2012 Messenger – What will happen?

Posts Tagged ‘home’

You’ve prepared the inside of your home. You’ve got all you could possibly need to survive the strong storm that’s headed your way. Now you’ve got to secure outside your home. Let’s get busy.

Consider the largest items outside. These have no cover whatever. Cars , boats, ATVs, lawn and toy furnitureso many things. Move all vehicles, including all items of similar size, to at least 30 feet from the house. Put your vehicles in gear and engage the hand break. Boats should have their biminis or sails taken down and loose items on deck taken below. ATVs, outside appliances and yard maintenance machines should be tied down. Uh-huh. You heard right. Find a lot of rope. This includes lawn furniture and large toy contraptions. Have a sharp knife with you to quickly cut the lengths you need. Tie these things together, when possible, and then tie them to the house. Sounds freaky. But you’ve got to if it’s a very strong storm. Make sure there’s no give on the rope for everything you tie down. Hey, I didn’t how to tie strong knots, either. You’ve gotta learn what you’ve gotta learn. Make it happen.

Some tips here. If it’s a very powerful storm, each vehicle should have the slightest crack on at least one window. Check again and ensure that all motorized vehicles, including ATVs, are left in gear and their breaks engaged. Plug the drain for your boat and fill it to halfway with water. Do the same for other large items that are also able to hold water. This will keep their “feet” on the ground and prevent them from being rolled over. Tables should be turned upside down and chairs piled on top of them. What you’re doing is creating bulk and weight wherever you can. This will help to keep them on the ground.

All things hanging have got to be taken down. Plants in pots, decorations, art or anything that is not already secured to an immobile structure. This includes canopies and tarps. Any and all loose items you may have straggling around. Smaller toys, all types of gear, tools, especially the sharp ones. Barbeque grills, whatever. If you can move it, so can the storm. Piles of wood left where they are? Piles of anything that can become airborne need your attention. You so don’t want flying projectiles. Secure them all and then, only then can you relax. But, wait! The garden!

Undoubtedly, many amatuer horticulturalists feel that their gardens are much more important than most things outside the house. But, honestly, when it comes to danger, a hard “anything” will hurt more than a flying plant (well, probably not a cactus). If the plant is in a pot that stands higher than two feet, lay it on the ground on its side. Plants elevated on pedestals or stilts should be taken down. Put all of these close together.

Drape some sort of netting over them. Nets allow wind to pass through them but will also hold whatever’s under them fairly in place. Tuna nets are a personal favorite. Sections can be cut out of a roll to accommodate every plot of garden that you’ve got. Try it. If you don’t secure them, you’ll have to bring them indoors. If you don’t, they could be gone forever. You’ll have to decide what you’re willing to let go.

Keep in mind that the trimming of large trees takes some consideration. If you’ve got large trees around your home, and you love your trees, you’ve got to trim them down. At the very least, remove dead and dying branches. Then immediately get them off the property. These are large flying projectiles waiting to happen. Don’t risk it.

In the midst of a strong storm, when it’s bedlam outside, you really don’t want to have to go out there to tie down something you hear being bashed around and breaking into things. Plan ahead. Give yourself time to do these things before the storm arrives.

It’s kind of funny when you think about the whole thing. In the process of securing outside your home, you’re actually cleaning up all around the house. Think about it. You’re removing everything that can fly that isn’t necessary for your livelihood. Whatever’s been in queue for months will likely get tossed. All the things lying around will disappear. It’s nearly immaculate.

Now you could choose not to remove or secure all of these loose items. You could. Just keep in mind that the storm will probably disperse it all for you, whether you like it or not. Many things that are unsecured you’ll likely never see again. When you do a good job and secure well, you’ll be secure and without concern the entire time. That’s the best and safest way to endure a storm. Worry free.

The fact of the matter is that not one person knows just exactly are the specific problems that could eventually result during a major and over all emergency.  The best thing one could possibly due is make himself prepare for anything that could happen.

The following are some of the tips, advice and recommendation in order to amply prepare for an emergency.  The following are from the emergency service from the California office of the Red Cross.

Water is life -As much as possible, try to keep a water supply of a gallon for every person each day and one that would be enough to go on for up to three to seven days.

Water should be kept in containers made of plastic.  Also, make sure that you also have filters and tablets for the purposes of purification ready and available when needed.

