New Website - www.emergency-prepared.com

I have a new website for emergency preparedness. Please check out www.emergency-prepared.com at your convenience.

I expect this to be growing over the next several weeks and months. The goal is to provide you with information and tools that you can use to become (or stay) prepared. The plans call for much more than I can do in a blog. I intend for it to cover a wide range of emergency preparedness situations.

But, never fear, I still intend to keep blogging on emergency preparedness. There is an immediacy to blogging that I don't want to lose.

So, I invite you to check out the website... (and be kind when you view it, it has to get built in my spare time. I have a full-time job just like most of you. But I expect it to take shape rapidly.)

And keep checking back here (or subscribe to the feed) as I have a lot more to say.

Year-round Car Kit - Part 2

In part 1 I talked about the first three items that should be in your car all year. I discussed the reasoning behind the items and why you might want them. This time, I want to talk about the last two. You will remember that the items in your year-round car kit are:

A Year-round Car Kit

• Mechanic tool set


• First Aid kit


• Fire Extinguisher


• Jumper cables


• Tire changing kit

Jumper cables

Jumper cables are used for starting cars whose batteries are weak or dead. I can't count the number of times that I have used a set-either on my own car or someone else's. Sometimes a battery doesn't give the indications that it is going bad... or conditions don't highlight that it is weak... until.... When that happens, you are stuck in the parking lot, or in the snow, or under the melting sun until a rescuer comes along. That rescuer can be the mechanic or tow truck (think $$$ as well as discomfort)... or it can be the person who has a car that starts (if you have jumper cables).

Having jumper cables also lets you be the "good samaritan" who can help someone else who wasn't as prepared as you are.

Tire changing kit

When automobiles come from the factory, they come with a spare tire (of some sort) and the tools required to change a tire. Over time, things happen to that kit. Somehow, they disappear. If you are not buying the car brand new from the dealer, it is a surprise bonus to find that the car still has the tire changing equipment. Either way, make sure that all parts required to actually change a tire are there.

Even if they are all there, let me suggest that there are a few more things you can add that will make it easier, safer, and cleaner to change a tire, should you need to do so.

First of all, sometimes the equipment that the manufacturer makes is pretty minimalistic. In fact, some of them provide equipment that do make it possible to change a tire by the roadside, but not probable. And certainly not fun or safe. If your car is in this category, please consider upgrading to some better tire-changing tools. Auto parts stores carry lots of better replacements. If you can't afford that, try a used parts yard, often you can get what you want for lots less money.

Next, throw in some latex (or vinyl or similar) gloves . These are remarkably handy for keeping your hands clean while handling that dirty tire. Notice how often a roadside emergency occurs on your way to work? Or to someplace where you are not wanting to show up with gunky hands? The gloves are cheap, disposable, and keep your hands clean while working on the car.

If you want to really be prepared, throw in an old set of clothes (preferably oversized) or a set of coveralls. As noted in the earlier paragraph, most of the time you aren't dressed for changing a tire. Having something you can slip on over your clothes to protect them while you work on the car can set you apart as a genius when your friends find out about it. (If, instead, they make fun of you for being concerned about your clothes, you might want to take that as a sign that you need new friends... but, hey, it's your decision.)

Bonus item:

If you get a little bag (maybe a child's old backpack) to keep your car kit in, toss in a quart of oil, as well. It may ride there for years, but be just the lifesaver to get you to a station when your car develops a sudden thirst for oil. (I've seen it happen way too often.)

Even with all these things in your car, there is plenty of space left over for all the other junk that naturally accumulates in car trunks, so don't worry about that. If you are one of those compulsive people who vacuums their trunk weekly... definitely fit this stuff into a bag so you can easily move it aside when you vacuum. For the rest of you, a container of some sort does help keep the emergency preparedness stuff from getting in the way when you do want to use your trunk as a trunk.

Note to pickup truck owners: don't put your kit in the bed of the pickup... put it behind the seat (bench seat, back seat, however your pickup is configured.) If you don't know why I make that recommendation... think about it for a while... or just try it yourself... but be prepared to replace it.

What have you found to be indispensable in your car kit? Have I missed something? Tell us what and why.

Your Year-round Car Kit

In the past few postings (see the Winter Preparedness category for all of them), I have been dealing with having a kit that you should have in your car during the winter. If you just read those, you would still be missing some things because I believe that there are a few other things that you should have in your car year round. And I didn't reference those at all in the postings.

A Year-round Car Kit

• Mechanic tool set


• First Aid kit


• Fire Extinguisher


• Jumper cables


• Tire changing kit

Now let me explain why.

