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© 2010 Security Whip
I was reading the paper this morning and California is again getting hit with devastating forest fires. As someone who likes to be prepared, it got me thinking. What would I do in the same situation? If I had to evacuate my home in 10 minutes or less, what would I take? And, could I grab everything I wanted in such a short time? To get a better feel for this type of situation, here is snippet from the USA Today article.
Lane Butchko, a retired resident without a car, recounted desperately fleeing a half-mile down a mountain road before a motorist picked him up.
“I grabbed my dog and we ran for our lives. I forgot my teeth,” he said. “We were going at a full gallop and halfway down I fell, tripped on the dog’s leash. When I got up, I felt the heat of the fire on my back and I saw a tree burst into flames.”
Its quite obvious that Mr. Butchko had less than 10 mins to prepare, he only had time to grab the dog. So, would you be able to walk away from your home confidently in 10 mins? I’ve provided a few examples of ways to better prepare. As always, the lists are never exhaustive, they are designed to get you thinking.
- Do you have an evacuation plan? Go over it with your family and practice.
- Is your emergency kit ready and located where you need it?
- What is your communication plan? Do the kids know who to call? Do you have an out of state contact?
- Do you have a “meet up” location? You should actually have two meet up places incase the first is inaccessible.
- Do you have your important documents in a central location?
- Are all of your personal affairs in order? Home insurance, will, etc.
- Is your vehicle prepared and does it have any emergency equipment?
The whole point is to have some type of plan so you aren’t completely caught off guard if something bad does happen. If you aren’t sure where to begin or how to start an emergency plan, go check out Ready.gov. They have both online forms and down loadable forms which will help in designing your plan.
Thanks
Security Guy
Washington D.C. awoke to an earthquake this morning around 5:00AM. Luckily it was small as earthquakes go, only 3.6 in magnitude. It should serve as a little reminder to us that the planet we live on is in a state of constant flux. Preparing for natural disasters should make sense to everyone, just like having car insurance does. I don’t drive my car around with the fear I’m going to be in an accident, but if I am in an accident, I know I have insurance to cover the damages. The same should holds true for disasters, being prepared is like having your own personal insurance policy.
So how can you prepare for an earthquake? The Red Cross provides a few basic tips for us:
- Become aware of fire evacuation and earthquake plans for all of the buildings you occupy regularly.
- Pick safe places in each room of your home, workplace and/or school. A safe place could be under a piece of furniture or against an interior wall away from windows, bookcases or tall furniture that could fall on you.
- Practice drop, cover and hold on in each safe place. If you do not have sturdy furniture to hold on to, sit on the floor next to an interior wall and cover your head and neck with your arms.
- Keep a flashlight and sturdy shoes by each person’s bed.
- Make sure your home is securely anchored to its foundation.
- Bolt and brace water heaters and gas appliances to wall studs.
- Bolt bookcases, china cabinets and other tall furniture to wall studs.
- Hang heavy items, such as pictures and mirrors, away from beds, couches and anywhere people sleep or sit.
- Brace overhead light fixtures.
- Install strong latches or bolts on cabinets. Large or heavy items should be closest to the floor.
- Learn how to shut off the gas valves in your home and keep a wrench handy for that purpose.
- Learn about your area’s seismic building standards and land use codes before you begin new construction.
- Keep and maintain an emergency supplies kit in an easy to access location.
Additionally, always have a fire extinguisher in your home and ensure everyone in the family knows how to operate it.
Thanks
Security Guy
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