Under the Weather... Literally!

Today the temperature soared over 100 degrees again, tomorrow the forecast indicates rain... and hail, tornadoes and thunderstorms.. all in the middle of the worst drought in 50 years!  We cannot get away from the weather, but we can prepare for it.

Plan ahead to stay safe. - Whether you are facing heat, wind, water or other calamities, your emergency plan should tell you where you'll go to seek shelter.  And remember that you may not be at home when disaster strikes.

Keep supplies on hand. - Maybe the lights go out. Or perhaps your pharmacy is transported to the land of Oz, you'll need a disaster kit stocked with a flashlight, food and water, and first aid and medication to get by until things get back to normal. And a kit in the car and a work may prove as useful as your home disaster kit.

Information in: Information out - When the skies (or dams, volcanoes, and other disasters) break loose, your crisis communication plan will help you know what's going on, how to get help and what to expect next.  And your friends and family will be worried; your plan will tell them (and you) who to call for status updates. Always consider that communications are more challenging with no power.

Drought + Wildfire + Heavy Rains = A Mess!

As some Colorado residents return home to sift through the remains of possessions recently consumed by wildfire, a second wave of disaster has swept though as thunderstorms douse the parched ground only days too late.  But with all of the landscape decimated by fire, the deluge flows unchecked across the land creating rivers of mud filling basements, sweeping away roadways, and burying the last remnants of the fire swept neighborhoods.

What can we learn from this?  We can't stop wildfires, thunderstorms, flash floods and mud-slides, right?

• Disasters often cascade -- One event may create other problems that lead to additional emergencies. (A power outage leaves you without food AND without a way to pay for food, if you don't have cash on hand.)
• Efforts to mitigate (prevent) one disaster may also thwart other impending difficulties. Plan to stop the far-reaching effects of a disaster early.
• Preparedness can address more than just life safety.  Your peace of mind and emotional health need  protection as well.  Imagine a priority order to what you will protect in your life and plan for those priorities.
• At our house, the family evacuation plan includes taking a small chest (located near the front door) that contains our family's most precious possessions, heirlooms and irreplaceable photographs. 

Preparing your family today with a disaster kit and an emergency plan and practicing that plan may save your life and your favorite crystal vase.



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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.

First Day of Spring as a Springboard for Preparedness

I love lists, calendars, and routines.  My crazy, busy, hectic schedule, as I'm sure many of you experience, creates the need for reminders to keep me on track.  I like to use the first day of spring as a "springboard" for my own emergency preparedness. (It falls six months before and after September, which is National Emergency Preparedness month.) It also serves as a great pivot point between cold weather and warm weather preparedness. (Not forgetting, of course, that we still have the potential

In an emergency four eyes are always better than none

I am blessed to be fairly functional without my glasses. I've even arrived at work more than once without them. I do need mine for reading, fine detail and computer work. My husband, on the other hand, can't do anything without his. A long term loss of our glasses and we'd both be sunk.

Living in a land of milk and honey

9/11's attacks, Katrina's havoc, Haiti and Japan's quakes, and Alabama and Joplin's twisters mustered us each to action.  We responded in different ways.  We prayed, we donated money, we gave blood, we sent supplies, we lobbied our congressman, we traveled to help, we offered shelter.  We really do want to make the world a better place.

But I believe we live in a world where no one needs to suffer from malnutrition and starvation or from the disease that unsanitary water inevitably brings.  I believe that there is enough food, work, jobs, and money to go around.  Many less privileged nations have already begun the difficult work to bring their economy up out of the depths, giving a better life and greater choices to millions of people living in desperate situations.

Functional Friday: 10 Things to Schedule RIGHT NOW for This Fall

As Labor Day week-end arrives, tipping us into the unofficial start of autumn, my mind is busy concocting all sorts of fall fare.  As my own favorite season, fall enjoys prestige and privilege in our home. Today's list includes ten fall-ish festivities that I am making plans for right now.  Call a friend, make a plan and save the date now to enjoy the season's best. 

Just How Safe is a Safe Room?

Strength test of prefab safe room.

Some storms can crush a home like a gingerbread house and blow the crumbs away.  A safe room can keep people from being injured when these storms blow through.  Scientists study the power and effects of storms, hurricanes, and tornadoes.  Mathematical models easily predict the strong forces and severe damage of debris that high winds cause.  Engineers have designed and tested a variety of plans for safe rooms that can be built in new construction, added to existing homes, or dropped in to either as prefabricated shelters.  Designed to withstand the effects of wind speed up to 250 mph, these rooms can be completes with simple supplies from your local lumberyard or professionally assembled from high-tech materials like concrete filled foam.  Either way, falling branches, flying debris, and sheer winds will not penetrate a properly planned and prepared safe room.