A Tool Kit
Everybody should have a small took set in the trunk of their car (or under the seat). It should include both metric and inch wrenches. A socket wrench is useful (but you can usually get by without them if you have open and box-end wrenches.) It should have pliers, flat-blade and Phillips-head screwdrivers. You can often find a pre-built kit at a really good price around Christmas, Father's Day, and Mother's Day (usually comes in pink or pastel blue for Mother's Day.) Since you are only expecting to use it very occasionally, you don't have to get top of the line.

I know. Some of you are saying, "but I wouldn't know which end of the wrench to hold. It is pointless for me to have a tool kit in my car."

Unless, of course, a "rescuer" stops to help, has the knowledge, but doesn't have the tools. (Maybe he (or she) is in a rental car, so they are away from their tools at the time.) If you have the tools, you have the help. All it takes is one of those times and you have saved the price of the tools (and then some.)

First Aid Kit

You had to change a tire, work on the engine, remove the plastic bag that fluttered up against the nose of the car and started the engine overheating. In the process, you

• scrape your knuckles


• cut your finger,


• get a nosebleed from bending over and looking under the car


• bump your head (and now there is a nasty welt as well as a headache)


• or all of the above

Right about now, wouldn't it be good to have a first aid kit handy? It doesn't have to be a huge thing, either. Big box discount department stores and drug stores sell car first aid kits--incredibly cheaply. You could also go to a sporting goods store or auto parts store and find one--they just won't be as cheap.

Like everything else I've mentioned, they don't take up much room and can be a life-saver. Literally.

Fire Extinguisher

This is one of those items that all the "experts" tell you should have... and that nobody does. Well, nobody except me, my wife, and the experts. I know another guy who does. I don't know his name because we didn't have a formal introduction.

A number of years ago, I was sitting in the turn lane at an intersection waiting for our turn. I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw what looked like smoke coming out from under the hood of the pick-up truck just behind me. He was just jumping out of the cab. As he opened the hood, we saw orange flames shooting up from the air filter and carburetor. I jumped out of my car, popped open the trunk, pulled out the fire extinguisher and calmly sprayed the base of the flames. The fire went out, the danger was over, he started the truck--no fire, the light turned green and I got back in the car and drove away. Really glad that I had a fire extinguisher in my trunk... and so was he.

I guarantee you that he has a fire extinguisher in his car to this day.

I know of two other people who wish they had one... in time. In the last two weeks I have seen two car fires. One was just the burned out hulk on the shoulder of the road. It hadn't been there 12 hours earlier. The other had the dash burning, the driver was standing in front of the car, helpless, just watching it burn. I was in the wrong lane of a divided highway with no exit for several miles. It would have been five minutes at least before I could get back around to him... maybe more. (And this was a rush-hour traffic.) By that time, his car would be a cinder. I really don't know if someone on his side of the road saw it and had a fire extinguisher. By the time I came that way the next day, the car had been removed.

What do you think they would have said if you had asked them why didn't just put the fire out? No fire extinguisher, of course. Why not? Do you think they thought it was too expensive? Or that they had never needed one before, so it was just a waste of money? Or perhaps it would roll around in the trunk and make a lot of noise and was just too much bother?

I have no idea what started any of the fires I have mentioned. Only a small percentage of the automobiles on the road catch fire... but when they do, if you don't have an extinguisher, you are highly likely to watch your car burn up. Every year, several thousand automobiles are recalled by their makers because "x" could happen, possibly causing an engine fire. (Don't believe me? Look it up.)

So do me a favor. Get a fire extinguisher for your car (and put it in it.) I don't want to lose a reader because of a car fire. :-)

In the next post, I'll talk about the other things.

Winter Kit for the Car - explained (Part 2)

In Part 1, we explained the reasoning behind a few of the items in my wife's Winter Kit. There are a couple of other things I want to touch on before we leave the subject. You will remember that her winter kit consisted of

• • plastic shopping bag from _____ (pick any grocery or chain store here)
  
  
  • plastic trash bag (big, black one)
  
  
  • bottle of water (pick your favorite brand) sealed in
  
  
  • quart-sized plastic bag (just in case the bottle freezes and splits)
  
  
  • polar fleece wrap (blanket may be substituted)
  
  
  • fuzzy hat
  
  
  • "magic" gloves (these are the knit gloves that stretch forever)
  
  
  • two votive candles
  
  
  • clean, empty flat can (like a tuna can or a cat food can)
  
  
  • disposable butane lighter (to light candles)
  
  
  • energy food snacks (just a few)
  
  
  • disposable latex gloves (to waterproof magic gloves)
  
  

This time I want to talk about the plastic trash bag and about the snacks.

