Living a Disaster Prepared Life

I thought I would post something to describe my "disaster prepared life."

Those who know me well know that for many, many years, I preached disaster preparedness. I wrote hundreds of brochures and other printed items, produced dozens of videos, led the development of educational standards-based children's curriculum (i.e., American Red Cross "Masters of Disaster"), spoke at zillions of conferences, collaborated with important partners at the National Weather Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, National Fire Protection Association, Home Safety Council, Institute for Business and Home Safety, and dozens more... all with the intent to "notch up" this nation's level of business, personal and home preparedness, with a special emphasis on the "home" part.

As my colleague and close friend Dr. Wayne Blanchard said in conferences that we led together at FEMA's Emergency Management Institute, "you have to walk the talk. You can't be out there telling people what to do. You need to lead by example." He was soooooo right.

So what's my "disaster prepared life" like? Actually, it's pretty easy.

First, we have ongoing conversations at home about what can happen, how we will find out about it, and how we will communicate with each other if we are in different places when something happens like a severe storm. A storm is the most frequent hazard that can disrupt our lives. Other hazards we talk about include a home fire, a technological incident like an overturned tanker truck, or evil-intent disruption of human action. (Some call it terrorism; we call it "the bad guys trying to do harm by infusing fear.")

I firmly believe in what my mentor, Dr. Dennis Mileti (former Director of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado) taught -- that the only way to get people to do something about being prepared for a disruptive event is to talk about it. If you live in that River in Egypt -- Denial -- and don't talk about it, you won't do anything about it. Our discussions aren't morbid or "woe-is-me the world-will-end so just give up now." The vast majority of people in areas where disasters occur live through it, but may not be able to determine the safety of their loved-ones due to disrupted communications, or be able to get out, get help, or have adequate supplies to live on until they can get more.

So yes, I believe in a well-stocked disaster supplies kit. Call it what you will (emergency kit, go-pack, etc.), we keep water, canned foods, a battery-powered radio, flashlights, extra batteries, and other essentials handy in a closet near our exit door so we can grab it and take it with us if we have to leave. We have adequate food and water supplies at home in case we're stuck there for an indefinite period -- as we have been during monumental winter storms (aka "Snowmageddon" of 2010).

How much water? The easy way we deal with that is that we have several 5-gallon food grade refillable water containers that we keep in the kitchen. We keep one of them on a chiller, and drink water from it every day as part of our regular method of quenching thirst. As one container empties, we put the next one in line on the chiller, clean and refill the empty one with tap water, and put it at the end of the line. Any given day, we have four or five 5-gallon jugs filled with water. Tap water. We don't treat it with anything (like chlorine bleach--not needed nor recommended).

There are other ways we are prepared. Since a home fire is the number one possibility of a personal disaster, we practice fire safety by having an actual home fire drill twice a year. We have fun with it. We blindfold each other, practice crawling low under smoke, and practice using different escape routes from different rooms. We meet at the mailbox out on the street, and practice (but don't actually) calling 9-1-1 once we're all safely outside. We encourage our neighbors to have a home fire drill at the same time that we do at least once a year, and I'm happy to say that most (not all) of our neighbors participate, ending with a community block party.

But because I have always believed in being prepared, and my Mom knew that, she gave us a gift when we built our house -- the money to cover the cost of home fire sprinkler installation. This was long before tax incentives and laws requiring home sprinklers. I did it because I was inspired by my friend Meri-K Appy, who at the time was VP of Education at the National Fire Protection Association. We have great peace of mind knowing that those silent sentries are protecting our home 24/7, even when we're not there. Should a fire happen, the sprinkler closest to the fire origin will go off (but not all of them as shown on stupid TV shows and movies) and douse the flames -- well before the fire department arrives.

Another "inspirer" of mine was Don Wernly who I worked with closely when he was a branch chief at the National Weather Service, in the division responsible for public weather services (including outreach). Don gave me my first NOAA Weather Radio. Subsequently, I have received -- as gifts from friends -- several new-and-improved versions of this important device. It signals an alert for severe weather as soon as my local NWS Forecast Office issues at Watch or a Warning. It gives me time to do last-minute preparations.

