Winter is upon us! I wanted to take the time to talk about being stuck in the snow. In 2004 I lived in Flint Michigan and worked in Detroit, a 70 mile drive. The recession had already set in in Michigan and I was fortunate to have a Job working security at the Detroit Auto Show, but the cost of having this job was that I could NOT miss a day. When a monster snow storm moved in overnight I did not really expect it to be a huge deal the next day. This is Michigan right, the roads will be cleared everything will be fine.

White out

I had to be at work at 0500hrs, which meant that I had to leave Flint Mi at 0330. The good news was that I was going to ride with the boss’ son-he would drive the Suburban and I would go along for the ride. Well, not quite. Turns out that his father was having me pick him up in my 1998 Front Wheel Drive Dodge Neon. Needless to say, I had NEVER driven in this kind of snow. It was already a foot deep and still coming down.

We set out from Holly, MI (a few miles from Flint) at 0400 and were moving along fine, were on I-75 going about 35mph the first car on fresh snow. I figured if I kept the speed low and pressed on we would be fine. I knew I should not break suddenly or jerk the wheel.

25 miles later outside of Pontiac Michigan, something spooked me. I lost control, and spun us right into a ditch.. Now its 0530 the car is off and upright. We did not flip but we are down an embankment. The snow is just about 2.5 feet deep. We are both in thin pants, light shirts and have good coats, gloves and hats. But neither of us have boots.

We are about 4 miles from anywhere. I have AAA and we have cell service.

We call for help: Not only did the AAA person act like they knew why we were calling but before I could get to the details she tells me no one will be able to reach me until at least 10:00 am..

The problem: the current temperature is 11° F and with the windchill that takes it down to -34°F. I have NEVER been in a situation like this before in my life.  I am 24 years old and unprepared. It was indeed one of the most nerve racking times of my life. I was fortunate to have my buddy with me. Growing up in Michigan he knew what to do.. We were fortunate that the car still started.. We ran the engine every 20 minutes for 5 minutes. This allowed the engine to not get too cold but also not to run all the time.  We cracked the windows so that we did not get poisoned by fumes from Carbon monoxide. We talked, we stayed warm, and we were fortunate to have a estimated time of rescue.

But those were the longest 6 hours of my life,  and I vowed to always be prepared for that type of emergency so if it ever happened again I would be okay. The truth is that if I were farther from a town it would have taken even longer to get rescued. After six hours our fuel was basically gone I doubt we could have turned the engine over more then a few more times. This was indeed a life lesson..

So what steps can you take to prepare yourself for this type of situation? Getting stuck in the snow can happen to anyone 4×4 or not, heck you could even have mattracks and still get stuck in the snow if you had an engine failure. We need to take some steps to prepare for this type of situation.

