you why I am doing each thing. I hope it inspires you to consider something that might be less than cool, but is certainly important.

Start with an emergency radio. Mine is the Eton Axis, available at Macy’s, Amazon, and various other places. Now, this bad boy is good to have whether you live in the midwest or northeast or Antarctica. It is a combination NOAA radio, flashlight (way important), emergency flasher, and perhaps most importantly, can charge anything with a USB (for all you cell phone junkies out there). It takes power in three different ways: AC, AAA batteries, or hand crank. It looks huge in the picture, but it’s not. And if you hike or camp, it’s lightweight and easily portable. This will be a great form of communication if you lose power unexpectedly. It keeps you tuned into the news and aware of what’s going on, AND it lets you continue to use your cell phone to stay in touch with family and friends (and Facebook). I can’t wait to use this thing, but I am kind of a geek like that. You also want to have some candles on hand, for obvious reasons. No reason for running down batteries when you can just light a match. I usually keep one in each room.

Next, you want to have all of your important documents in one place, preferably a waterproof place, but at least a place that will be easy to grab if you need to leave or move it for any reason. This should include your birth certificate, passport, social security card, bank account numbers, insurance documents (rental, homeowner, car, health, inventory of your belongings for potential insurance claims), and emergency numbers in case your cell phone dies (because if you’re like me, you gave up trying to remember phone numbers a LONG time ago). I don’t suggest these documents because I think you’re going to have to flee the country or anything. I suggest them because it is BRUTAL to replace them if you lose them. Even more so if you lose them all at once. I keep all my insurance information on an encrypted thumb drive (and have paper backup, but for a typical regional crappy scenario a thumb drive is perfect). All of my documents fit neatly into a big Ziploc baggie (which eventually will be upgraded to something a little more reliable, but works for now). I am of the opinion that you should also keep a hundred dollars in there in smaller bills. If the whole town loses power you can forget trying to use a credit or debit card anywhere, and you never know what may or may not be open and what you might need if you decide to head out of town.

Food and water. Now this is a big issue I have with the population in general. Really, there should be no need to make a mad dash to the grocery store when you hear you’re going to be pounded by Hurricane Bertha. Why? Because when the power goes out, all that milk you just bought is useless. Keep a small section of your pantry dedicated to the following items: protein and granola bars, beef jerky, tuna, some of those peel top fruit and vegetable cups from Walmart, cereal you wouldn’t mind eating dry, crackers and peanut butter, maybe some trail mix or nuts, and some Gatorade and water bottles. And plastic utensils/paper plates, because you won’t be doing dishes either and those suckers start to smell pretty fast. No, you won’t  be eating a gourmet meal. But you will have food that doesn’t require cooking in the event you lose power. Your goal is items that have a high protein content, and items that will keep. You should have enough for AT LEAST three days. Obviously, if your power is out, you should first use up things in the fridge– no need to waste. But this will help continue or supplement that, and will keep you from having to drive 40 minutes three towns away to the closest open diner for every meal. Imagine what you would take if you were going on a camping trip, and work with that. And don’t forget a manual can opener. This interesting link breaks down how much water the average person uses per day. The government recommends at least one gallon per person, per day, for three days. For drinking and teeth brushing, I would estimate that the government is probably right, as long as you aren’t doing anything high intensity. But here’s a trick: If you know a storm is coming that has the potential to knock your power out, tape plastic over your bathtub drain and fill it up. This water can be used for sponging off, pet dishes, flushing the toilet, and anything else that doesn’t require it to be ingested.

Sanitation and health is another big one. Often, when the power goes, water plants have issues that leave you to fend for yourself. You want to make sure you have baby wipes, hand sanitizer, garbage bags, and Ziploc bags. If you can’t get a real flush on your toilet, you won’t want to load it with toilet paper. And baby wipes make a great “bath” when that’s the only option. Staying sanitary is something that people probably take for granted. You don’t necessarily think about how many times a day you wash your hands, shower, etc. but it becomes a hundred times more important when you don’t have a readily accessible means of doing so.