What preparations are those? Well, some of my neighbors may say that I'm the neighborhood disaster-nut. I'll go out and retrieve trash cans so they won't blow away and perhaps damage a neighbor's home. But instead of just silently bringing the trash cans, lawn furniture, and picnic table umbrella inside -- I will carry them out front, and talk to them loudly: "I'm bringing you inside so you won't fly away and break a neighbor's window!" Yeah, some of my neighbors think I'm crazy, but you know what? Right after I do that, I see them bringing items indoors, too. So crazy behavior works if it encourages others to prepare, too.

As for food supplies, I don't go nuts with storing stuff, or have a mark on a calendar to "rotate" my supplies. The foods don't need to be turned around and around (giggle.) But I really don't change and replace disaster supplies on a scheduled basis. Instead, I have food supplies that I would ordinarily eat, anyway. Canned soup, fruit, vegetables, meats, and fish. When I choose to eat something like that, I'll pull it out of my disaster kit and replace it with a fresher item from my pantry. Then when I purchase groceries, I just replace the item in my pantry. That way, my disaster foods are always up-to-date, without having to spend any extra time, thought, or effort to do so.

And some disaster supplies vendors may not appreciate this, but I do not endorse blocks of canned sawdust. That is, compressed "meal bars" or MREs. Honestly, nobody will eat that stuff and post-disaster conditions aren't such that the only option to survive is to try to eat compressed sawdust blocks. Fuggetaboutit... those things aren't realistic.

Also, I am not a fan of packaged disaster kits available for sale from the Red Cross and other vendors. While buying a pre-made kit gets you everything in one place, those kits usually do not have adequate amounts for a minimum three-day supply of water (three gallons/person) and food. Plus, I am of the opinion that unless you have stuff that you ordinarily would eat, you won't find the "food" in the prepackaged kits all that palatable, so you wouldn't eat it anyway. I also think that unless you invest yourself, your thoughts, and your own commitment to thinking through the supplies you will need, then you wouldn't use a disaster kit anyway. I hypothesize that most of those prepackaged kits go unused, or if such a kit is taken with someone during a disaster, he/she would only use a small portion of the stuff in it -- so there is very little return on the expensive investment.

I recall that Wayne and I produced a brochure back in the '90s titled "Your Family Disaster Supplies Kit" (see it here) where everything under the sun, including the kitchen sink, was listed to have in a personal disaster kit. Realistically, nobody has the time, resources, or interest to assemble all that stuff. Besides essential food, water, radio, flashlights, and batteries, I have a first aid kit, can opener, big chocolate bar (can't have a disaster without it!), napkins and baby wipes, a roll of toilet paper, and yes -- even a roll of duct tape. Not to tape any ducks, but that stuff is very useful to make MacGyver-like repairs. I also keep a small stash of cash, because power will be out after a disaster, so ATMs won't work and credit card machines won't, either. Further, I keep copies of important information such as the names and phone numbers of my banks, credit card companies, doctors, health insurance, and copies of home and auto insurance policies in my kit. You never know when you'll need those things -- and if you had to leave home (i.e., you were asked to evacuate), we have those important papers available to refer to.

Do I have a cell phone in the kit? Nope. Doesn't make sense -- while I seldom use my cell phone, I carry it with me. I keep a car-charger for it in my kit, so I have an alternative method to charge the phone if a power outage is prolonged. However, I also insist on maintaining a traditional, copper wire telephone landline at home. Think about it: when disasters happen, it may take down, disable, or otherwise disrupt cell towers. Further, everyone gets on the phone and the system quickly overloads. Old-fashioned, traditional copper wire phone lines were built to withstand extremes, and likely will work when other communications options (cell, VOiP, etc.) will not.

In summary, we live a disaster prepared life. It's easy. Practicing what I have preached all these years is customary. No big deal.

Look at it this way: stuff happens. Talk about it. Be prepared. You'll be happy that you know that you and those you care about will be able to get through a disaster better because you're ready. You, too, can lead by example. Your family, your children, and your neighbors will respect and admire you, and you will feel more calm in knowing that when the fit hits the shan (weather-wise or earthquake-wise, or even tsunami-wise), those you love and care about will know how to be safe and get through it. Isn't that what it's all about? I think so....

Life is short: show those you love that you love them by living a disaster prepared life.