Disaster -are you ready. (condo, house, neighborhood)

[PacificFlights]

If you have not followed my post in CDs WORLD, I'm assisting with the Haiti disaster. Folks, there are so many similar possiblity to Hawaii situations, please practice some awareness of being on a remote island and what will happen if something bad happens. All islands have a civil defense, have you read any of their material? Do you know your evacuation routes? Do you have some supplies until help can arrive? There may be no Walmart, costco, Foodland or KTA for you to go to after something happens, Do a little planning now.

[KoaKine]

Nice post!

After living in Southern Cali for 45 years people here in western NY laugh at my earthquake kits. They go where I go!

Points to you!

[cynmkolohe]

Excellent post! I'm preparing a blog post on exactly that right now. Will also be reminding folks to take a look at their estate planning documents and written health care directives to be sure things are up to date. And to check passports to be sure they haven't expired....

The events of the last few days have been so sobering. Such a heart-breaking reminder of the need to be prepared for emergencies.

Hawaii county residents/visitors - remember, you can sign up for Hawaii County Civil Defense text message alerts. (Not a sure thing in a disaster, but it's one simple thing you can do today.)

[lauleahere&there]

Originally Posted by KoaKine

Nice post!

After living in Southern Cali for 45 years people here in western NY laugh at my earthquake kits. They go where I go!

Points to you!

I used to get strange looks for keeping a survival kit in my car when I lived in Northern Colorado. (where it's not unusual to get snow in the high country in July; where if you go off the road it could be days before you are found; where a blizzard can bring 3-4 feet of snow and keep delivery trucks snowbound for days) My kit's a little different now (fewer blankets) but I still have one. Plus I just tend to keep stuff in the pantry that will work well in the event of shortages.

I'd love to know what people keep in their kits.

Here's a partial list of mine--

in the car:
1 liter bottles of water (12)
protein bars
basic first aid
water purification filter and tablets
space blanket (shiny mylar-like stuff, that doubles as a tarp)

We also keep a store of canned goods. Fruits and vegetables canned in water or syrup can provide something to drink if water is short. They also can be eaten as-is, without a heat source.

I bought a solar oven several years ago that will actually reach 300F, so I can purify water that way, too, as well as cook rice, beans, oatmeal, etc. http://www.solarovens.org/buy.html

We also keep one of those handcrank radios and a NOAA alert radio (leftover from our Scouting days) and a handcrank flashlight. Oh, and an extra tank of propane.

If you have pets, make sure you include enough water for them, too.

Be prepared!

[melaniej65]

Basically, I would be screwed. Right now there are NO provisions for evacuating persons in wheelchairs (not to mention that I am in a powerchair-completely worthless if there is no power!).

We have a good supply of basic emergency supplies in our home (won't help if it is all swept away due to a tsunami or lost due to conditions).

When we lived in different areas of 'tornado alley' I was in the same boat of having no way to evacuate (if my husband were not home) due to inability to drive (I am also blind)- so we had deals with neighbors to take our kids when they were little if there was a need to evacuate. The saddest part was that we lived on Military Posts and yet there was no way to evacuate a handicapped person!

[dreamisland]

3 years ago i was living in a 28 story condo in waikiki when the whole building swayed back and forth several feet just before the blackout.
it was 5 am in the morning and mothers were carrying their sleeping kids down the stairs because the elevators weren't working.
no more high rises in earthquake country for me.
the blackout was fun though as we drove around and had ono's cheesesteak sandwiches they cooked on a propane stove and they used flashlights to do business. that must have been their best business day as everything else was closed.

[lauleahere&there]

Melanie, you bring up a good point. As a person who was on dialysis, I, too, was dependent on a reliable power source as well as access to clean water. Our dialysis center had an emergency plan that included a means to get to the next nearest dialysis center. Even a few of us patients (the clever ones ) were trained to disconnect ourselves from our dialysis machines and help others in the event of a power failure.

Have you spoken with your health care provider about creating an emergency plan for various scenarios? How about your neighbors? There was an intellectually impaired lady in our neighborhood who came to our house any time there was a tornado warning. Her mother always knew to check at our place when the weather was bad.

All of this is to say that even if your building isn't entirely chair friendly, you still may have options for help in a disaster. In any case, it is empowering to have a plan.

[Lisa From Maui]

I don't know how many of you are familiar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, aka, Mormons. It's part of their belief system to prepare for disasters. They teach it at Sunday church services. They literally encourage people to have a 1 month (or longer) supply of water and food. At one point in my life, I lived in the desert. I knew an LDS family that had ten 50-gallon barrels of wateri in their home. Prepared... just in case.

For that one reason, I give them alot of compliments. If hurricane Katrina would have hit Salt Lake City, Utah, Fema might have said, "No problem! The Mormons have it all under control."