• Plan ahead. That’s what you are doing right NOW! Take time to think through possible emergency scenarios, you can then equip yourself accordingly.
• You may already have a 72 hour kit, but you can make a car emergency kit for the trunk. Pack a crank radio, a crank flashlight and at least a gallon of bottled water  you can keep this in a insulated shopping bag or cooler and you can help it from freezing over before you need it. Also include
• easy to store food, such as energy bars, trail mix, peanut butter and crackers. Avoid chocolate, high sodium foods or any items that will increase your thirst.
• Pack a compact sleeping bag,
• a blanket,
• a shovel,
• tire chains
• boots.
• Don’t forget your first aid kit,
• a map as your GPS may not work when you run out of batteries,
• fire-starting supplies,
• flares,
• a tow rope
• A bright-colored flag or large cloth.
• Watch the weather report. Always be aware of what may be coming!
  If you will be winter hiking, the weather can change precipitously fast. Dress appropriately, and carry in a backpack any gear you will need to shelter while the snowstorm passes. Wear layers so you can add or remove clothing as needed to ensure that you stay warm and dry.
• Keep your cell phone or satellite phone fully charged. Notify someone of your situation. If you can’t get a decent signal, try calling 911. If you can, look into backup phone charging systems that use batteries or hand cranks.
• When you are headed out of town or into a potentially dangerous situation always Tell someone where you are going, and don’t deviate from your planned route. This applies whether you are driving or hiking.
• If you’re driving, pull over and stay with your car. Maintain at least a half tank of gas, and make sure your windshield washer fluid and oil are topped off. If you get stranded, you will need to run your engine to stay warm, and you’ll need every drop of gas you can get. Run your car for about 10 minutes each hour. Turn off the lights and radio when the car is not running to avoid running the battery down. If you have a crank radio, listen to it for weather updates.
• If you have to leave your car for any reason, tie one end of the tow rope to the car, and tie the other end to your waist to ensure you can find your way back safely. If you are stuck once the snowstorm has passed, raise the hood of your car to signal an emergency. You can also post a flag or tie the handkerchief to the antenna to signal you need help.
• Ration your supplies. Eat small snacks every hour or so to give your body an energy source with which to generate heat. Drink about 4 ounces (half cup) of water every hour or so to prevent dehydration
• Stay put. Although it may seem strange, snow is actually a really good insulator. If there is enough snow you can bury your vehicle to help keep winter winds from stealing your vehicles heat. Just make sure you create an airway for fresh air and keep one of the doors free enough to get out.
• You will also want to create a way of signaling rescuers if your vehicle is hidden by snow. If you’re hiking, take shelter in a nearby building, build a snow cave or take cover under trees.
• Block off unused space. Use anything at your disposal to block off any space in your vehicle that is not being used. Blankets, leaves, whatever you can find to shove into spaces where heat can be lost.
• Run Your vehicle for 10 minutes every hour – Make sure to keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow or debris. Poison gases can enter into your car if the pipe is clogged.
• Bundle Up – Keep extra dry clothes, warm blankets, gloves, hats and winter socks in your vehicle.
• If you are not alone huddle together. Huddling together in a small space can increase the amount of heat in that area. Remember to block off any space that’s not being used, then huddle closely together to generate more body heat. Don’t forget to move – Move your arms, hands legs, feet and toes to improve your circulation and to keep warm.How to stay warm if your car get’s stranded in a winter storm.

I was inspired to repost this list posted by Ready Nutrition  Ya know we talk a lot about the things that we stock up on and I wanted to expand this list with a little reason on why I think you should and should not care about some of these things.

My point here is anything that you can desire you can make! I love to find great resources for making something and share then with you!

By having a LOT of knowledge. You can be prepared! And have LESS stuff! Which increases your mobility when or if the time comes that you have to use all these skills you are learning now!

100 Emergency Items That Disappear First

Generator Box

1. Generators (Good ones cost dearly. Gas storage, risky. Noisy…target of thieves; maintenance etc.)

I will agree that Generators are expensive, noisy and can be targets to thieves BUT there is hope! You can put your generator underground or HIDDEN and locked away in a Generator box! Much like this one.. I will draw up some plans for one this week if I remember. Or if someone knows where plans are let me know and I will link to them.

A generator box provides hiding, sound insulation and you can even work with the exhaust to create a cold exhaust so that it cannot be detected working underground..
2. Water Filters/Purifiers

Another items to conceal, uses bushes for your rainwater collection system!.

3. Portable Toilets

If you can build a nice outhouse!  That way your portable does not come out of its shelter..

4. Seasoned Firewood. Wood takes about 6 – 12 months to become dried, for home
uses.

Agreed
5. Lamp Oil, Wicks, Lamps (First Choice: Buy CLEAR oil. If scarce, stockpile
ANY!)

YES! – Try keeping bees! Good source of wax and here is how to make wicks. And here is a great way to make lamp oil out of olive oil..

6. Coleman Fuel. Impossible to stockpile too much. I presume this means Kerosene  

7. Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats & Slingshots.

Yes protect your weapons and ammo

8. Hand-can openers, & hand egg beaters, whisks.

Store tools that can be more then one thing…. a slotted spoon can be used as a wisk in a pinch.. things like wisks can be fashioned by hand easily too..
9. Honey/Syrups/white, brown sugar

Honey! Keep bees!, Learn how to gather your own syrups if you can, and stock up on sugars for some things. But I think you should cut it out of your diet as much as you can. Then you wont crave it as much..
10. Rice – Beans – Wheat,

Rice.. well if you can grow it. do it.. but dont count on rice beyond what you can store. Wheat most of us can grown as well as beans

11. Vegetable Oil (for cooking) Without it food burns/must be boiled etc.,)

When it runs out its good to know hot to Render Animal Fats…

12. Charcoal, Lighter Fluid (Will become scarce suddenly)

Charcoal can be made easily, lighter fluid though convient is not nessasary if you have spent some time honing your bush skills.
13. Water Containers (Urgent Item to obtain.) Any size. Small: HARD CLEAR
PLASTIC ONLY – note – food grade if for drinking.