 Safe room from www.familyhandyman.com

Starting around $1500-3000,

Tuscaloosa Safe Room Survives EF-4 Tornado

Photo Credit: FEMA

William Blakeney grew up in Tuscaloosa County and is well aware of the effects of disasters in the area. In an effort to prepare for disasters like the tornadoes in mid and late April 2011, he built a safe room in his grandparents’ home. Although they weren’t home when the storms devastated the area, the only portion of their home left standing was the multipurpose safe room.

Blakeney and his construction company had built a few safe rooms in the past, mainly in their family members’ homes. While not built according to the design criteria of Federal Emergency Management Agency’s publication FEMA 320,Taking Shelter from the Storm: Building a Safe Room For Your Home or Small Business, this safe room was able to withstand the strong winds of the EF-4 tornado that ravaged the area.

FEMA 320 includes construction plans and cost estimates for building individual safe rooms. A safe room, built according to the standards outlined in FEMA 320, in a home or small business provides "near-absolute protection" for its occupants.

Alabama Family Takes Refuge from April Tornado in Safe Room

Pre-fabricated safe room Photo Credit: FEMA

When an EF-5 tornado struck the western part of Jefferson County, Alabama, near Birmingham, on April 8, 1998, Rebecca Henderson and her family had taken refuge under her mobile home. Damage to Henderson’s home was major. The front door and left side were gone. Yet, she considered herself lucky because the church next door was completely destroyed. The sight of the destruction convinced her that she needed a safe room.

Current Event: Prayers for the City of Joplin, Missouri

Devastation at St. John's Regional Medical
Center in Joplin, Missouri on 05/22/2011.
http://yfrog.com/h6l82brj

Yesterday afternoon, a massive tornado devastated the city of Joplin, Missouri.  (Story here, pics here.) Situated near the border of Oklahoma and Kansas, Joplin is nearly as far from St. Louis as one can get, but our hearts are right there with her people.  Hundreds of local first responders and disaster response teams leapt into action yesterday as shelter, medical care, food, and other needs were met for thousands of residents who's homes and hospital were destroyed.  Already labeled the deadliest single US tornado since the 1953 twister in Worchester, Massachusetts, this storm arrived swiftly and will likely be classified as an F4.  Fortunately there was sufficient time to activate the warning siren, and many residents were able to seek shelter. However, the death toll will likely exceed 100 lost from this devastating event.  Join me in praying, giving, and helping the residents, friends and family, first responders, and all those impacted and assisting in this time of trouble.

Functional Friday: 10 Things To Know About Flooding

Flash flooding can happen anywhere. Any location that might collect water and drain after a strong shower can flood.

Never walk or drive through moving water.Submerged debris, strong currents and compromised bridges and roadways claim the lives of flood victims every year.  Stay away! Evacuate before you are stranded or seek the highest ground you can find without crossing water.

Avoid standing water, as well. Flood waters contain chemicals and bacteria picked up from sewers and storage tanks. Even in still water, submerged items and compromised ground can present unseen hazards.

If you evacuate, don't count on going back soon. Take everything you plan to need for weeks.  Take your pets, medications, and other important items. Even if they advise a short time frame, there are no guarantees with flooding.

Flood insurance is available even if you don't live in a flood plain.Call your agent for details. Also, flood insurance doesn't include sewer backup.

Never enter standing water in your home, and plan to leave your home if it fails to drain immediately. Once the water rises to sufficient levels, it could contact electric wiring, hazardous chemicals, sewer backup, or even extinguish gas/propane pilots.

When the water recedes, you have about three days to get fabrics and absorbent materials clean and dry, or they must be disposed of.  Contaminants, mold and mildew cause a great health risk.  Get furniture and carpet professionally cleaned or pull it out immediately.  Launder clothes and fabrics.  Consult with local authorities and experts for your local situation before beginning.  Drywall and voids (like under the floor) often need powerful fans to dry these areas quickly.

Flood plains and building zones and codes are often reset immediately after a local flood.  Check with your city hall or flood recovery office before beginning expensive rehab.  Three weeks after the Nashville area floods of 2010, the rehab construction project that I worked on was halted and canceled.  After the first inspection, the location was no longer approved for new construction. All our work and expense was for naught.

