Counting My Pennies » emergency planning

Disaster Preparations

Megan — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:07:44 +0000

Earthquakes. Hurricanes.

Why did I move to the D.C. area again?

We’re still being mocked by the west coast, but D.C. is not used to earthquakes, so we’re all still a little shaken up (har har) by Tuesday’s earthquake. I’m a midwesterner, and while we were drilled on what to do in case of an earthquake in school, I’ve never experienced one that felt like more than a big truck rumbling past. This one felt like a big truck, then things started to roll. Sure, it was only maybe 30 seconds, but it was certainly a scary 30 seconds while we all hoped that this wasn’t another terrorist attack and that if it was an earthquake, that it would be a small one.

And it was. And we’re fine. My beloved National Cathedral is less fine, and the Washington Monument suffered some damage, but no one was killed, and that’s what’s important.

We had a small aftershock last night that woke me up, but that was more annoying than anything. I’m just hoping this all passes quickly. At least before Hurricane Irene arrives.

As it looks, we’re just going to get storms, and that the worst of the storm is going to miss us, but she appears to be heading straight for New England (after battering the entire coastline). Mother Nature is not a happy camper right now. But still, this has all made me think about whether or not I’m ready for a major storm.

I’ve got a case of water, plus a bunch of Gatorade and other random bottled beverages. I’ve got plenty of cat food (probably my biggest worry – if things get bad, I could always nosh on some uncooked pasta, but the cats cannot). I’ve got lots of Clif Bars and granola bars and other things that don’t need to be cooked. I’ve also got plenty of things that could be heated over a fire. I’m low on firewood, but well, it’s the summer. I did just recently add six Java Logs to my emergency supplies – even though they might not put off a ton of heat, it’s an easy way to have some heat if the power goes out in the winter.

I’ve also got an official go-bag, which I must admit needs some work. It’s part of a starter kit I bought – designed for 2 people for 3 days. It’s got food and water and some emergency supplies. I need to add a better knife as well as pet supplies. It is stored right next to the cat food though, so it would be easy to grab both. Still, it’s better to have it all in one place. I also keep a small version in my car.

So really, I feel pretty good about the planning that I’ve done. There’s always room to improve, but I’m much improved as compared to this time last year. Let’s just hope I don’t need any of it.

Disaster Prep?

Megan — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:57:07 +0000

This morning, my roommate and I were discussing storm preparations. It all started when we commented how lucky we’ve been with power outages. We had a big storm Sunday night, and while some areas were without power for 24 hours or more, ours was back within a few hours. In previous storms (while we were still in the apartment), we also lucked out and were never without power for more than 6 hours while some people in the area went days.

We got onto the topic of supplies in case of a power outage. While we don’t have a specific “disaster” food store, we easily have enough food to keep us going for a week or more. Of course, it would be much easier if we still had water and gas so we could cook things like rice and pasta on the stove. But we’d be okay. We also keep a case of bottled water in the basement and I have a 2 person 3 day “survival kit” that has what are probably very delicious (riiiiight) food bars and water pouches. I’ve got a smaller survival kit in the car, and really should have something in the office too.

I’m fascinated by the people who manage to have a year’s worth of food stored up. For some, I know that having 3 months is part of a religious belief. I find that pretty amazing. Three months worth of water! I can’t imagine how much space that must take up. But at the same time, it’s got to be a very reassuring feeling. Not just in case of natural disaster, but also in the event of financial disaster. Of course, you have to be sure to not lose your home, but you won’t need to spend money on food.

For this winter, I need to stockpile a bit of wood. We have a wood-burning fireplace which I have no plans to use. It’s been inspected and safe to use, but I’ve found that wood fires just seem to suck the warm air and moisture from the house. I want to put in a gas fireplace, but that’s going to cost some money that I don’t have just yet. However, it makes sense to have the supplies necessary just in case we do need to start a fire. DC has had some major power outages over the past few winters, and I would prefer to not spend it freezing! Unfortunately, this also means I need to pick up a fireplace grate and some fireplace tools as well.