I dont think I agree with this in a SHTF situation.. we have made LOTs of plastic.. there will always be pop bottles.. If your are concerned about containers in general. Making Pottery may be a skill worth learning. You can build a nice kiln for cheap! . 

14.  Vegetable oil (for cooking)

15. Propane Heaters and all accessories that go with it (extra propane, heads, etc)

16. Propane Cylinders (Urgent: Definite shortages will occur. Propane   Small propane canisters can fit in backpacks but for the homestead you would want a large container. Store more fuel in a smaller footprint by getting adapters for your lamps and stoves.. and do NOT use propane inside without proper ventilation.
17. Survival Guide Book. See my recent article RE Kindle and Ebooks!
18. Mantles: Aladdin, Coleman, etc. (Without this item, longer-term lighting is
difficult.)

Learn how to make your own Mantles
19. Baby Supplies: Diapers/formula. ointments/aspirin, etc.

How to make your own Diapers 

You can make formulas from Cows milk.  and Nut milks..  But it requires quite a supply list..

Also in a worst case  scenario you would need to look at wet nursing as a option.. (Go ahead and leave the negative comment below.. but if my partner has already died.. or is unable to make milk and there is none to be found I am looking toward my community to meet my child’s needs!

20. Washboards, Mop Bucket w/wringer (for Laundry) These would be nice to have!

21. Cook stoves (Propane, Coleman & Kerosene)

Just remember you can make things on fire!

22. Vitamins

23. Propane Cylinder Handle-Holder (Urgent: Small canister use is dangerous
without this item) I am still researching this topic!

24. Feminine Hygiene/Haircare/Skin products.

25. Thermal underwear (Tops & Bottoms)

26. Bow saws, axes and hatchets, Wedges (also, honing oil)

27. Aluminum Foil Reg. & Heavy Duty (Great Cooking and Barter Item)

28. Gasoline Containers (Plastic & Metal)
I dont think they will become scarce as much as they will become empty!

29. Garbage Bags (Impossible To Have Too Many).

I think this is a REALLY overlooked item! Garbage bags can be super useful for either bio-waste or chemical contamination! STOCK UP ON THE BIG ONES!

30. Toilet Paper, Kleenex, Paper Towels This Item should be number 1! Again See my other post!

31. Milk – Powdered & Condensed (Shake Liquid every 3 to 4 months)

32. Garden Seeds (Non-Hybrid) (A MUST)

Lets keep focus here the list is things that are going to disappear Garden seed should actually multiply in a few years as people save their seeds. I don’t think many will be sharing though.

33. Clothes pins/line/hangers (A MUST)

Eh You can make them with green wood very easily.

34. Coleman’s Pump Repair Kit

35. Tuna Fish (in oil) AND in water!

36. Fire Extinguishers (or..large box of Baking Soda in every room) these will disappear soon!

37. First aid kits

38. Batteries (all sizes…buy furthest-out for Expiration Dates)

39. Garlic, spices & vinegar, baking supplies

Plant Garlic and stock up on spices for barter! You can make your own vinegar!

40. Big Dogs (and plenty of dog food)

Most dogs can be trained to hunt.. Try breeding your own! 

41. Flour, yeast & salt

Get a nice high quality grain mill! Grow Wheat! Store Wheat! Make your own Yeast!

42. Matches. {“Strike Anywhere” preferred.) Boxed, wooden matches will go first

43. Writing paper/pads/pencils, solar calculators

44. Insulated ice chests (good for keeping items from freezing in Wintertime.) Good thing to store.. Not going to disappear in the SHTF scenario.

