Emergency Preparedness from Ria’s talk, August 18th
Ria has taken the 1st Aid/CPR/AED course eleven times, recently completed the 1st Aid/CPR course for pets (offered by Dove Lewis Pet Hospital), taken “Active Shooter” training, and served on the Building Security Board at work for 15 years. She had to put together the “go-bags” and First Aid Kits for 3 government vehicles and collected many pamphlets on emergency preparedness (many of which she put on display for us). She also put together SIP kits (Shelter in Place survival kits), participated in Amber Alert exercises and fire drills, and has been fit-tested for several different types of IH masks! She brought many samples with us—car box and “go bag” items—and gave us a very entertaining and informative talk. If you want more information, please contact her at ZafariaR @ Portlandwritersmill.org.
Here are some useful links from Ria:
- Where can we find information and downloadable leaflets? osha.gov
- Where can find out what’s going on in our neighborhood? usgs.gov follows climate change, earthquake activity throughout the world, volcanic activity, etc, with links to explore further
- What about safety information? nsc.org
Then there’s the go-bag.
- Include a mask, needed for volcanoes or forest fires. Look for the N95 (N for NIOSH) available from Harbor Freight. Don’t rely on a simple mask. You can last 3 minutes without Oxygen, 3 days without water, and 3 weeks without food. So the mask is the most important item to protect you. Keep one in the car at all times, and keep one in your go-bag.
- Have food for your pets in your go-bag! Maybe a snugli so you can carry them. Make sure you know WHO will carry the pets.
- Carry water. Have water in your car, water in a refillable PABA free bottle, jugs near the toilet (hygiene matters, even in disasters)… Check your supplies (including water) every 3 months.
- Canned food, especially protein, is essential. Tinned tuna in oil is good.
- Packets of dried food weigh less. Dried fruit, rice bits (with seaweed for protein), berry blend cereals (acai and goji berries are a protein source)
- MRIs are often high in salt (might be a problem)
- Stockpile 2 weeks of food for your family—maybe 4 weeks. Remember you need 2 gallons of water per person per day (one to drink, one for hygiene)
And the planning:
- How/where will your family members get in touch/meet together if the cell phones go down?
- What about earthquakes? Keep away from glass. Shut off the gas! (It’s easier to shelter in place if the house doesn’t burn down, so… who knows how to shut it off? Whose job is it to shut it off. Make sure you know these things). After the quake, walk around and check for cracked pipes or smells of gas. But above all, DON’T PANIC!
- Who will do pet CPR on your dog? (Oh, and don’t forget water for the pets)
- Who’s got the bandages and saline for fixing up wounded people or pets?
- Which things will be powered by your backup generator if you have one? It can’t power the whole house. Maybe label what should be cut at the circuit breaker.
- Etc
There wasn’t time for Ria to cover active-shooter preparedness, and things got pretty rushed at the end. But she is ready and willing to give another talk before her book comes out, so watch this space, and remember to email your questions.
Also, remember to be prepared NOW. Don’t wait for the disaster, or for the book!