Emergency Preparedness Must Have Items

Natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis etc. can occur at any time but are less likely to occur on the east coast. Hurricanes are one of the most destructive natural disasters that can occur. Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30 and usually occurs in warm weather areas. On average 5-6 hurricanes occur during the hurricane season. Hurricanes are classified into 5 different categories:

Category 1 - winds 74-95 miles per hour
Category 2 - winds 96-110 miles per hour
Category 3 - winds 111-130 miles per hour
Category 4 - winds 131-155 miles per hour
Category 5 - winds greater than 155 miles per hour

Tropical storms have winds ranging from 39-73 miles per hour. A tropical depression has winds up to 38 miles per hour and look like individual thunderstorms grouped together. When a natural disaster transpires you can never be fully equipped for what materializes but there are some things you can do to help make the experience go smoother. The east coast has recently experienced multiple natural disasters it a short period of time. Here are 22 emergency preparedness tips to help when experiencing a natural disaster:

1. Relax. Don’t let your emotions overwhelm you. Don’t let media coverage, family or friends cause you to overreact.
2. Outside items. Bring in all outside furniture and items that can easily blow away or tie them down tightly.
3. Cover. Keep blinds, shades and curtains drawn. Avoid staring out the window.
4. Lighting. Use kerosene lights or keep candles and flashlights near in case your power goes out. Buy matches or lighters to light candles as needed.
5. Heating. Keep lots of blankets. Wear extra clothes to stay warm. Buy hot water heater insulators to keep the hot water warm even if the power goes out.
6. Cooking. If you don’t want to use your gas stove or have an electric stove, cook food outside on a grill and store leftovers on ice. If you have a gas stove, you can still cook by lighting the pilot manually.
7. Ice. Buy 1 - 5lb bag of ice per every 3 days to use if you want to drink your beverages cold. If you have an automatic ice maker, make several trays of ice and store in the freezer to use if the power goes out.
8. Drinks. Drink more water to help stay hydrated. Try drinking beverages at room temperature to save ice. Buy bottled water or fill water pitchers with filtered water and store in your refrigerator if you are unable to drink tap water.
9. Snacks. Buy snacks to eat in between meals.
10. Food. Buy canned fruits and vegetables and other non-perishable items such as nuts, powered milk, beef jerky, spam, tuna fish, dried fruit, crackers, peanut butter, granola or protein bars, juice boxes, etc.
11. Water. Fill your bath tub and use the water to flush your toilet or use to wash up if the power goes out.
12. Cleaning. Fill a large trash can full of water to use if you are unable to take a shower. Keep moist towelettes, alcohol pads and disposable bathing clothes or wash clothes on hand. Use bleach as a disinfectant.
13. Health. Make sure you have enough prescriptions, aspirin or pain reliever, anti-diarrheal medicine, and multiple first aid kits.
14. Power. Buy a generator or get batteries to use for portable tv’s, radios or dvd players. You can also charge cell phones or other electronic devices in your car. Make sure you have lots of batteries.
15. Fun. Pull out the board games to play with your family. Do fun activities such as tell stories, crossword puzzles, etc.
16. Leisure. Read books or play battery powered games. Catch up on activities and reconnect with family.
17. Breathing. When the disaster has ended, use dust masks if needed to filter contaminated air. If the air is not contaminated open windows to get fresh air.
18. Cell phones. Make sure cell phones are fully charged and minimize use prior to the natural disaster.
19. Babies. Keep plenty of baby formula, food and diapers on hand as well as medicine, and other supplies.
20. Money. Keep extra cash or travelers’ check on hand in case you need to make unexpected purchases.
21. Smoke detectors. Check to make sure smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly.
22. Disposable. Keep disposable items on hand such as paper plates, cups, utensils, paper towels, toilet paper and other toiletries or recycled paper products.

What's Your Cell Phone Backup Plan

In 2006 Congress passed legislation under the Warning Alert and Response Network Act (WARN) allowing the Federal government access to private cell phones to issue emergency warnings and alerts which resulted in the Personal Localized Alerting Network (PLAN). WARN requires cell phone provides to activate PLAN technology by April 2012. Participants that will offer PLAN prior to the deadline include Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.

PLAN allows authorized national, state or local government officials to send alerts via cell phone providers regarding public safety emergencies, such as a tornado or a terrorist threat. Cell phone providers push the alerts from cell towers to cell phones in the affected area. This technology ensures that emergency alerts do not get stuck in highly congested user areas.

PLAN enables government officials to target emergency alerts to specific geographic areas through cell towers which pushes the information to dedicated receivers in PLAN enabled cell phones. PLAN complements the existing Emergency Alert System implemented by the FCC and FEMA via media service providers.

Customers can opt out of the service but will still receive Presidential alerts even if their GPS locator is turned off. The PLAN technology will allow the messages to take precedence over regular phone calls or text messages so the alerts can get through. Messages will show up on the phone’s front screen, and arrive with a distinct ringtone or vibration. Three types of messages are included in PLAN: level 1 - messages from the President, level 2 - looming threats to safety, and level 3 - amber alerts about missing or abducted children. As of October 2010 the following cell phone providers participate in PLAN www.fcc.gov/pshs/docs/servcies/cmas/MasterCMASRegistry.xls

During a natural disaster cell phone networks quickly get jammed and subscribers are unable to make phone calls. This happened recently with the earthquake that struck the east coast. During a disaster many people rely on cell phones or the internet. If your power is out your only other option is your cell phone. Government agencies are urging subscribers to send text messages instead of making phone calls during a natural disaster.

