Emergency Tip: March's Do1Thing.com Prep Task - Sheltering

GOAL: Know how to respond safely when instructions are given to evacuate or take shelter.

It's time to think about Shelter

March's Do 1 Thing task is sheltering -  how to respond safely when instructions are given to evacuate or take shelter.

Below is a list of things that you can do to achieve your goal this month.
Choose at least one, and complete it.

• Identify the best storm shelter in your home and practice getting to the shelter with your family.
• Learn how to safely shelter in place.
• Make a Go Bag for emergency sheltering.

Visit this month’s Do 1 Thing topic page for fact sheets and additional resources on sheltering.



Background

Do 1 Thing is a web-based, twelve-month preparedness program that focuses on a different area of emergency preparedness each month. Remember: emergency preparedness doesn’t have to be hard or expensive.

It’s as easy as:

1. Click on this month’s topic
2. Select one of the easy “Things to do”
3. Do that one thing!

So visit http://do1thing.com/ today and get started preparing yourself, your family, and your community right now!

Please see my January 2015 post about the entire Do 1 Thing program for additional information.

Image credit: http://do1thing.com/

Emergency Tip: Keep Your Social Plan Simple

With all the social channels out there today,
which ones should you follow for emergency info? 

Always maintain your awareness

With so many ways to get updates and news these days, it's easy to get confused and overwhelmed. 

When it comes to preparing your family, keep it simple with these few methods:

1. Local TV/Radio News: This sounds common-sense, but make sure you catch the morning and evening local news - especially the weather forecast.

2. Weather Apps: A quick way to monitor your weather forecasts is using an app such as WeatherBug or AccuWeather - you'll be able to monitor current conditions for numerous locations, plus get detailed forecasts and weather alerts right on your mobile device.

3. For social, focus on these two channels:

• FACEBOOK*: Search FB for your town's site, your local fire and police department's sites plus 1 or 2 local news sites. Like and follow these sites plus your state's emergency management site.
• TWITTER*: Search Twitter for your town's and state's accounts plus a local news outlet. Follow your local fire department's and police department's feeds along with your state emergency management agency's feed.
• Note #1: Your state emergency management and local town websites will have links to their social channels right on their homepage.
• Note #2: With all the traffic that occurs in most user's news feed, important messages may be missed. Make sure you visit your state's and town's actual social sites regularly during an event.
• Note #3: Install both the Facebook and Twitter app on your mobile device and practice viewing your town's and state's feeds. The mobile apps will have a different user experience compared to the laptop version of each social channel. Practice with each app now, before an event occurs. 

* Yes, there are emergency management agencies with additional social channels, but most focus on Facebook and Twitter for their emergency messaging. If they have a blog or other channel, they'll always link to that channel's posts from Facebook and Twitter.

4. State or City Apps: Many states and large cities have their own apps - for general info sharing plus emergency communications. Install these apps on your smart devices and get to know their features now, before an event occurs.

The time to start is now!

Even though winter is winding down here in the NorthEast, we still can have a Spring storms plus hurricane season is right around the corner. So take a look at the channels above and set up your apps and feeds now so that you're familiar with everything before you really need them!


Image: Patrick W. O'Connor.

Emergency Tip: February's Do1Thing.com Prep Task - Water for Your Family

THE GOAL: Have enough water on-hand for your family to last 3 days.

It's time to think about Water

February's Do 1 Thing task is water - having a 3 day supply for everyone in your home - including pets. That comes out to 3 gallons for each family member and 1 gallon for each average pet.

There are a few ways to accomplish this:

• Purchase and store a 72-hour supply of commercially bottled water (or more – up to two weeks)
• Bottle a 72-hour supply of water at home.
• Learn how to provide a safe supply of drinking water for your household in a disaster.

Visit this month’s Do 1 Thing topic page for fact sheets and additional resources on water preparation.

Portable Water Filters: Another method for those families living near bodies of fresh water such as lakes and ponds is to purchase a camping water filter (see Amazon for examples). These filters come in all forms: personal straws, hand-held pumps, and family-size models. These filters will produce hundreds of gallons of drinkable water before needing to be serviced.

Background

Do 1 Thing is a web-based, twelve-month preparedness program that focuses on a different area of emergency preparedness each month. Remember: emergency preparedness doesn’t have to be hard or expensive.

It’s as easy as:

1. Click on this month’s topic
2. Select one of the easy “Things to do”
3. Do that one thing!

So visit http://do1thing.com/ today and get started preparing yourself, your family, and your community right now!

Please see my January post about the Do 1 Thing program for additional information.

Image credit: http://do1thing.com/

Emergency Tip: Minimizing Winter Multi-Car Accidents

Winter driving can get very exciting. Be extra vigilant and get home safely.

Massive 35 Car Pileup Woke Me Up

Last Friday, our family narrowly missing being part of a 35 car accident on Rt. 93 in New Hampshire.

It got me thinking: "How do you prevent being part of such an accident?" and "What would you do if this happened to you?"

Before a Winter Accident

As most of us know, driving in winter is not the same as driving during a sunny summer day.

