A couple of nights ago I was out with my group of mom friends. All of a sudden the conversation went from kids to survival and camping. I had mentioned to some of the ladies that I had a plan in case of emergency, the other ladies wanted to hear my plan. Of course I don’t want to share MY specific plan (remember this could be the end of the world), so instead I gave them tips on what to do and how to prepare.

Now many might think I’m not qualified to give such information. BUT, just in case here is my resume.

~I have been a Girl Scout/ Boy Scout all my life

~Volunteer for the Red Cross during Hurricane George in PR

~Served the US Coast Guard for 4 years

~Camping enthusiant

~And took the Citizens Preparedness Training

OK, Now let’s get to it. The first and most important thing is to have a plan, or two or three. I have about 5! Think of all the situations you can find yourself in. No phone, alone with the kids, flooding, no car, stuck in-a car, and so on.  As many of you could imagine, in case of an emergency everyone and their mother will try to drive out of the city so there will be traffic.

1. Make a plan
2. Discuss plan with family members. Everyone involved should know in case there is no phones or ways to communicate
3. Pick a meeting place. Somewhere you know and feel comfortable. Somewhere you can find without a map or GPS. Somewhere away from big crowds of people.
4. Avoid airports, bridges, malls. If it’s a terrorist attack airports will se secured as well as bridges. They will also be shut down if there is bad weather. Malls are usually flooded with looters.
5. Have a ready bag. Each member of your family should have a backpack ready to go in case of emergency. What should be in the backpack?
   1. One change of clothes
   2. Food (power bars & waters). You should have enough rations for a week
   3. Flashlight & batteries (remember to keep the batteries out of the flashlight so they last)
   4. A handheld radio
   5. Map of your city
   6. Utility knife
   7. Small first aid kit
   8. Gloves
   9. Nose cover
   10. Emergency blanket
   11. Drop cloth
   12. Glow sticks
   13. Duck tape 
6. Have your car ready.
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   1. Change of clothes
   2. Water- power bars (power bars are recommended because they are filling and have many of the nutrients the body needs, but need no refrigeration)
   3. Paper towels
   4. Knife & pressure puncher for the window 
   5. Flash light
   6. First aid kit
   7. Blankets
   8. Trash bags
   9. Map of your city
7. Other things to keep in mind:
   1. Try to always have gas in your car
   2. Never check the weather channel instead check NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
   3. Study your city and the buildings around you. For example my sons school used to have a bomb shelter. It might not be functional but it’s still label. This is a good thing to know in case of an emergency
   4. Never share your plan unless with family members directly involved
   5. Try to take a CPR/First Aid class, you can look up Red Cross or the American Heart Association for more information on courses. They also have a list of the things you should keep inside a proper first aid kit according to your family size.
   6. You can keep MRE’s (Meal Ready to-Eat) at home. We usually have a box. You can buy them on Amazon.
   7. Have a cord bracelet and a personal knife. These are good emergency tools in case of emergency 
   8. Learn how to read a compass and the time of the day using the sun. North= Connecticut, South= Brooklyn/Staten Island/Hudson River, East= Queens/Long Island, West= New Jersey (This is an example from Manhattan). To learn the time of the day, stand outside. Find the time of sunrise and see the sunrise from the East. As the sun goes up the time keeps going. When the sun is at its highest point it’s noon and so on. Also have a small mirror in your pocketbook or in your ready bag or even both. You can signal first responders if needed.
8.  Remain CALM. I know this is probably impossible due to our human nature. But try.

My brother is a First Class Air Traffic Controller in the US Navy, he’s been in tactical units and deployed twice. I asked him to give his opinion on what’s important. His recommendations are: keep your ready bags/bug out bags in the car. That way if you are already out you’re ready and don’t have to come back home for them. He also recommends getting a fire starter kit. He also advises that you should practice your plan. Drive the route a couple of times. Think about when you’re pregnant and plan your route to the hospital. He also mentioned to keep in mind the essentials we might forget in a rush: lotion, keys, chapstick (chapstick can be used for A LOT of emergency situations), important papers and so on.

My dad, who is a survivalist and CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Certified, recommended a backup power generator. It’s affordable but it can produce enough energy to power your electronics during a power outage. He also recommended having baby wipes on hand (don’t we already live with baby wipes everywhere?). And this might be a given, but have a list of important phone numbers.

Anyways I hope this post helps. I added some of the links of the things I have purchased. Also, just in general make sure you have an up to date first aid kit in the house as well as a fire extinguisher. One more thing I think is important is to keep all your family documents in one place. I have them in a binder in protective sleeves with photocopies of everything somewhere else, in case something happens I just grab the binder and I’m good.

I don’t want to sound alarming but is never bad to be ready. My whole life has been to be prepared for whatever comes my way. Is best to be prepared and not need to use what you got than have something happen and have no clue what to do.

Are you ready?

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