Preparation:  Getting Started

Emergency preparedness can look like an overwhelming task.  It needn’t be one – this page is designed to help you scale it down to manageable size, and get it done – or at least well started.

Two first rules:

  1. Something is better than nothing; and
  2. Everything helps.

So don’t stall out over not being perfect – do whatever your budget or your storage space or your energy or personal concerns permit.  In the various topical pages linked from here, we try to start out with very basic, specific suggestions, and then follow up with additional more detailed information for those who want it.

Getting Ready:

Most emergency preparedness sites or brochures get pretty quickly to a list of stuff you should have.  Not to be outdone, we have prepared our own RVM Cascadia Earthquake Preparation kit .  It is made up of items selected from other lists, and tailored to the environment and population at RVM.

HOWEVER, we are not stopping there.  With your help, we will provide information on specifics – how bright the flashlight, how long and strong the rope, what kind of container to put the water in, etc.  Also, how to store and use them, where, to get them, and if we have a soundly-based opinion, what brand.

One of the first things to do is to get acquainted with your neighbors, and especially with your neighborhood or floor coordinator (coordinator list).  People who know each other and their strengths and weaknesses are the first line of defense in a disaster, and can make preparation better and easier by cooperating.  The system of local coordinators is intended to make sure that everyone is conveniently close to someone who can provide information, advice, and assistance

You can break down our list of recommended supplies using suggested schedules for building up inventory (Preparedness calendar – 1 year), or by assessing what you already have and looking for inexpensive sources for the rest (Preparedness on a budget).  One of the things we will supply and update is information on sources – how and where to get items.

A possible approach – imagine an earthquake in the middle of the night, and figure out what you will wish you had done already if it happens tonight.  Then do it, and move on through the sequence of survival and recovery actions as you build up your readiness.

If you have limitations or special needs, there is information available (Jackson Co., myRVM), some of it RVM-specific.  And don’t forget – although we emphasize “shelter in place,” there is always the possibility that you may not be able to stay home, so some basic preparations for evacuation need to be part of the effort.

Above all, remember that the purpose of having a “living” electronic emergency guide is to make it a community effort.  Submit your own questions or discoveries, or check out what other people may have asked or contributed.  The topics:

PERSONAL,    LIGHT,   WATER,   FOOD,   SANITATION,   SHELTER,  GO-BAG,   NEIGHBORHOOD,   CAR

Rogue Valley Manor Emergency Preparedness information is at the right-hand end, top menu bar, myRVM home page

RVM CASCADIA EARTHQUAKE PREPARATION KIT

 

This list is for  10 to 14 days of shelter-in-place.  Some entries are more suitable for cottage residents; future updates will address apartment needs in more detail.

SHELTER

  • Clothes, and bedding or sleeping bags to keep warm down to 30oF or lower
  • Items stored ideally underneath your bed:
    • A pair of sturdy shoes.
    • a pair of work gloves stuffed into your shoes.
    • a flashlight with spare batteries and a whistle.
  • A large roll of heavy-duty plastic sheeting to cover broken windows/doors
  • A large roll of Gorilla or duct tape
  • A complement of essential kitchen gear:
    • a manual can opener
    • a large pair of scissors
    • matches or cigarette lighters
    • minimal cooking and eating utensils.
  • A broom/dustpan and hospital grade dust masks
  • At least one flashlight/headlamp per person and one in the car
  • Spare batteries for flashlights/headlamps
  • One (preferably 2) emergency lights (Plugged into socket; go on when power goes off)
  • Crates or carriers for any pets

SANITATION AND HEALTH

  • A minimum of 2-4 rolls of toilet paper, and a box of hand cleaning sani-wipes
  • One plastic bucket or wastepaper basket and a box of large garbage/tall kitchen bags for human waste disposal
  • One bottle of (non-colored, non-perfumed) chlorine bleach for water sanitizing water
  • Disposable non-latex gloves (both lightweight medical exam quality and heavier duty house cleaning style)
  • Hand soap and shampoo
  • Tooth paste and toothbrush
  • Advil/Tylenol/aspirin
  • Laxative and diarrhea medication
  • Sun-screen lotion
  • Heavy duty zip-lock bags

FOOD

  • One gallon of water per person per day, + some for pets (soda and juice can count as water)
  • A two-week food supply providing at least 2000 calories/day/person that have a non-refrigerated shelf-life of greater than 1 week and that ideally do not require cooking.
  • If limited cooking is desired, you can acquire small gas cartridge stoves at Asian food markets.
  • The food stockpile should include high protein and/or high calorie items:
    • canned meats, fruits, vegetables
    • juices
    • dry cereals, fruits and nuts
    • peanut butter, crackers, bread, granola/energy bars
    • freeze dried food, ready to eat meals etc.
  • A two-week food supply for any pets that you have.

This list is for a “Grab And Go Bag” for residents who must evacuate

[Note:  Make sure that you can comfortably carry it!]

(1-2 days worth of survival rations or protein bars; one liter or more of water if weight permits)

  • A 4 week supply of your most critical prescription medicines
  • A phone list of people that should be contacted with an update on your status. Copies of critical documents and information: personal (e.g., driver’s license, social security card, passport), financial (e.g., pension, investment and bank accounts, credit cards), and medical (Medicare and health insurance cards, lists of conditions and prescriptions, phone numbers for your physicians)
  • An emergency supply of cash (at least $200 to $300 in low denomination bills)
  • Lifestraw or other ultrafilter water purification device.
  • Foil-Mylar survival (“space”) blanket
  • Multipurpose pocket knife (e.g., “Swiss Army knife”)
  • At least one flashlight/headlamp per person, with spare batteries
  • Hand soap and shampoo
  • Tooth paste and toothbrush
  • An extra pair of prescription glasses and extra hearing aid batteries
  • A first aid kit that includes at a minimum:
    • non-stick sterile pads and rolls of gauze and adhesive tape or pressure bandage
    • antibiotic ointment, sanitizing wipes, and a small bottle of hand sanitizer or alcohol
    • various sized band aids (waterproof or heavy-duty; large better than small)
    • tweezers and a small scissors
    • strips of cloth to apply pressure to stop severe bleeding or create a tourniquet and very large triangular pieces of cloth for making a sling for broken arms
  • Advil/Tylenol/aspirin
  • Small portable solar panel for recharging cellphones and iPads (if appropriate)

(Supplement this list with whatever appropriate seasonal clothing you are able to take with you).

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