Don't be like this video's drivers who believed extra speed was the right winter driving choice. (Warning: Some of these crashes are painful to watch.) 

Basic Winter Driving Tips

• Prep your vehicle for winter: Check your tires - do they still have enough tread? Consider changing over to snow tires if you regularly drive in snowy conditions. The big point is to keep up on your car's maintenance so that everything works when you need to avoid an accident. (http://www.ready.gov/car has some excellent car safety tips.) 
• Prep yourself for winter: Make sure you have warm clothes and blankets in your vehicle. If you get into an serious accident, you and your family may have to stand outside of your vehicle for an extended period of time waiting for police and fire to arrive. Also, keep your cell phone charged - you can't call for help if it's dead. (http://www.ready.gov/car has an excellent car safety kit list.) 
• SLOW DOWN & drive carefully: Every accident in the this video could have been prevented if the drivers adjusted their speeds to their driving conditions. It's absolutely stupid to speed during bad winter conditions, trying to shave off a few seconds of your trip. 
• Leave space: Tailgating during the summer commute is now standard practice, but during the winter, leave at least 3 seconds of space between you and the car in front of you when the weather gets bad. Additionally, if the car behind you is following too closely, move over if you can and let them pass. This way you'll be able to call for help when they go off the road instead rear-ending you.
• Turn your lights on: When the visibility decreases - in any season - turn your on your low beams. Most cars have automatic driving lights, but by turning on your low beams, you also turn on your rear and side marker lights. I've lost track of how many times I've almost hit a white or grey car in bad weather because they didn't have their lights on. Yes, it's daytime and yes, you can see the road just fine. BUT THE REST OF THE WORLD CAN'T SEE YOU! In bad weather especially, you need to drive defensively - that means letting the other drivers know you are there.

After a Winter Accident

If you are unfortunately involved in an accident during a winter storm, remain calm, follow these safety tips, and call for help.

• Try to get to the right side of the road as far away from traffic as possible.
• Stay in your car with your seatbelt on. Put the hazard lights on so others on the road can see you. Get out of your car only if it's unsafe to stay inside (your car is on fire, etc.). If you must get out of your car, be extra cautious during the winter. Limited visibility and slippery conditions can get you run over by other drivers behind you. Get as far to the right as possible, away from traffic. If you can, get on the other side of the guard rail to protect you and your family.
   - This is where having warm clothes and blankets in your vehicle is important - you and your family will now be outside in the cold waiting for police and fire services to arrive.
• If a flare or strobe light is available, use that to call attention to your vehicle. Tying a bright piece of cloth to the antenna works as well.
• If you get stuck in snow, straighten the wheels and accelerate slowly. Avoid spinning the tires and digging yourself in deeper. Rock the vehicle back and forth, using its weight and momentum to get unstuck.
• If you can't get going, run the engine only a few minutes at a time to stay warm. Periodically crack a window to get fresh air. Keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow so harmful carbon monoxide fumes don't drift back through the car's interior.

Agencies like AAA and FEMA recommend staying off the roads if the weather is too hazardous in your area. Not knowing how to maneuver your vehicle ­through a winter storm jeopardizes you, your passengers, and other drivers sharing the road with you. Getting your car ready for winter and anticipating and avoiding dangerous circumstances will help keep you safely on the road and in control.

Please stay safe out there - Spring's only 70 days away!

Sources: Various auto safety sites plus 30 years of personal winter driving experience.

Image credit: Copyright http://www.wmur.com/ 

Emergency Tip: Ring in the New Year with Do1Thing.com

Do 1 Thing is a 12-month program that makes it easy for you
 to prepare yourself, your family, and your community
 for emergencies or disasters. 

Happy New Year!

Now that we've all recovered from our New Year's reveling, it's time to look ahead and prepare for this year's upcoming events.

Being prepared for disasters and emergencies can seem like a big job. Many people don't know where to start, so they never start at all. With Do 1 Thing you can take small steps that make a big difference in an emergency.

do1thing.com

Do 1 Thing is a web-based, twelve-month preparedness program that focuses on a different area of emergency preparedness each month. Remember: emergency preparedness doesn’t have to be hard or expensive.

It’s as easy as:

1. Click on this month’s topic
2. Select one of the easy “Things to do”
3. Do that one thing!

If you follow along for an entire year, you will be better prepared to handle most disasters and emergencies. You can jump in anytime and you don’t have to do things in any order. (All 12 things are in the little yellow box on the left of the website.) You can choose whatever topic you like.

Resources

Do 1 Thing/Resources contains a variety of downloadable resources to help you promote the Do 1 Thing program and help the people you care about become better prepared for emergencies and disasters. Includes fact sheets, PowerPoint presentations, brochures and flyers, plus videos.

They'll Remind You!

To keep you on track, Do 1 Thing will send you an email reminder of each month’s topic. If you sign up, the website will help you keep track of your progress. It’s free, completely optional and they promise to never share your information with anyone. Ever.

Background

Do 1 Thing is a non-profit organization that wants to help build stronger communities. When people in our community are prepared, emergency responders can help more people. When people are prepared themselves, they can help their neighbors.

So visit http://do1thing.com/ today and get started preparing yourself, your family, and your community right now!