45. Work boots, belts, Levis & durable shirts
46. Flashlights/LIGHTSTICKS & torches, “No. 76 Dietz” Lanterns
47. Journals, Diaries & Scrapbooks (jot down ideas, feelings, experience;
Historic Times)

48. Garbage cans Plastic (great for storage, water, transporting – if with
wheels)

49. Men’s Hygiene: Shampoo, Toothbrush/paste, Mouthwash/floss, nail clippers,
etc
50. Cast iron cookware (sturdy, efficient) How to refurbish and restore cast iron! Because you may not be able to make it easily but you can find it!

51. Fishing supplies/tools
52. Mosquito coils/repellent, sprays/creams Make your own!
53. Duct Tape

I will leave this alone.. who can make their own duct tape.. just stock up a lot of it..

54. Tarps/stakes/twine/nails/rope/spikes

55. Candles Make you own bees wax candles from raw wax! 

56. Laundry Detergent (liquid) Again! Another Soap Article 

57. Backpacks, Duffel Bags
58. Garden tools & supplies
59. Scissors, fabrics & sewing supplies
60. Canned Fruits, Veggies, Soups, stews, etc.
61. Bleach (plain, NOT scented: 4 to 6% sodium hypochlorite)
62. Canning supplies, (Jars/lids/wax)
63. Knives & Sharpening tools: files, stones, steel
64. Bicycles…Tires/tubes/pumps/chains, etc
65. Sleeping Bags & blankets/pillows/mats
66. Carbon Monoxide Alarm (battery powered)
67. Board Games, Cards, Dice

Make your own games http://www.tradgames.org.uk/features/make-mancala-game.htm

68. d-con Rat poison, MOUSE PRUFE II, Roach Killer
69. Mousetraps, Ant traps & cockroach magnets
70. Paper plates/cups/utensils (stock up, folks)
71. Baby wipes, oils, waterless & Antibacterial soap (saves a lot of water)
72. Rain gear, rubberized boots, etc. Why do we save garbage bags.. oh yeah this is why!
73. Shaving supplies (razors & creams, talc, after shave)
74. Hand pumps & siphons (for water and for fuels)
75. Soy Sauce, vinegar, bullions/gravy/soup base

76. Reading glasses I TELL EVEYONE STOCK UP ON Rx GLASSES from http://www.zennioptical.com/ I use them they are great!

77. Chocolate/Cocoa/Tang/Punch (water enhancers) I am not sure what Tang is.. but it does not sound good!

78. “Survival-in-a-Can” What is this again! ? !

79. Woolen clothing, scarves/ear-muffs/mittens

Learn to Knit (men too) Learn to Harvest Wool Sheep Shearing , Learn to Spin Wool both on a wheel and with a drop spindle. 

80. Boy Scout Handbook, / also Leaders Catalog I dont really think this belongs on this list..

81. Roll-on Window Insulation Kit (MANCO)
82. Graham crackers, saltines, pretzels, Trail mix/Jerky
83. Popcorn, Peanut Butter, Nuts
84. Socks, Underwear, T-shirts, etc. (extras) YES STORE EXTRAS ! Or live in a nudist colony! hehe JK
85. Lumber (all types)
86. Wagons & carts (for transport to and from) Use Bike trailers!
87. Cots & Inflatable mattress’s  LEARN HOW TO MAKE A STRAW MATTRESS! 
88. Gloves: Work/warming/gardening, etc.
89. Lantern Hangers – use wire! or old hangers!
90. Screen Patches, glue, nails, screws, nuts & bolts
91. Teas
92. Coffee
93. Cigarettes Go back to my old article about growing tobacco and its value as a barter item!
94. Wine/Liquors (for bribes, medicinal, etc,)
95. Paraffin wax
96. Glue, nails, nuts, bolts, screws, etc.
97. Chewing gum/candies
98. Atomizers (for cooling/bathing)
99. Hats & cotton neckerchiefs
100. Goats/chickens – If you care for them and protect them they will breed on their own!

The original source of this list in its unedited format is found here. But I have found this list all over the internet! .

We certainly saw a good deal of elderly people in Japan who were dramatically impacted by that disaster.  Coping with disaster is hard enough when you are in the prime of your life, but when you are older and dependent on others a event like a natural disaster can not only be terrifying to experience but even to prepare for.

If you are a disabled person who is dependent on a wheel chair or other mode of transportation the idea of not being able to escape a natural disaster or hazard area is probably one of the most terrifying prospects of a natural disaster. Communicate with your family and friends and your care providers. If you are reliant on a elevator consider a backup plan that fits your needs and those of your community.