Don't expect businesses to reopen soon.  Local flooding often affects business owners' homes as well, and they must care for their family first.  Many times receipt of inventory is slowed, too.  And many businesses never recover from the financial strains caused by lost revenue and weighty recovery costs.

Talk to your insurance agent before, during, and after a flood (or other disaster) to confirm exactly what is covered, what is out of pocket, what is reimbursable. Be creative with you questions.  Imagine and list every item and expense you need covered.  (Temporary hotel? Business supplies in garage? Jewelry? Work you do yourself? Recommended mitigation steps?)

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

This week, I am attending a FEMA class about Weather and Flooding.  I expected it would be rather routine.  Many of these classes follow a similar framework - educate, plan, alert, respond, and resolve.  Boy, was I surprised.  Sure, it follows the expected framework, but not only did we learn to mark up weather maps like a TV weather anchor, but we were taught to "predict" storms location and severity about 24 hours out.  (God help us all if anyone ever has to depend on my predictions alone.)  I learned the basics of how, when, where and why severe weather (like thunderstorms and tornadoes) form.  I learned why they predicted snow but we got sleet last week (above looping graphic).  We watched video clips of beautiful and dangerous storm centers, storm chasers saving a police officer, and passenger cars floating down streets and worse.  Our instructor, a seasoned National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist, along with his local team (and hundreds of other professionals across the nation) help provide a constant flow of weather information to you and me. 

After all I learned, here's what you and I need to know and need to do:

• Check the local weather report once a day, perhaps every morning.  The forecasts are pretty accurate 24 hours out.  Get a sense of what's going to be going on, know whether to check later, too.
• Get a NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association) weather radio and leave it on at home and at work.  Weather can change quickly, a NOAA radio will help you stay safe.
• The NWS website is accessible to every one of us.  Just point and click!  You can look at the detailed, robust, and identical information that every US television or radio station uses (including the Weather Channel).  They all use the exact same data.
• Learn about your local weather threats, how to avoid them, and take warnings seriously.  Tornadoes are a destructive force, but did you know that more people are killed from lightning strikes?  However, the most people die from extreme heat and cold exposure each year.  They provide the data, you and I must choose to react appropriately.

Worst Winter in Years!

I'm not actually certain what the "official stats" show, but in my mind this has to be the worst winter weather we've had in years here in St. Louis.  Down in the river valley at the confluence of three great waters, the Mississippi, the Missouri, and the Illinois, we enjoy significantly milder weather than our very near neighbors.  But strangely this year the snow has fallen and had uncanny staying power.  I'm not complaining, I love the wintery weather.  The snowfall and hot chocolate.  Kids playing outside.  Icicles on the gutters.  Rabbits and squirrels frolicking.  (Of course, driving can be a trick.)  I am always amused at the rush for bread, milk, and eggs.  It's a long running gag in my circle of friends.  But in light of this blog that I write, it's great.  I really appreciate people thinking ahead to make sure they have what they need when they are snowed in.  The smart ones are avoiding a disastrous car accident or maybe just a disastrous meal.  Either way, today I say, "Kudos to you! And while you're there, maybe you'll pick up a few shelf stable and ready to eat items, just in case."

Here are a few extra items I like to have before the big storm rolls in:

Extra ice melt (salt or other chemical melts)
Extra windshield washer fluid
Two ice scrapers in each car
Extra gloves, hats, and blankets (or hoodies) in each car
Water and snacks in each car
Snow shovel and a bag of sand (if you're traveling, put it in the car)

Bread, milk, and eggs
Boxed cereal (sometimes I le the kids get their junk-y favorites)
Easy to cook favorites (mac and cheese, grilled cheese)
Soup (soup mix, soup ingredients, soup in a can, whatever) and crackers
Pasta and sauce
Hot chocolate

Toilet paper
Facial tissues
Ibuprofen and cold/cough medicine
Hand and body lotion

Flashlight and batteries
A good book
A new kids' activity
Heat and cooking source during a power outage

And here are a few things I do before the storm:

Fill car with gas
Check gas grill tanks for propane (Never use a gas grill indoors! Never!)
Pick up a few 5 day DVD rentals (Sometimes our internet goes down first.)
Put an extra blanket on each bed
Check weatherstripping on doors and windows
Charge all cordless devices (and power it off, if possible)
Start the chili (insert name of good soup here) in a slow cooker
Stay out of major traffic all day
Get everyone indoors and snuggle down before the weather hits