9-1-1 is down... Now what?

What will you do when you dial 9-1-1 and nothing happens?  Several years ago much of Illinois and St. Louis (where I live) experienced the smallest rumblings of an earthquake.  At the epicenter near the far side of Illinois there was little damage and few injuries with the jolt measuring 5.4.  At least one 9-1-1 call center in Indiana was completely overwhelmed with calls and was offline for about 15 minutes.  It's possible that people with serious medical emergencies couldn't get the help they needed because 9-1-1 operators were answering calls of, "What was that?"

About 11:00 am today, Madison County Illinois 9-1-1 was unreachable, possibly due to a cut fiber optic cable.  And with today recording the 9th straight day with triple digit temperatures and no relief in sight, emergency medical calls are inevitable with heat and respiratory related emergencies.

Part of your preparedness should include alternate local phone numbers for emergency services like fire, police, ambulance and hospitals.  Post these near a phone, an exit, or in a conspicuous place in your home so that you can easily access them if you need them. Store them in your cell phone as well.

Dentition in Disasters

From the ancient Egyptians to the American pioneers, we've always had trouble with our teeth.  More recent advances in nutrition, medical practice and dental care have improved the condition and longevity of our teeth.  And our lives are better for it.  We live longer and we can still chew our food when we're 60. Yum!

Have you ever had an aching tooth?  It's agony.  You can't wait to get to the dentist.  What would happen if we had a dental emergency in the midst of another disaster or delay?

Imagine you're on a four day hike or that it's the second day after the "big storm" and no one has power yet.  You are happily munching your lunch, flashlight in hand, when "CRUNCH!"  Applesauce isn't supposed to make that sound, your filling just came out.  Oh, no! There's no way you're gonna see a dentist today.  What do you do?

Your local pharmacy or drug store probably carries just what you need.  Temporary fillings! Yep, in a pinch you can replace a filling or reset a crown with a $5 tube of dental magic.  Hopefully, it will tide you over until you find yourself relieved to be reclining in that chair, a bib on your chest and a light in your eyes! But these products can only save you the discomfort and inconvenience IF you already have a tube in your kit when you need it.

One Day Without Shoes

On Tuesday, April 10, join others worldwide for One Day Without Shoes, an event that promotes awareness that millions of children worldwide risk injury and disease because they don't have even one pair of shoes to protect their feet.  Most of us enjoy blessings that keep more than one pair (...more than five? ... more than ten?) of shoes in a pile by our front door, in our closets, under our beds.  And you and I also have the means to bless others with our time, energy and finances.

The Facts:

• Some children are not allowed to attend school because shoes are required and they do not own a pair.

... and then something surprised me!

They say you'll learn something new everyday if you're looking for it.  I stumbled on a new blog yesterday and poked around for a few minutes.  I was particularly interested in the unexpected graphic at the top of the page. The white cross on a green background was reminiscent of the Red Cross logo. (The Red Cross is actually a trademarked logo; it's theirs and a person needs permission to use it.) But this green cross of sorts was new to me.

Make Your Own Basic First Aid Kit

Sure you can run to the store and grab a boxed first aid kit.  Go for it!  But with four young kids I'll use every last bandage on the first outing. I decided this summer to put together my own kit for the car that could last through a busy, fun-filled week and will suit our needs better.  I also found it's easier to restock using standard sized packages. (And my kids prefer pirate or princess bandages, anyway!)

Functional Friday: 10 Things You Should Never Stop Doing

1) Never stop "gettin' a move on".

Here are a few ideas and minimum exercise recommendations:
30 minutes of moderate cardio exercise five days a week or
20 minutes of vigorous cardio three days a week,
add weight bearing exercise twice a week, 
Yoga or Pilates for strength and flexibility,
dancing for fun (we won't tell you it's healthy if you don't want us to), and
taking long walks.

2) Never stop wearing sunscreen.

There's no doubt about it, ladies, using a moisturizer with sunscreen daily on sun exposed skin helps you look younger and stay healthier.  (And, men, there's nothing appealing about skin cancer, slather it on.)  Concerned about "chemicals" in sunscreen? Do your research, there are natural versions out there.

3) Never stop reading and learning.

Study results are beginning to pour in citing many lifestyle components in an individuals healthful longevity. I recently read The Secret Life of the Grown-Up Brain by Barbara Strauch, and I have literally changed several of my personal habits based on what I learned.  Good to know that just reading the book and mulling it over may be good for my brain. (She covers many of the topics listed in these 10 things as well.)

4) Never stop taking pictures.

Make sure there are people in most of your photos.  (If you are not an adept photographer, make sure there are people's heads in most of your photos.)  Sure, an occasional landscape or a particular point of view is apropos, but in ten years (or ten days) it will likely be the people in the photos you treasure the most.

5) Never stop trying new foods.