Seniors & Disabled

• Set up a Personal Support Network: Designate someone to check on you in an emergency and to help with evacuation or sheltering-in-place.
• Prepare and carry with you an emergency health information card: This will help you to communicate if you are found unconscious or incoherent. Include information about your medications, adaptive equipment, blood type, allergies and sensitivities, insurance numbers, immunization dates, communication difficulties and preferred treatment, as well as contact information for your health providers, personal support network and emergency contacts.
• Personal Care Assistance: If you receive assistance from a home healthcare agency or in-home support provider, find out how the provider will respond in an emergency. Designate backup or alternative providers that you can contact in an emergency.
• For Persons Using a Wheelchair: Plan for how you will evacuate in an emergency and discuss it with your care providers. If you use a motorized wheelchair, have a manual wheelchair as a backup.
• For Persons who are Blind or Visually Impaired: Keep an extra cane by your bed. Attach a whistle; in case you need to attract attention. Exercise caution when moving, paths may have become obstructed.
• For Persons who are Hearing Impaired: Keep extra batteries for your hearing aids with emergency supplies. Consider storing your hearing aids in a container attached to your nightstand or bedpost, so you can locate them quickly after a disaster.
• For persons with Communication Disabilities: Store paper, writing materials, copies of a word or letter board and preprinted key phrases in your emergency kit, your wallet, purse, etc.

“If disaster strikes what about my computer? My files! My online life!”

Wow, really we use computers and phones and pads for just about everything now,  owning a computer repair shop, I hear this question all the time.

There are some things that you can do to protect your technology and to use technology to your advantage.

Emergency Documents ! Proving you are who you say you are.

A overlooked subject of preparedness is having copies of important documents which would prove your identity and possessions to the authorities should your originals get destroyed due to disaster.

Floods, Tornadoes, Wildfires and theft are all great examples of how this could happen. Families who were otherwise prepared but failed to follow this advice could run into a host of issues.

Once the immediate  danger is over, when residents may try to return to their homes. The national guard and police, who are guarding against looting, may prevent people from entering their homes unless they can provide proper identification and proof of ownership.

There may also be difficulties in getting families back together after becoming separated following the a disaster. Children and pets who may be at school or later found in the open in the case of pets could only be released to parents/guardians owners, but only if they could prove their identities.

Even trying to file insurance claims will be more difficult if you have no id or proof of ownership and if you don’t have your policy numbers it may take additional weeks to recover this information.

Having access to your important documents is absolutely essential if you were required to rebuild your life following a disaster.

What Documents Should you Have Backups of?

Here’s a list of documents that you should have a copy of for each family member (where applicable):

• drivers license (front and back)
• passports
• insurance cards
• social security cards
• credit cards (front and back) (you want to have a copy of the back because it has your Confirmation code (3 digits) on it, and the customer service number)
• proof of ownership or lease of your residence
• vehicle, boats etc. proof of ownership (copy of title, bill of sale etc)
• bank account numbers and other financial information
• legal documents and wills
• a recent family photo with names
• recent photos of pets or livestock
• phone and address information for in and out-of-state emergency contacts
• birth, death, marriage, divorce certificates
• important business documents
• photos of valuables for documentation of insurance claims
• medical records (immunization etc.)
• Handgun Carry Permit
• Hunting and Fishing licenses
• locations and security codes for safe’s and safety deposit boxes.

Where should you store these Backups?

Having more than one backup for these important documents is essential. For example, if you choose to put your emergency docs only in your bug-out bag – go bag – 72 hour kit, it may be that a disaster prevents you from getting to that bag.

My personal favorite choice is….

Keeping Electronic Copies

This is one of my favorite methods. Basically you create digital copies (use a HIGH QUALITY scanner and scan the document to PDF, (PDF’s can be opened on just about any cell phone, computer or ebook device like a the new kindle.)

Once you have scanned your documents now you have to store them, There are a few ways to do this, some experts suggest that you use Google Docs, or other file storage services. I don’t see much of a problem with this. Personally I will not be storing copies of my social security cards or birth certificates online, most anything I think is safe if your smart about it.

