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When the Sirens Start

I recently received a phone call from my sister-in-law from her storm cellar in Oklahoma.  She, her husband and their two small girls had just rushed in after hearing the tornado sirens from the local grade school sound off. 

Sidebar: her husband, a nurse and paramedic, checks the batteries weekly in their weather radio.  He dutifully grabbed the radio as they rushed outside to the underground shelter, only to find the batteries dead after they bolted the overhead lid shut. Never assume. There is an unwritten Law in this universe that states that batteries will fail at the worst possible moment (really…there is!).  Keep extra batteries of the right type in your shelter or emergency kit! 

Now back to the story: I was getting the call for two reasons.  First, she wanted to know if she had cell service in the shelter; and two, this was the official notification that they had gone into the shelter and if we had not heard from them in 24 hours, I was to get on my ham radio to arrange to have someone locally do a welfare check on them.  It seems they have some large trees in their backyard, and if one of them were to happen to fall on the cover to their underground shelter, they would be trapped. (I really think it’s best to know these things BEFORE I get the call that my in-laws are likely to sit out a tornado.)  Some tornadoes did hit that part of Oklahoma that day, but fortunately none close to their home. 

Alright, so now at least I know the plan.  But before I get too miffed about me not being kept informed about their family emergency plan before it was actually implemented, perhaps I should think more about how detailed my own family’s emergency plan is.  We don’t have tornados to speak of around here.  Certainly not like the Midwest and Deep South anyway.  In that scenario, they know exactly what to do if they are at home when the siren goes off. Do we know EXACTLY what to do in an emergency situation?  How can we, you say…there are too many possibilities…too many variables.  True, but that is no excuse for not preparing.  Thinking that we would “play it by ear” depending on the type and severity of a disaster scenario is a prescription for more likely being a victim than part of a solution. 

Think about it: if there was an earthquake right now—wherever you are— do you know how to contact your immediate family?  Do they know how to contact you?  Something to think about.  But don’t just think about it: Plan it, then Rehearse it!  Of course there is likely to be some “playing it by ear”, but it stands to reason that the more planning you have done for disaster scenarios, the better prepared you will be and will keep the “playing it by ear and hoping for the best” at a minimum.

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Get Your Potty Posters Here!

We’ve made up some posters that you can put in bathroom stalls to help you fellow co-workers and/or customers be prepared.  They’re in color and ready to be printed out.

Potty Posters - 3 Things to do When

Potty Posters - The Dirty Dozen

Potty Posters - Scriptural Arguments

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Survival Cooking - Improvised Grills

by Roberta Brecher

In exploring the web and the library on survival cooking, I came across an excellent book by Dian Thomas called Backyard Roughing It Easy which included wonderful ideas for improvised grills.

Read more...

Receipe Ideas:

Campfire Baked Apples

Potatoes on the Grill

Campfire Banana Boats

Bagged Omlettes

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STAT - Safety Team Action Tools
5-Minute Messages

Take just five minutes a week to raise the level of emergency preparedness and safety awareness in your organization.

This Week: The Flu
This flu season, learn and share the advice from your Public Health professionals.  Practice these healthy behaviors, even if you don’t feel sick:

• Cough and/or sneeze into your elbow - not your hands or the air!
• Wash your hands with hot water and soap frequently.
• Keep bottles of hand sanitizer handy - especially when soap and water are not available.
• Keep tissues available everywhere, and give them to others!
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
• If you do have flu symptoms - STAY HOME!

If we all practice these simple steps we can keep each other safer and healthier.

For more ideas on flu preparedness, visit http://www.firstvic tims.org/ flu
For tips from the CDC, visit http://www.cdc. gov/flu

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Here’s a new Word Search puzzle to try out.  Enjoy!

The CERT Concept

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