So that’s my next step in disaster prep. How’s your disaster prep going?

Equal Knowledge

Megan — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:48:26 +0000

This morning, I read an article about women and money. I won’t link it here, but the basic point was “Women usually let the men in their lives take care of the finances, and there are things they should know.” I have to admit, I felt the whole concept was condescending, but at the same time, it’s probably true, especially for a certain generation. While I believe my grandparents share the responsibilities, or at least the information, I’m sure that wasn’t true for their whole lives (they’re in their mid-80′s). I know many of my grandmother’s female friends have no idea about their family finances.

Of course, the idea goes both ways. Frequently in a household, one partner takes care of the bills. It’s probably easier if one person takes control of the financial situation, but control doesn’t mean that they keep all of the knowledge as well. Men and women should both know the basics of their financial situation. What are the bills and how do they arrive and how are they paid? What sort of investments exist and are they for retirement or are they other investments?

Now, especially when you’re young, you don’t want to have to think about the possibility that you or your spouse/partner might die, but that’s not the only reason to be sure everyone knows the financials. What happens if one partner gets sick and lands in the hospital? You don’t want to miss bills because you didn’t know to pay them.

In general, I think that you should know the basics of your financial situation. Maybe one partner decides they want to be willfully ignorant about how much real estate tax they pay. I suppose that’s fine, as long as the other partner ensures the payments are made. I think a good plan is to keep a list of the basic bills – be they monthly, quarterly, yearly, whatever, and approximately how much each one costs. (This is something I do just for budgeting purposes. If I pay $600 in car insurance every six months (I don’t, I just chose $600 for ease of math), then each month, I should set aside $100, so that when the bill comes, I’m ready. ) By keeping this sort of a list, both partners can be aware of the financial responsibilities and have a bit of a cheat sheet if they should ever need it.

In addition, it’s never a bad idea to create a list of all the accounts each partner has – be it credit cards, bank accounts, retirement accounts, or other accounts. It seems like a lot of information, and it is. But it saves a lot of stress should the list ever be needed. And you just hope that it isn’t needed for a good number of years.

Snow plans.

Megan — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:31:16 +0000

Back to work today. Looks like things are slowly getting back to normal, though the roads are still a mess with giant piles of snow. I’m hoping the sun will help melt some of it over the week so I can get outside to run this weekend. I’ve got a ten mile run scheduled in my half-marathon preparation and I absolutely do not want to have to do it inside!

I realized over this storm that I could have been better prepared for the weather. Oh, I didn’t suffer at all. But after listening to some coworkers talking, I realize that there are few things I should have in my snowstorm arsenal.

First off, I need a snow shovel. No, I don’t have one. I live in an apartment. I have nothing to shovel. Unless I want to get my car out of the parking lot. I used to have one, but I got rid of it when I moved. I had friends who used baking trays and cutting boards and milk crates to dig out their cars. Clearly, we all could have used a shovel or two.

Second, I need better snow boots. I have a pair of sub-standard rain boots and a pair of warm winter boots, but the rain boots are not warm, nor are they particularly comfortable, and the winter boots are not waterproof enough (as I learned when my feet got wet from a slushy puddle). I found a great pair of boots in a catalog, boots designed for either rain or snow (lots of room for extra socks and tucking in pants when necessary). The problem? They’re $80. Compared to my current $20 boots, that’s a bit much to spend. However, the $20 boots clearly aren’t doing their job. So it’s something to ponder.

Third, when trapped at home, I need to be more productive. I think it was because I was fighting a cold, but I was such a sloth over the past week. There was so much more I could have accomplished. Instead I accomplished things like watching Netflix discs and clearing off the DVR. At least I didn’t spend the week shopping online. That could have been dangerous.

Really though, I did a lot of things right. I had plenty of candles and batteries for my flashlight. I had lots of food stocked up, including food I could eat if the power went out (lots of canned soups that could be heated on the gas stove). I had water and when the storm was coming, I made sure that all my pitchers were full. I had books to read and other things to occupy my time.