I use two methods. For very secure storage I have a couple USB drives they are SUPER secure, I use Corsair Padlock Drives, they not only have HEAVY 256 Bit encryption the require you to enter a physical code on the drive before it can be accessed. If you don’t have the code, you cannot turn on the drive. Period! In fact I have even had to throw one away because I lost the code to it.   These drives cost about $50.00 and you get one from various vendors though Amazon.com They have a 8GB capacity which is huge, in fact not only can I put all my vital documents on them for myself and my family I can even keep my ebook collection, Every Mother Earth News from 1970-2010 + All my family archives and family photos from the last 100 years! Using a tool like this  allows me to KNOW that my digital treasures are locked away and safe. I do recommended keeping two of them. In case you cannot get to one or one fails.

If you are going to use Online Storage I recommendedDropbox, Dropbox is great because you can have copies of your documents online and on multi computers, so for example you can have a copy on your computer at home, on you moms computer across the country and on your work laptop. If you change the document then you have a backup on one of those computers, if your technology is destroyed you know a copy is off site and safe! Check out Dropbox there are other services (like Gmail, Google Docs, or Hotmail). By keeping a copy on various remote servers you benefit from the fact that your document is safe from disaster. Many large companies like Google and Microsoft have disaster-recovery servers that if one server location were to be completely destroyed another would take its place without any data loss. But on that same token, your email could get hacked and then the thieves would have access to these documents. Which is why I think its best to keep it local.

If you are not excited about keeping Digital Copies then here are some other ideas on where you can keep physical copies.

Here are some options for you:

In Your Bug-Out Bag

Besides food, water and gear, your bug-out bags (72 hour kits) should also contain these important documents. I prefer to put them in Ziplock brand (they’re more durable) freezer bags. This keeps them completely waterproof and prevents damage.

With Trusted Friends/Family

Another option where you can store your emergency documents is with a trusted friend or relative who lives outside of your area. This provides another failsafe in case your area is completely destroyed. You obviously don’t want these documents to fall in the wrong hands so it’s of primary importance that you can trust that individual and that they take the necessary precautions.

“How Can I use Digital Copies? There is No Power Remember!”

Aww the next great question.. I will keep it simple and then go into detail a little later. In another post…

If you have access to the Sun you are going to be able to access power, because what you want to do is get a Solar Charger for your Cell phone or computer.

And then to charge Computers you will want somthing a little larger.. like this..

You could also use Battery Power from a Car with inverter..

The reality is that in a LONG term situation you will just want to have these documents backed up. It will be much easier to get copies from the government when you have things like file number, case numbers, id numbers, and in the even there is never a government again (sincker) you will have pretty things to look at..

Thats about it for this article. Please leave suggestions and comments at the bottom..

Here are a few great online Resources for teaching kids about being prepared.

Earthquakes: Jump into Science by Ellen Prager and Susan Greenstein Click here to get the book from Amazon.

I was talking with my daughter tonight about her school emergency kit, and before we got into the kit I wanted to make sure that she had a good grasp of the basic science of earth quakes. I turned to a book written by Ellen J. Prager, and Illustrated by Susan Greenstein Called Earthquakes It was a wonderfully informative book that talks about the basics of earthquake science. She was most curious a about the map of the tech tonic plate system, and how foreshocks – mainshocks and aftershocks worked.

We followed up by watching this video on youtube. http://youtu.be/lr4e-F9nLEE

We also watched the following video where kids from Christchurch talk about what it was like to be in a earthquake..

After that we went over to Ready.org kids and she was able to play around on their very informative website which has interactive games. Quizzes and plans for your family that are very child centered.

http://www.ready.gov/kids/

If you are looking for something geared more towards a Pre-K – 2^nd grader I would look at the Sesame Street Get Ready campaign site. The folks over at sesame street have put together some great resources for kids,  wonderful videos, downloadable teaching aids & step by step plans for families. Check it out!

http://www.sesamestreet.org/parents/topicsandactivities/toolkits/ready

Well until next time.. remember you don’t have to be a survalist to survive. .

Join the forum discussion on this post

My daughter goes to a wonderful private Waldorf school, in the basement of a church… Recently I was walking around the building with “earthquake eyes” and I wondered to myself if the kids are doing any earthquake drills.

