December 2020 – Emergency Prep–some ideas and options

Disasters aren’t Fun, but preparing for them can be! And being prepared is a lot happier than not.

Washington state has a Prepare in a Year–one hour a month plan that I’ve been following and suggesting fun games to involve the family without filling children with fears–empowering all to consider emergencies as adventures rather than dark dooms. https://mil.wa.gov/preparedness

Once your family is prepared, review your plans and preparations each year–month by month:

Brainstorm or review what emergencies might happen and what to do–play charades or each person draw a picture or make a poster about a possible emergency (everything from getting lost in the store, losing the car keys, or kitchen fire, to an earthquake or terrorist attack). You can find activity books and coloring pages online. I’ll include links at the bottom of this page.
Update contact information: daycare/schools/work, 911, out of area contact, family phones/emails (including extended family, trusted friends/neighbors). Play “Who ya gonna Call?” (pull emergencies out of a bag one by one, and everyone, or teams, yell out who you would call/contact for help), or “Who do you know?” (using a map you can play a game like Scattergories, listing people you know in each city or state and their contact info; for young children have pictures of relatives/friends that live in different areas or states so they can place the pictures–with contact info on the backs–on the map).
Renew your family emergency water supply. Use the old water to water the garden, wash the dog or car, or for a family water fight. Review how to create clean water, using filters & drops of bleach at home, boiling and distillation at home, on a hike, or vehicle breakdown in a remote location (including the desert or seaside). Have a friendly little competition of cleaning up quarts of dirty water, or create a family/neigborhood science fair on emergency sources/methods of clean water.
Review and renew your Grab & Go/72-hour kit. If possible, have a 2 week supply of necessities (including TP/cleaning supplies, meds, and pet care) for your family, in case you can’t get to the store, at least 3 days’ supplies in a kit if you have to evacuate. Make it a Scavenger hunt (at home or at the store) to find/replace expired items. Red Cross, Ready.gov, etc have lists of supplies to have on hand. Stage a family 72-hour emergency camp, pretending there’s no public electricity and/or water. You can stage your camp in the living/family room, backyard, or your favorite vacation site. Each person can have an emergency backpack and teens and up can have a friendly competition over who is best prepared to live for 3 days with just their backpack items.
Update family photos and copies of important documents. Along with contact info, each family member should have a recent family photo. This can be soothing for children, as well as help find separted loved ones. In fact, young ones could have a small photo “album” of the family having fun, making memories. You can divide into teams to take photos and collect copies of documents. Young children can choose family & friend photos they want to keep in their little emergency albums. Include extended family, trusted contacts/friends/neighbors. Put family photo & contact info in each family member’s emergency backpack/duffle bag as well as a family Grab & Go/72-hour kit.
Survey your family’s preparation for an extended emergency. For an extended event, consider Lighting (light sticks, flashlights, batteries), Cooking (camp stoves, BBQ/charcoal, sterno, matches, etc; as well as disposable dishes you don’t have to use up water to wash), Shelter (tent/tarp/rope or cords, rain gear, sleeping bags, mylar/other blankets). Frig/Freezer keep closed; if off several days: if in doubt, throw food out. Sanitation (heavy duty bags to line empty toilet/bucket/camp toilet, disinfectant, TP), Pets (water; google long lasting treats), Emergency Info (radio, batteries, cell charger). Again, you could stage a family emergency campout, in-house, backyard, or favorite campsite/vacation. You can include such friendly competitions as firestarting, camp cooking, putting up/taking down a tent. You can stage a quiz show on camp/emergency safety, such as Jeopardy, or play a game like Concentration or Bingo. Pictures for Concentration or Bingo can be actual photos of emergency supplies your family has, your own/family member drawings, or clipart/drawings you can find online.
Disaster can strike day or night. It may be hard to think clearly and quickly. “The more procedures you have in place, and the easier they are to remember and implement, the more effective and efficient will be your response.” Get a box or bin that will fit under the bed, add critical items for day or night emergency evacuation, such as head/foot/hand protection from broken glass & falling obects, simple change of clothes, bottle of water & a prepackaged snack, light source, small pack disinfectant wipes. You can play a dress-up relay or fashion show of emergency items to have in a convenient bin under the bed. Take pictures for a slide show or make a little video for fun to share with family/friends, or just to enjoy watching as a family with popcorn or emergency foods.
Review how to shut of electricity, water, and gas in an emergency. It’s a gas, safe at last: “Natural gas leaks and explosions are responsible for a significant number of fires following any major earthquake” But, shut off gas immediately only if you smell it .. . Hear a hissing sound . . . Or meter dials are spinning more than usual. That’s a turn-off: “Water quickly becomes a precious resource following many disasters.” Cracked lines can pollute your house water, gravity may drain your water and toilet tanks unless you trap it by shutting off the main house valve (not the one at the street). Shocking! All responsible members of a household should know where the fuse box is, how to safely turn off/on power when needed. Game: Power Down Relay: time relay teams pretending to shut of gas, water, and electricity.
Earthquake safety. Each year an international ShakeOut is held in October. Get ready for it by finding the safest way and place to find cover in each room of your home. Drill Bits activity: go from room to room in your house and choose the safest place to Drop/Cover/Hold. While in each room, you can have the youngest elementary school child be the leader (or take turns being leader/demonstrator) and show how to Drop/Cover/Hold, then call out “Earthquake”, and everyone quickly practice the earthquake drill. Elderly Alternate: choose where you would be safest in each room (such as in an inside doorway)—one hold the doorway (brace yourself), the other hold your honey, heads down, close eyes. https://www.shakeout.org/
Practice Fire Safety. Take time to review your home fire escape plan, check your fire extinguisher, pantomime practice using the fire extinguisher, how to put out stove and oven fires (Don’t put water on an oil fire! Smother a stove top fire with a lid, if you can. Salt one in the oven, if safe). Fires can get quickly out of control, get you and everyone out of the house and far away; immediately call 911. Teach kids to use 911 responsibly and not to play with fire/matches. Practice/review putting out a campfire, how to keep a campfire under control. What to do in a wildfire situation? Where will you meet when evacuating your home, either for a house fire or a wildfire?
Practice Shelter in Place--A disaster may pollute the air. Your home is a good first barrier. Prepare to seal off one room in your home for added protection. If in your car, roll up windows, shut off motor etc. to avoid drawing in outside air. Breathe through a damp cloth. Brainstorm & collect fun games you can play while sheltering in place. If you have electricity or electronics in your shelter, that is one idea (family movie day or night), for others, see https://emergencyprepideasoptions.wordpress.com/2020/11/
As a family, complete a home safety inspection yearly. Put on a labcoat or suit-able Inspector HaZard costume, complete with clipboard and check-off list: Are your water heater, furniture (ie bookcases, etc), media, computers, large and small appliances, china, hanging plants or chandeliers, mirrors, artwork, secured to studs and so they won’t go swinging into windows? Are your gas and water lines flexible enough to withstand the rockin’ & rollin’ of mother earth? Inspect your foundation, roof, and chimney for secure fastening, no loose bricks, etc. Make sure poisons, toxics, solvents, are not in breakable containers and susceptible locations for crash landings. Alternately, with young or older children you can walk through your home imagining what would happen in an earthquake and placing a sticky note on everything that could fall or cause a hazard.