Trash bags aren't just for trash

The trash bag is has a variety of emergency uses. It can hold water, if needed. It can be a waterproof shelter. It can be a raincoat. (Slit a hole in the bottom at the middle (for your head) and one in each side seam (for each arm... if you have more arms than that, the add the appropriate number of holes in the proper places.)) If you have to change a tire in weather that has turned to freezing rain, you will appreciate having something that keeps your torso dry. I suspect if you think about it, you will come up with even more uses for it.

By the way, I would use the heavier-duty bags if you have them (or need to get more bags.) If you just have lighter-weight trash bags, then use one of them, but consider getting the heavier lawn and garden ones or even the ones designed for construction trash. Whatever you have, put something in your trunk. It is better to have something (even something that is mildly inadequate) than nothing.

Snacks, anyone?

Yes, I really think that you should put some snacks in your winter kit. Whether you store the kit under the seat or in the trunk, a winter kit really needs some energy snacks. Why? Because if you are in an emergency situation in the winter, there is likely to be cold involved. (As you know, cold happens much more frequently in the winter than in the summer.) Our bodies use a lot of energy dealing with the cold. If you don't have an external source of heat (such as your car's heater or a fire) you will be using a lot of food fuel just to keep warm.

Do you need to put a lot of snacks in your car? For most situations, probably not. If you know that you are going to be taking a three day trek across the backroads of Montana, then you might consider adding a bit more than usual. But for most of us, a couple of energy bars is probably enough.

Now, I will tell you right here that I don't like energy bars (and neither does my wife) so that is not what we use. I like "trail mix" and so that is what we use. (Your emergency snack should be something that you are willing eat should you have to, so chose wisely.) I like trail mix as an emergency food for several reasons:

• nuts and peanuts for protein (longer-term energy generation)


• raisins and coated chocolate candies for quick carbs (immediate energy)


• long-term storage potential (the salt will help the nuts keep, the raisins are naturally long-lived)


• reasonably tasty (nice mix of salt and sweet)


• it comes prepackaged in convenient sizes


• it isn't a "designer" brand so it is pretty inexpensive (compared to energy bars)


• versatile - it is a food item that is useful year-round and for other situations

But you might like energy bars. Then, by all means use them. You could be allergic to peanuts. Then don't use trail mix as I have never seen any that didn't include peanuts. The most important thing is to find something that will give you quick energy, keep providing energy for a while, be relatively insensitive to heat and cold, and to have a long shelf life.

Do you have an emergency snack that fits the bill and is your favorite? Why don't you share it with the rest of us? (I know there probably won't be enough to go around, so just tell us what it is and why you like it for this purpose.) You comments of this are welcome.

Winter Kit for the Car - explained (Part 1)

As promised, I want to discuss a few of the items that my wife included in her Winter Kit that she put in her car.

You may remember that she put together a winter kit when she realized that she didn't have one yet, this winter, after I mentioned it in a posting about the mid-west ice storm. What she put together was:

• plastic shopping bag from _____ (pick any grocery or chain store here)


• plastic trash bag (big, black one)


• bottle of water (pick your favorite brand) sealed in


• quart-sized plastic bag (just in case the bottle freezes and splits)


• polar fleece wrap (blanket may be substituted)


• fuzzy hat


• "magic" gloves (these are the knit gloves that stretch forever)


• two votive candles


• clean, empty flat can (like a tuna can or a cat food can)


• disposable butane lighter (to light candles)


• energy food snacks (just a few)


• disposable latex gloves (to waterproof magic gloves)

Understand, that I am not saying that this is what everyone should have, or that it is the perfect kit, but it is a quite adequate kit for our area (North Central Texas).

Some of the items may be quite obvious to most people, but a few may be obscure to the uninitiated in emergency preparedness. So, if this is old hat to you, please just bear with me.

Small can (yes, you can)

For the rest of you, you may be wondering about the tuna can. It serves a couple of purposes. In a pinch-say being stuck out on a deserted snowy road because your car suddenly quit running-you may want to use a candle to provide a bit of heat (and light). You might not want candle wax all over your car. Put the candle in the can and now you have a bit of protection for it. You could also use it to melt ice or snow (use the candle for heat) for whatever purpose you need water. The standard cautions apply to combustibles (candle) in enclosed spaces (keep a window cracked for fresh air supply.)

Some of you may be saying to yourselves, why not take an unopened can of tuna and then you have your food and your can in a smaller package. That is great thinking... unless you need the can but aren't hungry for tuna at the time. While I generally advocate items that can do double duty (see the entry on gloves below), this is one of those times that recommend a little more separation of duties.