I thought about it for about a minute a decided to ask her teacher about earthquake drills. They are currently doing Fire Drills which is wonderful but not yet earthquake drills. It was brought to my attention that our school could use a safety committee. Well talk about right up my alley. So I dropped my daughter off and went into my office and sat down at my computer and could not really think about anything else.

I started to draft the outline of a talk about an emergency crisis plan and of course needed to start doing some homework about how to go about this.

If you go to a public school in America it is most likely that your school already has a comprehensive emergency plan. But if your children attend a small or private school it is possible that the emergency plan could use a update or two or perhaps your schools parents may need to make one from scratch.

At the end of the article I will provide you with some useful links that can help you create a outline for your parent group or PTA.

I do not recommend trying to do this all on your own. You are dealing with parents from all walks of life, perhaps cultural differences that you may not know how to deal with, working together with your parent community I think is the best way to go about this.

That said.. I am only at the outline stage and will update you as we go along.

Your Emergency Crisis outline.

Create Goals: Goals give you something to work towards together. 
Share Information: if you know some answers already it does not hurt to share them. 
Ask Questions: Lay out some questions about what your school is already doing so those can be answered as part of the whole plan. Remember your school is going to use this plan this year, next year and so on..  

Have a mission, if you are going to be proposing this to a group of parents and teachers, it’s a good idea to decide what your end goal is before you get started.

1.    My Mission: To create a progressive, comprehensive and detailed emergency plan for our school with the help of our families that ensures no matter what the emergency may be that our families, students and staff are protected though communication, education and practice.

 Yeah sounds good to me too.. I was in a good writing spirit this morning. 

Define some terms, remember that most people do not have a comprehensive experience with emergencies, disaster planning and mitigation and so on.  Remember to TRY and keep it simple.. 

2. What is an emergency?
An emergency is any event natural or manmade that presents an increased risk of injury or death to our children or staff or physical damage to our school.
In this document we will be focusing on Events that can present a risk to our children and staff.

Define what could realistically happen in your immediate area, here in Portland earthquakes are central in our preparedness plan.  

3. What type of Emergencies can impact us at our school?
a. Fire : Our building could be at risk for fire, potential sources of Fire include, Electrical Failure, Kitchen Fire, Human Error, Arson
Q. What do we know about our fire alarm?
Q. Do we know what the fire alarm sounds like?
Q. Do we have a mapped evacuation plan?
b. Earthquake: We live in a seismically active area and a major earthquake in Portland is not a “if” but a “when”.
c. Chemical release: Our schools proximity to industry along I-84 and the rail lines along I-84 increase the risk factor for chemical release either from an industrial or rail car accident.
Goal: we need to establish a procedure for sheltering in place. Everyone needs to be aware of how to shelter in place.
d. Crime
Our school is unlocked during business hours and often times when staff and volunteers are working after school hours, how are we prepared to deal with potential threats from the criminal aspect.
e. Power Outages
f: Weather Related emergencies, snow storm, wind storm, etc.

 Communication is essential to a schools emergency plan. Certainly here where our students may be cut off from their parents as a result of a seismic event.

4. Communication during an emergency.

a. Methods of Communication
1. TEXT message: It has been proven that it is more likely that a small text message will transmit even when lines are jammed. “IMOK RUOK” Im okay are you okay? a simple statement and question that can be sent quickly in the event of a emergency.

Really this works because the IMOK RUOK is a 8 bit message, most carriers text messaging systems prioritize messages by size. The smaller the message the faster it will go into and out of the message queue. 

Also Remember that if a Carrier is down your CELL will use 2-3x the batter searching for signal. Turn that phone off between messages. 
2. Telephone:
3. Internet
GOAL: Establish a telephone tree to be used in emergencies.
GOAL: Establish a TEXT messaging protocol
a. communication with our teachers.

GOAL: Establish who we can contact and how we can contact them.

b. communication with our families.

GOAL: After establishing a telephone tree for our families establish tree priority. Assign area groups to contact one another. SW Families should contact SW families SE Family’s the same.. The reason for this is because of how the telephone and cellular system works.

Transportation Plans: Our school is a private school and we do not have access to buses. Our children rely on us to bring them to and from school. Because our schools families come from all over the city it is critical to think about what kind of transportation we may need in the event of a emergency.

