Alarm, or Wake-Up Call?

Photo by Black ice on Pexels.com

Not sure the last time I heard the announcement we were so used to, “This is a test of the Emergency Broadcasting System”.  It began with a dreadful blaaaa sound, and was such an irritating nuisance!

Now we have been forced to test our Emergency Response system.  It’s a nuisance, uncomfortable, inconvenient.  Whether it will reach the widespread alarming proportions of the Flu Epidemic of 1918, we don’t know.  We hope that the measures taken will halt it long before that.  But we can see that some have already panicked, or become greedy, just as when the Great Depression (and other “Panics”) hit, which makes the whole experience worse.

Last month I posted an emergency consideration, “For the Long Haul” . . . because we never know what’s around the bend, over the horizon or hill, or how long it will last.  I didn’t know then that we would have a viral outbreak that would close down schools for 6 weeks, cancel events, cause quarantine concerns  . . . Just hope it doesn’t shut us down completely, with the attendant financial disaster.

Saturday I happened to need milk and a few things.  The photos above were taken at the store.  As I was finishing my shopping they were restocking, but I overheard one employee telling another that earlier there had been a long, long line of people outside the store anxious to stock up.

I was glad I already have some shelf-stable cartons and cans of milk, and dried milk if absolutely necessary, along with other options for eating:  bottled and frozen fruits from my garden, extra canned goods, water, extra eggs and cheese in the frig, etc.  I’m hoping that when this is all over, people won’t fall right back into complacency and wait for the next emergency to run out and clean out the shelves of the stores (or cause riots) because they didn’t see any reason to try to keep something on hand for possible emergencies.

I hope we will discuss with our families  how we could have been better prepared for this emergency, and take steps to remedy anything we may have overlooked or that overtook us unexpectedly.  I don’t think we can expect an emergency to not be inconvenient and uncomfortable, but I think we can even out the spikes of anxiety.  I hope we will try to

• keep at least 3 days of necessities on hand
• consider being prepared enough to live 2 weeks without having to go to the store
• keep a roll of TP and a container of disinfectant wipes in the car for using public restrooms–not just during viral epidemics, but for anytime.

A night or two previous to going to the store I happened to watch an old Sherlock Holmes episode, “The Case of the Perfect Crime”.  Watson becomes more and more alarmed as he sees more and more evidence that Sherlock is the perpetrator of a criminal spree stealing the most valuable and the most sensitive items of the Realm.  As it turns out, Sherlock was acting under instruction from the highest authorities to test their protective and crime solving systems.  The authorities had their eyes opened, and they took steps to resolve and strengthen weak areas of their security systems.

Before I conclude this post, I’d like to say a word about allaying the fears of our children, youth, elders, and those with intellectual or emotional disabilities.  Over and over again I have been irritated by characters in stories/films that try to soothe their children by promising things they have no right to promise.  “I promise I’ll be back . . .” they might say, or, “You’re going to be ok,” they tell a dying person.  It’s a cop-out, because they don’t want to speak truthfully and realistically.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t reassure the fearful.  But how does it help to lie to them?  It leaves them feeling betrayed if the promise doesn’t come through.

I’m suggesting that we tell those immobilized by fear something like, “It’s very important that we follow the instructions we’re given, so we can fight this and not let it crush us,” in a reassuring tone.  If the worst happens, we know we have done our best.  If the worst doesn’t happen, we still know that we did all we could and don’t have to be filled with regrets.  Bad things do happen in life, and sometimes we suffer.  But we can choose to be better for them, to take the positives from the experience.  If a loved one dies, we can rejoice that we knew them, think about how they have enriched our lives and made the world better for having been here.  We can also try to live so people will feel that way about us.

3 Days of Fun vs Frantic Fiasco

Overwhelmed with the idea of putting together a 72-hour (3 day) emergency supply/kit?  You don’t have to go out and buy it all in a maniac shopping spree–you may already have much of what you need around the house.  Here’s a fun way to put it together:

-Brainstorm a list of things your family would need to live for 3 days without  running water and electricity.  Divide the list among the members of the family—by teams, if you wish.  Opt. get in football formation/huddle, come up with strategic plays, and pass off the list, or plan with your team

—Scavenger Hunt: get items on your lists around the house, bring them back to one location.  Pack it all in something(s) for quick evacuation (such as backpacks each family member can carry, a duffle bag or two, wheeled cooler or shopping basket, wagon, for instance–remember, you have to be able to carry it, if you need to evacuate.  Some things may be kept in the car). If you need to, make a shopping list of things you are missing—you may spread the list over several months if needed.

—Bonus:  plan a 72-hour “camp out” in the living room or back yard  each summer and winter (like during school breaks), to rotate supplies, and see how well you planned—pretend there’s no running water or electricity.  How will you entertain yourself?  Practice on a 3-day weekend.  Keep it fun and light-hearted.  Young kids will likely find it all fun.  Older kids can build bonds and things to laugh about in years to come.  When your family has had experience, if a disaster occurs it will be so much less stressful and traumatic.

