Information in emergency preparedness presentation?

VermontCathy
VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

Our church is planning a local presentation on preparing yourself for emergencies, with emphasis on weather-related emergencies.

Is there any information you especially recommend we include? The main focus will be on things like having food, water, etc. for at least 72 hours, preferably longer. We'll also discuss communications.

What would you include if you were giving a presentation on this subjectr?

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Comments

  • dipat2005
    dipat2005 Posts: 1,290 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @VermontCathy the 72 hour kit is a great place to start. Our church is having that as well. Our folks have prepared to do 1 night every third Saturday! I will see what they have planned and get back to you! This is a timely thing to let others know about what to expect. I have been ready for years. Last year they also talked about other things to have ready. An emergency oven or some way to cook food if the electricity went out. How to make small sterno or containers with cardboard, wax and a candle for cooking food. They especially said do not melt wax in your home. Do it outside for safety reasons.

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    I have lots of info due to my involvement with my local VFD and ESS. But just a quick comment on the 72 hour thing. Its a great place to start but we are seeing that in many cases, services aren't being restored within that 72 hour time frame. Start there, but plan for events that may have us out of our homes or sheltering-in-place for longer periods of time. In the recent ice storm in eastern Canada people were without power for up to 6 days (some longer).

    This is a link to the FEMA Food and Water in an Emergency PDF.

    https://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/f&web.pdf

    This is a link to a similar site but from the Canadian government.

    https://www.getprepared.gc.ca/index-en.aspx

    This is a link to the “Do 1 Thing” Emergency Preparedness website. Check under the resources tab for fact sheets and power point presentations that might be useful for a group.

    https://www.do1thing.com/

    This attachment on water storage is from my personal files as I can’t find a link to the original. TGN’s library has a similar e-book on water storage by the same author.

    These are links to info sheets from the Red Cross. Mostly weather related. You can choose the ones that are most likely to affect your location.

    https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/get-help/pdfs/hurricane/EN_Hurricane-Safety-Checklist.pdf

    https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/get-help/pdfs/heat/EN_Extreme-Heat-Safety-Checklist.pdf

    https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/get-help/pdfs/tornado/EN_Tornado-Safety-Checklist.pdf

    https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/atg/PDF_s/Preparedness___Disaster_Recovery/Disaster_Preparedness/Thunderstorm/Thunderstorm.pdf

    https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/get-help/pdfs/winter-storm/EN_Winter-Storm-Preparedness-Checklist.pdf

    https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/local/1_-_Region_News_-_Events/WildfireChecklist.pdf

    https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/atg/PDF_s/Preparedness___Disaster_Recovery/Disaster_Preparedness/Landslide/Landslide.pdf

    https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/atg/PDF_s/Preparedness___Disaster_Recovery/Disaster_Preparedness/Flood/Flood.pdf

    https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/atg/PDF_s/Preparedness___Disaster_Recovery/Disaster_Preparedness/Earthquake/Earthquake.pdf

    https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/atg/PDF_s/Preparedness___Disaster_Recovery/Disaster_Preparedness/Tsunami/Tsunami.pdf

    This link is to our provincial emergency preparedness website. There are links to brochures that are hazard specific as well as ones for specific circumstances.

    https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-management/preparedbc/guides-and-resources

    Pets. These are two information sources for pet check lists. One from the Red Cross and the other from the CDC.

    https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/atg/PDF_s/Preparedness___Disaster_Recovery/Disaster_Preparedness/Pet_Safety/PetSafety.pdf

    https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/resources/disaster-prep-pet-emergency-checklist.pdf

    Don’t forget comfort items on a list of emergency supplies. Your favourite tea blend, chocolate bars or other treats, cookies, favourite brands of kids foods (sometimes they can be picky especially during an emergency situation) and whatever other items your family thinks are special or comforting.

    I’m not a big fan of supplements as I prefer to get nutrients from food, but there are ones that I would include in an emergency kit. When we are under the high stress of a disaster situation or an evacuation, we tend not to eat properly. Vitamin C & D for adrenal and immune support. Vitamin B complex to support the Vagus nerve. Fish oil (good quality, cold water fish) for omega-3s and reducing oxidative stress. Zinc, magnesium, calcium, iron. Bromelain for digestive issues. Adaptogens for adrenal support and stress management including ashwaganda, astragalus, licorice, ginseng (or codonopsis), nettles and medicinal mushrooms, in particular lion’s mane to help stabilize the brain during stress, cordyceps for lung support if there is poor air quality and reishi for immune and adrenal support. 

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    I forgot to add this list of herbs supplied by Herbal Medics Academy, suggested for post disaster or remote locations.

    I would also recommend having a variety of emergency kits on hand. You never know where you might be when an emergency happens. One for each vehicle. One for your place of work or school.