5. Transportation Plans: We have students who come from all areas of our city. In a major earthquake, infrastructure like bridges, tunnels, over and underpasses my be damaged, destroyed  or otherwise impassable. in the event of a terror attack or public health emergency If we need to shelter in place authorities may blockade or otherwise restrict travel city wide.

1. GOAL: We need to have a plan created with our families that protects the children and ensures that parents are aware of where their children are or are going to be.
2.  GOAL: We need to establish plans that include our children remaining on school grounds for a extended period of time as well as plans that may be needed if our children need to leave the school area.
3. a. buddy system
   GOAL: Parents should establish another family in the community that they can expect to communicate with in the event of a emergency. It would be wise that west side parents partner with east side parents, just in case the west side becomes cut off from the east side for a short period of time.
4. GOAL: Students should establish a buddy for the purposes of drills and events. Children should be taught that in an emergency they NEVER leave their Buddy’s side unless their buddy is hurt and they need to get help
   b. meet up locations: everyone should have a safe meetup location. Unless the school is damaged that location SHOULD be the school, from there Buddy families can establish how everyone is getting home.
   GOAL: Establish where other meetup locations should be
5. INFO: Our Nearest CERT / NET staging area is located at: X Blocks south & x blocks east at (address) ((Remember that during a major seismic event things could look very different. Use directions that could be found using a compass )
   The next nearest staging area is operated at:  X blocks nort
   The Next MAJOR staging area is the Portland Fire and Rescue Staging area located at :HELP IS NOT CLOSE BY! We should prepare to be on our own in an emergency.

c. Evacuation: Evacuation may be necessary, having established communication plans and meet up locations will ensure that each family is on the same page when and if something were to happen.

 We should plan for our kids to have everything they needs for at least 72 hours, in a large public school it can be difficult for them to have a 72 hour kit and not be worried about it being stolen or vandalized, in a smaller private school this should not be a problem, But you will need to find a safe place to store the students emergency kits.

6. Supplies and Preparedness

a. emergency kits
GOAL: Each Child should have emergency kits at school. Those should be 72 hour kits, which contain food. water packets, clothing, heavy duty shoes, activity’s, medications, and a small first aid kit. Ideally because we are in a basement and most injuries during a earthquake are from falling debris, it would be nice if each child could have a helmet close to their desk. (perhaps vectored to the bottom of the desk.
b. school supplies: LONG TERM GOAL
The school could prepare by having more comprehensive emergency supplies onhand, we could find (donated) or make a backboard. We could have helmets for teachers, teacher should have boots, a 72 hour kit for themselves, the school could make sure they have a comprehensive first aid kit that includes splints, bandages, gaze and padding. I would also suggest having a 5 gallon bucket and a lid that could be used as a bathroom. If we had a pop up tent we could use in the parking lot. There are a lot of other ideas we could discuss as a community.

Drills, Just like at home I cannot stress how important it is to have drills and to make them complete everyone forgets things especially kids. Repetition  is essential to being able to use your plan in a real life emergency.

7. Drills                a. types of drills: Fire. Earthquake, Sheltering in place
b. participation :  Students, Teachers and Parent Volunteers should                                               participate at school, Parents and buddies should consider drilling at                                         home.
c. scale: There are two types of drills: At school: Teachers can initiate                                                      drills at school
Community Drill: As a community we could drill out a entire                                                      scenario.
d. frequency: Fire Drills and Get under the desk drills should be practiced at least once every 3 months. It is easy to forget what we are supposed to do.. I full scale community drill could be done twice a year.
7. Resources.

There are numerous resources online. I suggest at LEAST checking out these ones..
The FEMA earthquake safety Activities for children and teachers booklet: http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/earthquake/pdf/fema-527.pdf

Ready.gov.. http://www.ready.gov/america/makeaplan/work_school.html

Ed.gov. http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/index.html

We can download a sample Crisis plan from my website that we could use as a basis for a full scale plan. http://learnhowtobeprepared.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/emergency_crisis_plan.doc

DO NOT PURCHASE PREMADE TEMPLATES FILL IN THE BLANKS AND CALL IT GOOD.. .Read this article http://www.schoolsecurity.org/trends/crisis-plan-templates.html

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