So just a few changes to make and I’ll be ready for the next historic storm. I just hope it waits for next season.

Snowmageddon!

Megan — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:24:25 +0000

So we’re supposed to get 16-26 inches of snow by tomorrow night.

Awesome.

I’m kind of bummed that it’s happening over the weekend. Snow days are much more fun when they’re during the week and we get some time away from work.

The grocery stores here have been INSANE. Of course, it doesn’t help that one county was told to be prepared to shelter in place for three to five days. The news has featured reports of long lines snaking through the stores, people getting into fistfights over food and parking spaces and lots and lots of empty shelves.

One running joke is “Why do people always buy bread, eggs, and milk when a storm comes? Are we supposed to be eating a lot of french toast?” With the storm hitting on the weekend, it makes sense that people needed to make some purchases, as a lot of people do their grocery shopping on the weekends. So like everyone else, on Thursday, I was thinking about what I needed from the store. And I couldn’t come up with anything!

I’ve wondered if my emergency supplies are sufficient, but when I sat down and thought about it, I realized I have more than enough food to get me through three to five days (and then some). I’ve got lots of canned soup. I just bought eggs and milk last weekend. I have a loaf of bread in the freezer, as well as a number of other items. I also have three gallons of drinking water put away, plus a few 2 liter bottles of tap water for washing. I should have more water for a five day shelter in place, but the full Brita pitcher plus the case of VitaCoco (coconut water) should be more than enough on the off chance I can’t get out. And of course, there’s always all that snow falling from the sky (which you should never eat for hydration if you are trapped outside).

While I don’t expect to be trapped for days, it was reassuring to not have to worry about going to the store. I’m just hoping we don’t lose power. Or internet. I do have some books to read, but this is a great excuse to catch up on my Netflix queue.

So you stock up and save, but where do you put it?

Megan — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:00:06 +0000

Right now, I have four boxes of cereal stored in my laundry basket in my bedroom closet.

(And as I write that, I wonder why I’ve never stored anything in there before. Sure, I have to dump it out when I do the laundry, but it wouldn’t be a bad place to store laundry detergent.)

Why, you ask, do I have four boxes of cereal in my laundry basket? Because I couldn’t find anywhere else to put it. I eat the same kind of cereal for breakfast every morning, and go through a box in about a week and a half or so. So when it was on super sale this weekend, I decided it was smart to stock up. Then I went to put it in the cabinet… and noticed that there was no room, with the extra cans of soup and jars of spaghetti sauce. My kitchen is small and doesn’t have great storage, and suddenly, all my cabinets are full. Which means that I have to start stashing those extra food items elsewhere.

If you stock up on food during sales or just in case of emergency, where do you keep it? I know some people have boxes under their beds that are filled with canned food. Do you have a bureau drawer filled with pasta? Rice in with your socks? Of course, if you have a basement, storage is less of an issue, I’m sure, but for those of you in a home without great storage, what are your tips and tricks?

Do You Carry ID?

Megan — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:00:59 +0000

A few weeks ago, the local news was reporting the story of a young woman who went out for a morning jog and got hit by a bus while in a crosswalk. The woman was not carrying identification or a phone and was unconscious. They were reporting her general stats (height, weight, age, hair color) in the hopes that someone would identify her. Thankfully, that afternoon, her co-workers put two and two together and rushed to the hospital with photos of her and confirmed her identity. She is still in the hospital, I believe, but doing well, and once she was identified, her family was notified.

There are plenty of lessons to be learned from this, but one big one is that you should always carry some form of identification. And not only if you’re a runner or a cyclist. Unfortunately, you never know what might happen. You could be struck by an errant bus, you could trip and hit your head, or you could collapse unexpectedly. Of course, you can’t live your life expecting something bad to happen, but you can take a few steps to make sure that if one of these things happen, that the proper people are notified and the hospitals have the information they need.