Try a foreign restaurant (Thai, Indian, African, etc.)  The staff should be accommodating of questions and requests (eg. - no hot spices.)  Take a cooking class. (Make a week-end of it with your spouse, your child, or a friend and go to the bity if you need to.) Find the weirdest thing at your grocery store and make it.  (Department managers ought to be delighted to help you get started.) If you're reading this blog, google a recipe (type the food name or ingredient and the word recipe) or try foodily.com.  If your daughter printed it out for you cause the printer never does what you tell it to (or even if that's not the case), go to the library and have someone help you find the cookbook Easy Exotic by Padma Lakshmi. Buy the ingredients and go!

6) Never stop enjoying nature.

A squeaky porch swing and a glass of iced tea, a checked picnic blanket in the city park, a breezy tent at a state park, or a well stocked day-pack at a national forest preserve... get out there and enjoy the birds and bugs, the trees and terrain, the boundaries and breadth, the turbulence and tranquility of your world.

7) Never stop helping others.

There are people all around us with needs we can meet every day.  People like you and me with needs for food, medical care, school supplies, babysitting, home repair, yard work, reading help, hugging, caring, talking, and smiling.  How can you meet a need today?

8) Never stop telling people you love them.

We all have different parameters concerning who gets this message.  Some of you only tell your family that you love them.  Personally, I have a circle of friends that get this message all the time.  Whoever it is for you, keep telling them and showing them how you feel (even when you don't feel like it.).  A favorite song of mine says, "Love isn't love till you give it away."

9) Never stop preparing.

A task like preparedness is never done.  Don't look at it as a chore, but take it on like an adventure.  Once you've got the basics down, you can enhance what you want at your own pace.  Purchase a cool gadget.  Take a class.  Try a recipe (by candlelight.) Have a barbecue. Update your plan. Join a group. Include your family. Talk to your boss.

10) What are you never going to stop doing?  Click here and email to me know!

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Functional Friday: 10 Things to Keep in Your Emergency Supply

Not long ago, we highlighted 10 food items to keep in your pantry for an emergency. This installment of “10 Things” is gear you might need for an emergency. These are basic items to help you and your family cope if everyday routines are interrupted. No light or heat (storm power outage), no water (water main break), backed up plumbing (flooding), no cooking gas (earthquake). It’s certainly not going to return life to normal, but having these items can help out.

1.) Flashlight. A must for your nightstand, put an extra in your emergency bag. Keep new batteries with it (not in it!) and select something that has the potential to run for long periods of time, like an LED bulb light. I have a little flashlight in my purse that I keep by my bed at night. I also have a flashlight at each entrance to our house. Flashlights aren't that expensive.  Consider the number and style of batteries required when you buy them.  For $20, you can get a couple of LED style that take AA batteries.  You'll need extra batteries!  Get the required number, then catch a bonus pack on sale.  Be sure to dispose of them properly (Take them to a battery store - not in the trash, a landfill or incinerator).

2.) First-Aid Kit. I don’t believe you need to stockpile antibiotics, but having bandages, antibacterial wash and cream, and analgesics is important. Furthermore, if you take prescription medications, buy a month ahead and keep a stash in your first aid. Tweezers for splinters are good. Children’s medication is another consideration. Salves or balms. There are lots of resources out on the web for what to keep in a first aid kit. You can buy a prepackaged one fairly cheaply, or build your own with stuff you already have.  Routinely check the expiration dates and follow them.  It's true that some drug products can degrade into nasty things after a few years. (ready.gov, redcross.org, about.com)

3.) Fire. Well, maybe that means two items – a firestarter and fuel. It doesn’t make sense to start a fire, unless you can keep it going. Matches, a lighter, a 9-volt battery and steel wool, and/or, a magnesium firestarter are options. (I don’t recommend relying on finding a flint stone sitting around, or being able to rub two sticks together. Besides, in an emergency, lighting a fire caveman-style is energy you don’t want to expend if there are other tasks at hand.) Also stash away something to keep it going – some charcoal in the garage, a newspaper, snuggle wood. And I have little smokey joe grill that I like to burn in. We tend to throw medium sticks from our yard into a bin and let them “season” over the winter. In the spring, sometimes we’ll have a weenie roast with them. If we lost the ability to cook in our house, this would be a great option to use.  The lighter is cheap, and the fuel might be cheap as well, but it might take some thinking for storage.  It takes up some room, but it's worth it.  Make sure you practice starting and cooking on these fires before you count on it in an emergency.

4.) Blankets and tarps. You might not need to huddle under a blanket for warmth in the heat of July in Texas, but a blanket or tarp can also be a bed, shade, rain shelter, improvised stretcher, or ripped up and used for something else – a splint for an injured leg, perhaps?

5.) Disposable Tableware. I’m not normally an advocate for disposable paper plates and plastic forks, but an emergency is one situation where you’ll want to save your water for drinking and cooking. Disposable plates and bowls, paper napkins, disposable cutlery, and some aluminum cooking dishes (pie tins, roasting pans) will be useful. Some plain old aluminum foil is a good item to have, too.  All this can be found on sale, especially around holidays and at the beginning of picnic season (now!).