    Speaking of schools (or other community gathering places). Do the schools, churches, community halls, recreation centres, etc. in your area have emergency supplies on hand? There could be occasions when you may be in one of those facilities when a disaster hits. Or they might be used as temporary reception or evacuation centres. Our VFD has the ability to house 25 people should it be necessary. Our community hall has a level 3 kit and AED upstairs as well as a dedicated first aid kit for the kitchen.

    Let's not forget about first aid kits. The little ones that come in a 72 hour prepared emergency kit aren't the best. Get a first aid kit appropriate for your level of experience and the size of your family or make one up specific for your needs. Check out those community places. Do they have adequate first aid supplies on hand? Maybe an AED, too.

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    Following is a slightly edited article from Canadian Firefighter mag on the subject of a 72-hour preparedness window.

    "In emergency management, it’s important to know where initiatives or directives originated from, and they should be consistently re-evaluated to ensure that they are still current and required. The 72-hour preparedness rule came to fruition during World War I as a directive given from national levels of governance. There were requirements to be self-sufficient due to competing priorities from national defense. Individuals needed to sustain continuity of their livelihood for 72-hours.

    Chris Collins, professor of emergency management at the Emergency Management and Public Safety Institute of Centennial College and level 3 trainer with Emergency Management Ontario, said, “We are still using a method of preparedness from war-times, but have advanced as a society in every other way. So, what’s wrong with this picture?”

    Support from government agencies is different among rural, suburban and urban areas, and so are their needs. “This is why 72 hours cannot be something that is universally applicable,” said Collins.

    So, what can be done?

    Collins says the first step is to look at your community, municipality and specific neighbourhoods you serve.

    “No one can prepare a community better than members of that community,” said Scott Cameron, co-founder of Emergency Management Logistics Canada.

    Many regions are transitioning away from a generic approach by incorporating tools that are unique to them.

    Provinces and territories are updating the language they use when it comes to preparedness. Most suggest “a minimum of 72-hours”, while other regions are encouraged to be prepared for seven days due to their remote location."

  • JodieDownUnder
    JodieDownUnder Posts: 1,483 admin

    @VermontCathy what timing! Yesterday I attended a Red Cross workshop on Community Resilience Training. I’m involved with a couple of local groups, trying to impart information on preparedness for natural disasters. People had become complacent but since 2019, our area has experienced drought, fires & floods. So there is a real push from govt & agencies to educate people about resilience & preparedness. (You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink!) The workshop was attended by 15 people, not a lot from our area & mostly the same “doers” in our community. But we have already shared that info to local Facebook groups, to try & get the message out there. Communications are vital for a community to make informed decisions & stop the misinformation & rumour mongering that usually surrounds disasters. People need to own the ideas, not have a govt agency coming by & telling them what to do. People need to be listened to.

    Our group believes that a better connected community leads to more positive outcomes & people are willing to listen & or take part. We are holding events that are fun but also with some learning. This June we are holding a Winter Solstice event, for locals to come together to share food, play music & to chat around a fire pit. We have also asked our local RFS (rural fire service) to do a preparedness talk for the up coming fire season & our local council resilience officer is going to introduce a “Get Ready” program he has been working on. So small steps. We are also planning a once a month “pot luck” type of meal, to encourage more community participation.


  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thank you for all the trips. It's great that so many of you report that your communities are taking steps to share information and plant for uncertainty.

    The 72 hour guideline is a minimum. More is better, certainly, especially in a small town/rural area like mine where there will be limited outside support. That number is really aimed at people who have done nothing at all and need to start somewhere.

    My household could probably go about 2 weeks with no shopping and no outside supplies without any real change to our diet. and minimal impacts otherwise. We would still have food after the 2 weeks, but we would be making compromises. Our biggest risk is probably water, because we are on the city water system, and if the power utility is out the water goes out. However, this is a very wet area and it's not likely we couldn't get water nearby and boil or treat it.

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I gave the presentation last week, and it was popular. We will probably do it again in the fall.

  • dipat2005
    dipat2005 Posts: 1,290 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @VermontCathy I have tried different methods of keeping water. I tried the milk jug version and they tend to leak after two years. Now I am using the Cranberry Juice plastic jugs. The lids get musty and I am cleaning them with Hydrogen Peroxide. Is there another product I should use rather than the Peroxide?

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @dipat2005 It's a good idea to rotate your food and water periodically. If you can get a year out of water storage before needing to replace it, I would call that a win.

    I would suggest the best way to deal with mustiness in the short term is a thorough cleaning in soap and water, and possibly soaking in vinegar afterward. But replacing all the containers once a year is probably the best answer.

  • dipat2005
    dipat2005 Posts: 1,290 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @VermontCathy thanks those are great suggestions.