First off, always carry ID. You can also create an “in case of emergency” card and keep that in your wallet. That assumes that someone will go through your wallet to find someone to notify. Another good option is to create “ICE” contacts in your cell phone. These are people that will be called In Case of Emergency. My phone actually prompts me to set three contacts in my phone as ICE contacts.

And if you’re a runner or a biker, you can do all these things, but another option is to wear identification on your person somewhere – wristbands, anklebands, and shoe tags are very popular. I have seen a number of companies offering these, but for years, I have used RoadID. RoadID makes a number of identification options. The version I use has my name and city as well as some contact information. I wear it on a wrist band every single time I run. But I just purchased their newest tag. This is an interactive version. Rather than simply providing the information on the face of the tag, it provides directions to call a phone number or visit the RoadID website to get more information. This interactive version lets me input more contacts, as well as any pertinent medical information. Best of all, I can edit it at any time.

RoadID isn’t giving me any money for this review. I just really like their products that much. Thankfully, I can’t provide a testimonial like those on the website. I’ve never needed my RoadID to identify me when I was unable to speak for myself.

I have a friend who has RoadID bracelets for each of her kids when they go to theme parks. On the off chance her child wanders off, the tag has the child’s name as well as cell phone numbers for the parents. The print is small enough that it can’t be seen by a passerby (who might use the child’s name to try to lure the child away), but can easily be read by someone trying to help the child find their parents.

Because I just ordered a RoadID, I have a coupon to pass along. It’s good for $1 off any RoadID order placed by 10/24/09. Just enter “ThanksMegan545946″ (without the quotes) when you checkout. Again, I get nothing for your use of this coupon. It’s just a good way to get the word out about this great product.

It’s Emergency Planning Time Again

Megan — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:00:13 +0000

Once again, around the blogosphere, conversation has turned to emergency planning. Of course, September is National Preparedness Month. Over on Wise Bread, they’re discussing stocking up food for an emergency. So far, it sounds like readers have anywhere from enough food for the rest of the week to enough food for a few years. I’m definitely somewhere in between those two numbers, but much closer to the one week mark. In terms of food alone, I’ve probably got enough to get me through 2 weeks comfortably, probably more if I start to get creative. As for water, I’ve got a few gallons of drinking water in a closet, plus some 2 liter bottles of tap water for things like toilet flushing and washing.

Of course, all this talk has me back to thinking about what sort of emergency kit I should have. Ideally, I should have some sort of portable go bag with the emergency supplies that I would need to last me and the cats for a few days. I go back and forth on this, but over the weekend, I finally made a list of things that I need to put together an emergency kit – one that I can take with me in an emergency, as well as some extra things I should keep on hand in the apartment in case I’m stuck here for a longer period of time.

I created my list with the help of Ready.gov as well as the lists of items within pre-made emergency kits that you can buy from any number of sources. I was thinking about buying a big plastic tub, but then I remembered the old rolling suitcase in my closet. The wheels are a bit wonky and I’m worried that it won’t last another round of rough baggage handling, but it absolutely would work for storing and transporting my emergency kit. Now I just need to buy things to fill the kit. Everything from food to first aid supplies to a spare set of clothing to a book of Sudoku puzzles to keep me occupied. (And perhaps a copy of Ulysses. I could read that book a million times and still find something new in it.)

I know that I’ve mentioned this before and I’ve just never done anything about it. I think that’s because it feels like an overwhelming task. After all, this list is pretty extensive. That said, if I do it in bits and pieces and make it my goal to have the kit completed by the end of the year, it becomes a lot easier to deal with. Plus I do have a lot of the items already – just not stashed in one place. I have a first aid kit and I have some cash stashed away. I’ve got water. And it’s not hard to put some cat food and cat litter into big ziplocs and stash them away. I often have extra deodorant and toothpaste in the house – I can just keep my “spare” in the emergency kit, as long as I replace it when I remove it. So that’s my goa. Emergency kit by the end of the year. I think it’s doable.

What sort of emergency kit do you have in place?

How’s your insurance coverage?