Magic fingers

The "magic" gloves and the latex gloves can work together to provide a pair of waterproof gloves that will keep your fingers warm in the event of having to clear off ice or snow from the windshield (or other similar chores). Sure, you should have an ice scraper in your car and a pair of winter gloves, too. But, if you managed to get away without those-or you had to let your freezing kid sister (or freezing kid) borrow yours-you have a way of improvising your own.

Naturally, you can also use either pair of gloves alone, too. The knit gloves can provide warmth by themselves if they are kept dry. The latex gloves can be used if you are having to change a tire or work on your engine. When you are done, strip off the gloves for relatively clean hands.

Fire when you need it

A disposable butane lighter is preferable to matches (even the waterproof ones) because you get a lot more fire for the same space and weight. And it works, even if it gets wet. For the survival minded, even after the butane runs out, there is a sparking mechanism that can help you build a fire if you know what you are doing. (Ask any pyromanical Boy Scout. No slur intended. I used to be one. And I raised a couple. Most boys have a fascination with fire and the Boys Scouts gives an outlet for it.)

In part two I will discuss a couple of other items.

Water in a Winter Car Kit?

In the winter car kit post, I mentioned a bottle of water being included in the kit. Now, I can already hear some of you saying, "You must not live where where it gets cold and stays cold. That would be a bottle of ice where I live."

First of all, let me say... Thank You for Sharing. :-) Actually, I live in the Dallas/Forth Worth, Texas area and, while it does get cold here (last night it was 22 degrees (F) at our house), it doesn't have the deep, extended cold that some places up north get. And for which I say, Thank You Very Much!

For climates like ours, the chances of the water bottle freezing and splitting are pretty slim. Last year, I had a bottle of water in the winter kit all winter long and never had it freeze, not even a crystal. My car sits in a carport and not in an enclosed garage, so this is not to be glossed over. True, the water bottle was in the passenger compartment and not in the trunk, so it got heated every day when I drove. It might surprise you how much warmer the passenger compartment of your car can be compared to the trunk. (Most cars have some insulation for the car interior... we tend to complain if the inside of a car bleeds heat or cold too fast.) Anyway, you may find that your water bottle never freezes if you treat it right. (And I am NOT talking about putting a bit of "additive" in it as antifreeze.)

Brrrrrrrr.....

On the other hand, I have lived where it often got down to 0 degrees (F)... or close to it, at night. Yep, it was one of those places where the parking garages had plug-ins. (For those of you who live in the sunny south, a plug-in is an electrical outlet at the head of the parking space where you plug in your electric oil heater. You do this so that your engine oil stays fluid enough to easily re-coat the engine when you start up again. There are two basic varieties. One is the dipstick replacement with a heating element on the end. Then there is the more effective, but more expensive, oilpan replacement which has the heating element built into the floor of the pan. And now you have another reason you are glad you live in the sunny South.)

Yes, a bottle of water left in your car overnight in that kind of climate, especially if parked in the driveway, would probably freeze.

So what should you do?

Why don't you tell me? Those of you who live in colder climes and have a winter car kit, what do you put in it? Do you toss a bottle of water in your coat pocket so you have it should you need it when you are out? Or maybe you have problems remembering to do that (which is why we have a bottle stored in our cars)? Or do you just figure that you won't need water so you don't even bother?

And next time, we'll discuss that Winter Kit for the Car like I promised last time.

A Winter Kit for the Car

In an earlier post, I referenced extended family members who had a basic winter kit in their cars. As my wife and I discussed the post, we realized that she didn't have a kit in her car, yet. So, off she went and created one.

What she did was quite sufficient. It is not what I have in my car, but it will pass muster. I thought I would share with you what she put in and maybe provide either a starting point for you or start a discussion on it. I will list her kit and then comment on it.

Her kit:

• plastic shopping bag from _____ (pick any grocery or chain store here)


• plastic trash bag (big, black one)


• bottle of water (pick your favorite brand) sealed in


• quart-sized plastic bag (just in case the bottle freezes and splits)


• polar fleece wrap (blanket may be substituted)


• fuzzy hat


• "magic" gloves (these are the knit gloves that stretch forever)


• two votive candles


• clean, empty flat can (like a tuna can or a cat food can)


• disposable butane lighter (to light candles)


• energy food snacks (just a few)


• disposable latex gloves (to waterproof magic gloves)

That's it. All of it is stored in the plastic shopping bag. And the whole thing is stored in the trunk. But is small enough that it could be on the floor behind the driver's seat or even under the seat.