Hillsborough, NJ 2011

Really, being ready for your run of the mill, craptacular event is not a huge project. All it requires is a little forethought and an overnight bag filled with goodies and stashed in a corner somewhere. I also have a “Go Bag” packed, because where I live now has weather patterns that may require evacuation at some point, and also has the potential to destroy (not just damage). For those who are curious or who also live in wild weather areas, I will list the contents, which include all of the above plus:

-A change of clothes. All wicking material and fast drying, so if I have to wash them in a sink in a hotel somewhere they would dry by morning. Under Armour is my favorite, because the material tends to be thin and light but able to keep your body at a consistently comfortable temperature. Layers are clutch. If you end up sleeping on a gym floor somewhere, you’ll be glad you have them.

-A sleeping bag. I have a 30 degree backpacker’s sleeping bag because we do a fair amount of hiking and camping. It folds up reeeeeeal small, and takes practically no room at the bottom of my bag. If you lose all your shit, who knows where you will end up in the short-term.

–All purpose soap. It can wash clothes, dishes, bodies, whatever you need it to. So if I really am washing those clothes in a hotel sink, I am doing it with real soap and not hotel bar soap.

-A first aid kit. Self explanatory. Even if you do something as simple as gashing your finger open, you don’t want it to get all gross and infected-like. I have a mini one that is portable and good for hiking, but I also keep a full one in my car. Mine also includes a space blanket, which is tiny and fantastic in an emergency.

-Cat food, leash and harness, and empty dish for water, as well as kitty Xanax. Gotta make sure your animals are taken care of. If you’re like me, you would never leave your animals behind. You should also compile a list of hotels/emergency shelters that will allow you to take your pets with you, located in various directions. A simple Google search can take care of that. I store my bag next to my kitty carrier.

-A water filter, and a small container of bleach. The water filter is awesome– it’s basically just an oversized straw. But you can only get so many uses out of those things before the filter is shot and you’re screwed. 16 drops of bleach per gallon of water will make it drinkable. Not necessarily tasty, but drinkable. Crystal Lite packets will help that, but I do not care. Now you may think this is excessive, but I have been in situations where we did not have clean water access A LOT. Also, it will even let you drink nasty hotel tap water when you’re too lazy to walk to the vending machine.

-Hygiene items: hair brush, toothpaste and toothbrush, ponds wipes, deodorant, lotion with an SPF, chapstick, and anything else you might require like contact solution, tampons, etc. We aren’t savages here, people.

-Asprin, Pepto, and Zyrtec. Obviously. Visene, Neosporin, Hydrocortizone, also good to have. All of these things come in travel size. Also, Vaseline. It’s good for keeping wounds clean, dry skin/lips, and also for putting underneath car door handles to play pranks on your friends (Just kidding. Sort of.)

-A dust mask and latex gloves. I didn’t know what wind was until I moved to Oklahoma. 50 mph winds are the norm. If you are ever in a situation where you are needing to do clean up or be outside for a long period of time after everything is kicked up, you will thank me later. Glasses/goggles of some sort probably wouldn’t hurt either.

-Scissors and tweezers. I also carry a pocket knife, again, because I do hike. And hey, we all watched Katrina go down, didn’t we?

When you’re packing a bag, make sure to keep in mind your likely situations (power outage? hurricane? tornado?) and pack for those. When I packed my bag, I also kept in mind that I am a helper. Chances are, if there is a problem and I am healthy and able, I will be out trying to help other people. So while I don’t need a mask and gloves to drive from my apartment to a hotel somewhere, I might need it if I am helping the little old lady across the way remove wet and moldy debris from her home.

The truth is, if you’re relying on someone else to take care of you in any way, shape, or form, be it for the short-term or the long-term, you are a fool. FEMA? Don’t hold your breath. The world doesn’t have to be ending to need to be prepared for a bad situation. Being prepared doesn’t make you crazy. It makes you a grown up.

In other news, I am considering a new blog look to go with my new life. If you visit one day soon and everything looks different, that’s why. I just have to find something awesome.

Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged with emergency, oklahoma, preparedness