Image credit: Copyright http://do1thing.com/

Emergency Tip: Best Apps for that New Holiday Device

Don't forget to add the weather and emergency alert apps
to that new device! 

Congratulations on your new phone and/or tablet!

During this holiday season, many of us will receive a new smart phone or tablet and will instantly start filling the new gizmo up with apps for Facebook, Twitter, Minecraft, etc.

Don't forget the really important apps - the ones that can really help your family in a crisis.

Best Apps to Keep You and Your Family Safe

A) First off, let's start with Weather Apps - these are useful every day.  Here are my 2 favorites, but searching in your device's App Store for "weather" will provide dozens of great ones.  Important: Make sure your app has push alerts for weather emergencies.

1. WeatherBug - Nobody else (besides the National Weather Service) has their own commercial-grade weather and lightning observation network in the United States. 
2. AccuWeather - This app has a very unique interface with hour-by-hour forecasts right on the main screen.

B) Next up are Emergency-specific Apps. My favorite series of apps in this category are from the Red Cross. Searching in your device's App Store for "Red Cross" will produce a dozen apps that are very helpful and very specific to regional emergencies.

1. Red Cross Mobile Apps - They have apps for First Aid, Blood Donations, Floods, Earthquakes, Wildfires, etc. Download the apps that apply to the emergencies you may face. These apps are US-focused.
2. For other parts of the world, use the search function in your App Store and look for "disaster alert", "emergency planning" or "emergency preparation". Adding your country or state to the search will most likely result in specific apps for your region, produced by either your government or a private organization.

For my friends in Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) has produced an excellent alert app: Massachusetts Alerts.

• Massachusetts Alerts is customized for Massachusetts and in addition to providing alerts and critical information about ongoing incidents and disasters, Massachusetts Alerts will also provide preparedness tips and information, and direct users to online resources to help them prepare for, manage during, and recover from the wide range of natural, technological and man-made hazards that threaten the residents of the Commonwealth.

C) Finally, set up and practice with your device's Texting, Video Chat, and Location Apps. These apps aren't as cool as the one's listed above, but during emergencies, texts may get through when the voice lines are all tied up. Also, being able to locate a family member's phone remotely will provide much needed information and peace of mind during an emergency. Make texting and other methods of communication part of your Family's Communication Plan. 

So enjoy all your new technology this week - and don't forget to add a few helpful apps for when things get really exciting!

Image credit: Copyright Patrick W. O'Connor.

Emergency Tip: Holiday Fire Safety

With REAL CANDLES on our Christmas tree every year,
we have stepped up our fire safety plan!

Having a German mother, I've grow up with candles on our Christmas tree, plus German decorations that use candles and fire such as Pyramiden and Räuchermänner. We learned at an early age that candles are not something to take lightly, but can be very beautiful when you are careful.

I've now continued this tradition in my own home, and while it sounds scary at first, we are just as careful as my parents were, sometimes even more so.

Holiday Safety Tips for Everyone (not just the crazy ones with real candles on their tree!)

The Tree

1. Buy a fresh tree if you can, cutting one down at a tree farm is the best. See this video comparing the flamabilty of the dry tree vs. a fresh one!
2. Your tree should be cut at an angle again once you get it home and immediately placed in water.
3. Place your tree away from sources of heat. (Such as candles!)
4. Use only non-flammable decorations.
5. Use only UL-approved lighting.
6. Inspect your lights for frayed/damaged wires before decorating.
7. Do not leave your tree lights on unattended.
8. Keep your tree stand full of water at all times.
9. Once you notice your tree drying out, be even more vigelant and discard as soon as possible.

DISCLAIMER - Don't Try This at Home: Yes, we do put real candles on our live Christmas tree every year. But the tree is freshly cut, it is a breed that is strong enough to hold the candles, the tree is not trimmed - so there are many branches that stick out - allowing candles to be placed without limbs above the flame, the candles are small and designed to fit into special metal clips, we only light the tree on special occasions with many adults watching the candles, and NEVER leave the tree alone once the candles are lit. 

Important: Tree fires get out of control amazingly fast - this YouTube video proves it - keep it watered and free of sources of ignition. If it does catch fire, don't be a hero - get you and your family out and call 911 from outside your home.

Battery-operated flameless candles can look &
smell like real candles.

Candles

1. Candles add a festive mood to your holidays, but be very careful this time of year - wrapping paper and decorations can easily catch fire, depending on where your candles are placed.
2. If you do use lit candles, make sure they are in stable holders, and place them where they cannot be knocked down easily.
3. Avoid leaving candles burning unattended. Even those in glass containers, such as "Yankee Candles", can be dangerous if something flammable falls on top of them.
     -  Falling asleep was a factor in 11% percent of the home candle fires and 37% of the associated deaths. 
4. Consider using battery-operated flameless candles. Today's models can look, smell and feel like real candles.

I really hope you have a fun and safe holiday season - we're going to keep the fire extinguishers close and only light the few candles on our tree on special nights, with many adults focused on each candle!

For more information on holiday fire safety, please visit the National Fire Protection Association's Holiday Safety site.