Megan — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:00:53 +0000

If you have a house, you probably have homeowners insurance, but for those of you who rent (or some condo owners), do you have renter’s insurance? Are you prepared if there is a fire, flood (broken water pipes, anyone), or theft?

Last week, my friend’s home was burglarized. We’re pretty sure that it was a planned job. They broke into her condo (getting through three separate locked doors), stole her gigantic flat screen tv, and while they were at it, grabbed her little 13 inch tv, her laptop, a backpack to put the smaller items in, and some bedding to cover the tv while they hauled it out of the building. Nothing else was touched. Her drawers hadn’t been rifled through, and the cash in her jewelry box was still there when she got home. They were in and out while she was gone, thankfully. She realized that her tv was probably visible from the street, making her a prime target.

She is, of course, having an alarm system installed this week.

But she’s lucky. She had insurance coverage, which will pay for the loss of these items. She even has her original receipts, something not all of us have access to. It made me re-think my loss-prevention plans. I have renter’s insurance. I have important papers inside a fire box squirreled away in a secret place in my apartment. But I’m not sure I have the original receipts for my television, for example. It’s a few years old, but would still be an expensive loss. My computer is easier – I ordered it online, so I can always go back into my account and pull up that receipt.

My friend is using this as a cautionary tale for herself and everyone she knows. Don’t be so complacent about your life and your safety. Have good insurance. Even if everything you own is junk – sure, that tv, couch, bed, and clothes aren’t worth much – but how much would it cost to replace it all? Close your blinds if you have an apartment visible from the street. Lock your windows (the investigators told her that her burglars came in through the door though). Maybe re-think sleeping with the windows open, depending on where you live. Just be aware of what’s around you and do what you can to stay safe.

Fire drill!

Megan — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:00:03 +0000

Quick! There’s a fire alarm going off right now! What do you grab?

I’ve thought about this at home, but at work is a different story. Earlier this week, we had a fire drill. It wasn’t like grade school where we know it’s coming. We had no idea, but it became pretty clear that it was just a drill. No big deal. So when the alarm went off, I grabbed my purse and headed for the stairs. While out in the parking lot, I was chatting with some of my co-workers. A number of them had been in a meeting when the alarm went off so they didn’t have their wallets or phones or keys with them. If it really was a fire, they wouldn’t know what to do or how to get home.

Of course, these were all women – the men conveniently had everything they needed shoved in pockets or fashionably clipped onto belts.

So that raises the question. Should you carry certain items on your person at all times? And if so, what? Personally, I lock my purse in a drawer through most of the day. But if I have to evacuate and can’t grab that, I’m stuck. At another job, I had a co-worker who carried around a little cell phone holder that held her phone, her keys, her ID and some money. That was all she needed if there was an emergency.

I’m not about to carry my purse around all day, though a co-worker mentioned that everyone did for a while after 9/11/01. Obviously, as people felt safe again, that fell off. But maybe I should think about carrying something. The question is what?

If I go with the bare minimum, all I really need is some money. That would get me on a metro ride home, and even though I wouldn’t have my apartment keys, I would still be wearing my ID badge from work, which is enough to prove that yes, I am who I say I am and maintenance will let me into my apartment. For a small fee, which I can pay later.

A better option would leave me with my cell phone, my license, my ATM card and possibly a credit card. I still think apartment keys are optional. Mostly because my keyring is so big that carrying that whole thing around all day sounds annoying. Of course, if I do that, it means taking my license, ATM card, and a credit card out of my wallet and putting them somewhere else, where I am more likely to lose them or forget them somewhere. Not a good plan.

So I’m not sure what the best option is. Stashing some cash inside my ID badge holder that I have to wear every day at work (which would be visible every time my badge is flipped around)? Actually using one of the nice leather portfolios I have instead of my awesome spiral notebook and keeping a credit card stashed in there and making sure I have it at every meeting? Some other option?

Do you have an evacuation plan at work? What would you grab if you were at your desk? What about if you’re away from your desk? Would you be prepared?