I like a nice big blanket (mine lives in the trunk of my car year round.) I use a cheap olive-drab knockoff of an army blanket. It is durable and warm enough for emergency use and company never sees it. My wife likes polar fleece (and got a great deal on some in the summer) so she picked what was at hand. Inexpensive and available beats expensive and "we'll get it when we can afford it" every time.

Her energy food snacks are pre-packaged peanut-butter crackers, a bit of candy, and a couple of packages of trail-mix. A couple of energy bars would be just as good, but we don't like energy bars. They taste horrible to me. I like trail-mix and we have some around. It's a "good-enough" choice because it has nuts for long-term energy (protein), raisins and chocolate candy for immediate energy (carbohydrates).

We have a few disposable lighters around (even though we don't smoke) because they are generally reliable fire-starters (and can burn longer than a book or box of matches.) We get them by the multi-pack at the dollar store. (Tip: when you bring them home, open the package and try each one to make sure it works reliably. Now you can toss them in your kits knowing they will be there (and work) when you need them.)

In the next post, I will touch on the use of a few of the things in her kit that might not be apparent if you are new to emergency preparedness. In the meantime, if you don't have a winter kit for your car, you could do a lot worse than to make one like hers.

More lessons from Mid-west Ice Storm

Last time, we talked about a fellow in Oklahoma who was sort-of prepared. He had food. He had water (at least, we think he had water), he had a generator. But he wasn't really prepared for the power to go off.

His plan was to simply start up the generator if the power went out. But he didn't consider the situation where the generator didn't work. Worse, after he got the generator working, he didn't consider the annoyance factor from the noise.

Now, let me say right here, that I am glad that he had a generator. In that sense, he is way ahead of most folks. However, let me also say, that before you go high-tech (yeah, I know that in one sense, a gasoline-powered generator is not considered high-tech), I think that you should first make sure you are covered low-tech. Even though low-tech can be less convenient.

Here's what I mean

To me, low-tech is basic. It doesn't require moving parts (or has very few parts to mess up on you.) It doesn't require a lot of skill or knowledge to use.

Here are some examples:

Low tech

• bow saw


• flashlight w/ spare batteries (candles in some cases)


• water bottles (sealed)


• certain water filters


• MREs, canned meat or tuna, "open and eat" foods


• blankets

High tech

• chainsaw


• generator


• certain water filters


• microwave foods


• foods that must be baked


• electric blanket, heating pad, electric heater

The idea, of course, is to have something that doesn't need special events or conditions in order to work. After you have those, then graduate to higher tech and more convenient.

This principle, or philosophy if you prefer, isn't just about winter preparedness. It is a fundamental concept to being prepared whatever the season and what the disaster/emergency/situation that you are considering.

So... how are you being prepared?

Emergency Preparedness lessons from Mid-west Ice Storm

There are lots of lessons coming out of the December 2007 ice storm that hit the Mid-west.

Some of my extended family live in Oklahoma. They are pretty prepared... at least compared to most of the population. They shared a story they were personally involved in.

An elderly friend of theirs lives by himself in a mobile home. He has a daughter-in-law in the same town who does check on him, but she has other responsibilities, as well. So, my extended family checked with him by phone shortly after the ice storm hit. He was doing fine, then. Later in the night, however, the power went out. Their call the next day found him alive, but cold. And maybe a little befuddled.

They ventured out to check on him in person. He only had a sheet and an electric blanket on his bed. That was fine for him when there was power... not so good when it is freezing outside and the power is out. He had a generator... but couldn't get it started. (He is about 85 years old.) He was looking for a kerosene heater as he had plenty of kerosene. (We'll discuss the dangers of that another time but in the meantime, be very cautious about using combustible heaters inside! The fumes can kill you!

The family had blankets in their cars (traveling icy roads in winter means a blanket in the trunk). They got them out, wrapped him in one and put the other blanket on the bed. Then they got the generator started. With power again, his heater worked, he was able to have a hot meal, and all was right again. For a while.

When they called to check on him the next day, they discovered that he had shut off the generator because the noise bothered him. However, he had slept warm due to the blankets they had given him. (It seems he doesn't even have extra blankets because the electric blanket had been plenty good enough for him in the past.) But he was getting cold again without power. (Mobile homes especially have a tendency to do this.)

They called the daughter-in-law (who was going to be going by to see him anyway) to alert her of the issues. If I recall correctly, power was restored after only a couple of days and he is fine.... But only because of caring (and thinking) friends and relatives. This could have easily turned into another news statistic of another victim of hypothermia (the term for dying from too much cold.)

You did catch the lessons in this, didn't you? He did some things right, but wasn't really prepared.

Next time, we'll visit more about what we need to do to stay prepared in situations like these.