Store food for you and your family – Food that is not as easily perishable should be stored for you and your family, and such foods must be enough to last you, your family, as well as your pets, for three days up until one week.

Examples of such foods are canned goods, powdered juices, boxed vegetables and food.

Have an alterative source of cooking – It is always a wise idea to have a cooking source that could serve as an alternative besides the usual electric stove you may be used to.

Having a ready barbecue stove or a propane stove on hand is the best recourse if in case the electricity goes out or if gas becomes no longer available.

However, if you are to utilize propane, ensure that the tank is completely full and that an extra propane tank is also available.

Collect clothes – Have a ready and available stock of clothes for your kids and yourself as well as sleeping bags.

Collect and store wood – Having a steady supply of good wood is also a good idea as these could be used for those fireplaces or for stoves that use wood for burning.

Have a source of light – A flashlight is the item that you simply could not do without especially during emergencies.  Try to consider using recharging through solar means as well as units that are cranked by hand.  This is in order to avoid any future worries on batteries.

Keep prescriptions on hand – As much as possible, try to keep any prescriptions that you or your family member may have filled.  Also, try to maintain an added supply of medication both non-prescription and prescribed ones.

Contact your healthcare provider for any refill prescriptions in advance.

Have extra cash on hand – Credit is good unless there is an emergency.  Try to keep ready cash just in case the atm’s fail or the banks are not available.

Have some gas – Also, it is best if you keep the gas tank of your car half full.  This is so to avoid the long lines in gas stations.

Have books – During emergencies, it could be safe to have some books and some board games available to entertain yourselves and keep your mind occupied and off the situation at hand during power failure.

Know thy neighbor – It is also better if you acquaint yourself with the neighbors you have in your area.  There could be instances wherein you ay need each other’s help if ever the basic services are somewhat interrupted.

All in all, preparation is always the best cure against any unexpected circumstance that an emergency might bring.

If you live in an area that has hurricanes, earthquakes, big snowstorms or tornadoes; you should be prepared to take care of your family by putting aside supplies to keep you going. You do not want to wait for FEMA to show up and take care of you, take your own responsibility to do so and you will be much happier.

With hurricanes you could be without power for days or weeks. We live in a hurricane zone and got hit with two storms within a couple weeks of each other. Our power was out for four weeks total between the two. Fortunately we had enough food stocked up to help and we could buy stuff from a store in another area that had power. Our generator got a good workout during that time keeping the refrigerator going.

If you live were you can expect blizzards or ice storms, I know you could loose your power and be snowed in at the same time. Not only would you need a supply of food and water on hand, you would also need to keep warm. Extra fuel sources for whatever heating methods you use would be a must.

If you live in earthquake areas and you put away emergency supplies in your home. What do you do if you have an earthquake big enough to cause your home to collapse, hopefully when no one is in it? How could you get to your supplies buried in the rubble? Would you have an alternate locating to store extra items to get you by in this situation? Just something to consider as you do your planning.

Do your planning now so you are prepared for the possibility of an emergency. You do not want something to happen, but you will have peace of mind that you are prepared.

Family and loved ones are important in anyone’s life. Safety of every member of the family is the number one concerned in daily activities. In any situation, every member must know what the steps to be taken and procedures when emergency strikes.

Preparedness and awareness are important and should be instilled to everyone. A checklist may help. Kids must also be oriented with emergency preparedness awareness.

Importance of First Aid Kit.
Every home must have a first aid kit. Even if you are working, you should keep one to your car and your workplace. You will never know what will happen to you. From simple cut to burn, the kit must have urgent treatment for these. The kit must contain: bandages, cotton swabs and wool, gauze, scissors, antiseptic fluids or ointment, latex gloves, tweezers, thermometer, CPR mouth piece, antihistamine cream and telephone numbers list for emergency.

Keep your children aware.
It is important to teach your children sample emergency situations. They must be taught what to specifically do, step by step, when certain emergency situations occur. Children must be taught also how to use the telephone, where to call for emergencies as well as the fire exits in the house. Teach them a password or key words, so that in case of emergency they’d know who they will trust with your permission.

Electricity testing.
Sometimes the cause of fire is due to electrical faults. Power, electrical linings and fuse boxes should be checked regularly. Should there are faulty, these should be fixed as soon as possible. When leaving the house, make sure you unplug all appliances to avoid cause of fire.

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