6.) Sanitation Supplies. If the plumbing isn’t working correctly, you still need a place to go to the bathroom. There are lots of ideas out there: trash bags, 5-gallon buckets with toilet seats, a shovel. Whatever your toilet is made from, don’t forget some toilet paper, baby wipes, feminine supplies, diapers, etc. Also don’t forget some hand sanitizer and extra water for washing.

7.) Tools – a multitool with pliers, screwdrivers, simple stuff and a nice, medium length fixed blade knife. You’ll need these to improvise for your individual needs, and you won’t want to skimp on them.  Also a wrench for turning off your natural gas.  In the event of a tornado or earthquake, you may need to turn it off.

8.) Rope, or cordage, as the survivalists call it.  Tent support, clothesline, fastener, leash, whatever you need it for, you'll have some.  The die hards out there call for Paracord, which seems to be extremely versatile.  I just have about 10 feet of plastic rope from the dollar store.  I can upgrade later.

9.) Overnight stuff - full change of clothes and basic, basic toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste & soap).  If you're at home, this may not be a big deal, but having this at work or in the car is a must.  Consider some work gloves and a hoodie.

10.) Entertainment. Deck of cards, book, game, coloring pencils. Keep something that will bring a little joy to the situation at hand. Remember that DVDs and CD’s are not going to work in a power outage situation and your iPod will eventually die.  Time to teach the kids how to play something that doesn't require a game controller!

Extra Credit: A simple tent.  In the event of compromised home (backed up sewer, earthquake, gas leak, tornado damage) and you don't have a hotel to run to, a tent can do the job.  You can always sleep in your car, but camping is fun.

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Go Bag: Part I - The Need
Practice an Evening Without Electricity
Your Emergency Framework

Take two and call me in the morning!

I've been down and out with a headache for much longer than typical.  I tried all the usual treatments and remedies - pain reliever, antihistamine, decongestant, Vicoden, hot tea, hot bath, good night's sleep, stretching, massage, etc.  It won't go away.  Just this evening, things seem to be looking up.  But the situation made me think of life without all the medicinal amenities I'm accustomed to.  I don't want to be caught without those modern miracles.

I've recently been considering a bit of medication stockpiling. Nothing crazy or wasteful, just assurance that my family will have what they need when they need it.  There are numerous reasons I've considered that this expanded medicine cabinet could be helpful or even necessary. 

• Household disaster - Would I rather run to the store (with kids in tow, of course) at 11:00 pm when I'm running a fever or one of my kids?  Neither, of course!  I'd much rather have an arsenal of basic, common medications in my medicine cabinet at home.
• Limited mobility - Here in the US, the weather doesn't always cooperate with our plans.  From tornadoes on New Year's Eve to massive snowfall over much of the nation, many of us have experienced weather related disasters already this year.  Do you have what you need if you are unable to safely leave your home for a few days?
• Transportation and distribution delays - Many natural and man-made disasters can delay the transportation infrastructure that assures that the products you need are on the store shelves when you are ready to purchase.  But the truth is retailers and pharmacies stock only a few days worth of many drugs.  On a small scale (They are out of your favorite brand of pain reliever until tomorrow.) or on a large scale (All shipments to your region are delayed for a week by the big storm.) transportation delays can certainly frustrate us at the store.
• Manufacturing delay - FDA regulation compliance and availability of raw materials often reduce and delay production of prescription products, over the counter (OTC) medications, and other medical products.  If prolonged, these delays could leave you without necessary medications and products for weeks or months.
• Contamination scare - I'm not suggesting you gamble with your life, but most contaminated products are discovered quickly and are recalled by lot numbers.  Having purchased your favorite products months before may allow you to safely and confidently use them.  (Follow recommended procedures for product usage or disposal during a product recall.)

Here's what I've begun to do.  I've simply purchased one extra package of each medication (or products) that we use routinely at my house.  (Or that I'd need in a pinch - anti-diarrheal, cough medicine, large bandages and tape.)  I check the date before buying. Many medications are good for well over a year.  I ask my self, "Will I likely use this before it expires?  Is this enough to treat, say, two family members for a week or so?"  I already keep an extra month of all my family's prescription medications.  I store all these products safely away from the kids' reach, in the cool and dry closet in my bedroom, stowed in a clear plastic bin.  I check them every six months (March and September) to rotate products that will expire.  (If you're not going to use it... Some community organizations will accept unopened OTC products before they expire to help disadvantaged families.)  I expand this collection one package and one trip to the store at a time.

Like every other suggest on this blog, I urge you to consider three points when applying this in your home. 
1) Do something. 
2) Make it your own.  Address your concerns and fears.  Keep what you need on hand. 
3) Start small and build it up.  I've redesigned many projects once they were begun.  Unless you are certain of your end result, let your needs and ideas guide the project to it's useful completion.