Using social media and text messages cannot replace voice communications and does not address the cell phone network load problems. If everyone is sending text messages that causes another increase in load and can cause delays in sending and receiving text messages. For people who don’t use social media or cell phones or people who live in rural areas where cell phone coverage is not available there is no way other for them to communicate. The U.S. needs to invest more money in technology to compete with other countries. Japan is working to use renewable energy for its cellphone tower network s with solar, wind or biomass which protects against power grid outages. Japan has also created a cooking pot that can cook food over a campfire and charge a cell phone at the same time which costs $300.

If cell phone companies can provide their executives with million dollar salaries, bonus and perks each year, saved money by transferring their customer services departments to India and other countries, decreased their level of customer service, and made some staff reductions, why can’t they spend more money to upgrade their networks to provide better service to subscribers and handle increased loads during a natural disaster.

Here are 6 tips to prepare for phone interruptions during a natural disaster:
1. Disaster Plan. Create a disaster plan and test it periodically.
2. Don’t wait. Don’t wait until the last minute to take action. Prepare in advance and stay calm. Execute your disaster plan to minimize further damages and safety issues.
3. Communication Plan. Develop a communication plan to contact friends and family and test periodically.
4. Satellite phone. If you live areas that experience frequent natural disasters consider purchasing or renting a satellite phone which connects to satellites in space. They provide functionality similar to cell phones such as voice, paging alerts, messaging service and internet access. Coverage can include the world or specific regions. Prices ranges from $200 to $5,000 for the phone plus talk time ranging from $0.15 to $2.00 per minute.
5. Smartphones Apps. Use emergency communication smartphone applications such as Life360, Guardly, Emergency Distresss Beacon and Quake SOS to connect to family and friends or emergency service providers to identify your location and confirm your safety.
6. Emergency Alerts. Sign up to receive emergency alerts with your city or state government, local school or university, utility company or weather service. You can also sign up for the Emergency Email and Wireless Network to receive alerts from local, state and federal government agencies.

Earthquakes and Your Finances

Recently many states on the east coast experienced an earthquake ranging from 5.7 to 6.0. Aftershocks were felt in the Washington DC area of 4.6. Only minor injuries were reported, however many homes have cracks and other structural damages. When I arrived home from work small pieces of plaster were on my floors, cracks in various places in my home, my business phone fell on the floor and was off the hook, my office was a disaster, books and pieces of paper strewn all over the floor, and contents of my medicine cabinets and closets were on the floor.

Many people tried to use their cell phones but the networks were jammed. Many others just sat in disbelief. A friend from LA told me she didn’t know the east coast had earthquakes. Washington DC had one last year which was approximately 3.6 but it is rare to have them on the east coast. After the initial shock and fear has worn off people want to know what do I do now? Some questions must be considered when experiencing a natural disaster. Here are 10 financial tips to help survive a natural disaster.

1. Insurance. If you are a homeowner review your homeowner’s insurance policy to see if you are covered for natural disasters such as an earthquake. Contact your insurance company and report any damage. Contact a lawyer to get legal advice and protection in the event your insurance company becomes difficult with reimbursing you for your loss.

2. Notify. Contact all of your family and friends and employer and let them know what happened and if you need any assistance.

3. Inventory. Make a list of all the companies you do business with. Include the name of the company, mailing address, payment address, phone number, type of account and website and keep in a dry water proof location such as a waterproof and fireproof safe.

4. Identification. Make duplicate copies of your driver’s license, SSN and passport and birth certificate and store in waterproof and fireproof safe.

5. Disaster Kit. Make sure you have enough dry and canned food for a week including bottled water. Have enough clean clothes for at least 2-3 days. Keep an emergency kit in your car to include bottled water, canned food, blankets, a radio, batteries, 2 flashlights and a first aid kit.

6. Supplies. Purchase batteries, a portable radio/tv radio, extra blankets if needed, pillows, candles, matches, fire extinguisher, smoke detectors, paper towels, paper plates and napkins, plastic utensils, disposable cups, toiletries, etc., and store in dry cool location.

7. Service Providers. Make a list of any other service providers that you do business with: mechanic, plumber, electrician, handyman, painter, roofing company, HVAC, drywall expert, home structural repair company, lawyer, psychologist, marriage counselor, plumber, lawn care professional, etc. Include the name of the company, mailing address, payment address, phone number, and website which you may need to use after the disaster.

8. Budget. Create a budget to determine how much money you earn after taxes, monthly bills and expenses and how much you will need to replace basic necessities and contents in your home if lost or damaged.

9. Spend Wisely. Replace damaged or missing items by shopping at discount or outlet stores, buying in bulk and buying items on sale.

10. Live for Tomorrow. Document what you learned from this experience and steps to take if you ever have this type of experience in the future.