-treat:  if weather is nice, backyard BBQ; if weather is bad, do the “Can Can” (eat only what doesn’t have to be refrigerated or cooked: canned meats, fruits, vegetables, canned juices or meals, high energy foods such as PB, granola bars, trail mix, fortified cereals, jerky, “comfort foods”—crackers, hard candy, etc.—meal replacement drinks can help supply needed liquids as well as nutrition)

-game option for young children:  Play Noah’s Ark—load up a pretend Ark (couch, cushions, box, blanket on the floor, or whatever) with all the stuffed animals in the house.  What foods would they need?  What sounds do they make?  Make the sounds, animal by animal.  Pretend to be in a storm, and everyone is tossed from side to side (you may pretend some get seasick).  Pretend the sun has come out, and what a relief it is . . .  Retell/re-enact the story in a lively and fun way.  Google “Noah’s ark songs for children” for musical ideas.

-treat options for Noah’s Ark activity:  make pretend animal chow for each animal (each child chooses an animal to pretend to be, or take turns being different animals for a multi-course meal).  Find creative foods to pretend for each animal to eat.  Different kinds of cold cereal or cold cereal/cracker mixes is one idea.  Alternatively, carnivores might eat tacos/burritos, chili, burgers or hot dogs, shredded pork, meat kabobs or chunks, etc.  Plant eaters might have fruit salad (or individual fruits), a veggie plate or salad . . . pretend you are zoo keepers:  what will you feed each of the animals?

Water Works

When an emergency happens, you may have to rely on water you have on hand for 3 days (72 hours) or more.  You can invest in bottled water (recommended 1 gallon per person per day), which you can buy by the gallon, by 5 gallon jugs, or by 16-20 oz individual bottles.  The individual sizes might be easiest to use and to pack & carry, especially for little kids.

Alternatively, you can bottle your own water.  Soda pop bottles are food grade, easily obtained, easily carried, and easily used.  They don’t break as easily as glass.  You  would need six 2-liter bottles per person, for 3 days.  Don’t use milk jugs or bleach bottles:  their plastic deteriorates.

“Water Works” Family Activity–create an assembly line.

1. Rinse the bottle and lid.
2. Drop 8 drops of bleach in 2 cups of water.
3. Swirl the bleach water in the soda bottle and pour it out (like into the next bottle).
4. Fill the soda bottle with fresh water all the way to the top.
5. Put the lid on tightly.
6. Label it “drinking water” and date it.

 

“Hide the Water & Seek” family fun activity.

The person who finds the best place scores!  It should be a place that is easily accessible to grab & go, a cool, dark place, such as under a bed, a corner of a closet, behind a sofa.  In an emergency evacuation, even a fairly young child can carry a 2-liter bottle.  The water is good for drinking, cooking, and hygiene.

It is recommended that water be rotated every 6 months.  Don’t just pour it down the drain!  Use it resourcefully–water your plants or use it for cleaning.

You may want to have disposable dishes for an emergency, because dish washing uses a lot of water.  Wet wipes and hand sanitizer, as well as rinse-less shampoo can reduce water use for emergencies.

Learn how to distill safe drinking water.  See  https://mil.wa.gov/asset/5ba420151d2ac

Water Bottle Bowling, or Bottle Art & Science

• Fill soda pop bottles about 3/4 of water.  Add sparkles, buttons, marbles, food color, oil, or whatever you like to make them pretty inside.  Be sure to observe and talk about what happens when you add something.
• Young children can have fun shaking the bottles up like snow globes (be sure lids are on tight).
• You can set them up like bowling pins, and bowl with a basketball or a soccer ball.
• You can drop various things in one, to play “Sink or Float” . . . such as a nail, a bath oil bead, and other small objects to see which sink, which float.
• You can use duct tape to tightly seal two partially filled soda pop bottles opening to opening, and carefully swirl them so that it makes a vortex when held vertically. Flip it over and over, swirling it again and again.
• Alternatively, cut the bottles into boats and have boat races in the tub or kiddie pool.
• You can also explore the different states of water:  ice, liquid water (does the ice sink or float?), and water vapor (steam, clouds, or mist are similar enough).  Watch your breath on a cold day, watch what happens when cold air from the freezer meets the warm air of the room, or watch the condensation form on the outside of a container of ice or ice cold liquid.
• Explore fresh water vs salt water, dissolve salt or sugar in water.  After it disappears, taste it.  Not everything that exists is visible.

Read fiction and non-fiction stories about water.  Sing and dance favorite songs about water, oceans, seas, rain . . .

Treat Ideas

Banana boats, potato boats, stuffed celery or cucumber boats; vitamin or otherwise flavored water.  If you flavor it yourself, enjoy watching the flavor disperse and color the water.