It’s hard to believe Sunday marked the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Just days before the attacks the United Nations program that I was involved in at Alma College had sent a few of my very close friends to New York for fall internships. As I was preparing for class that morning, watching the news and drying my hair I saw both of the planes hit the towers. I ran down the hall and told all of the girls to get out of the showers (we had community bathrooms) because there was an emergency. Alma closed classes that day and many of us watched the 9/11 coverage together in a large classroom. A few days after the attacks we picked up our friends that were just sent to NY for internships at the train station (because they couldn’t fly). We asked my friend Jen what she wanted to do when we got back to campus and she said “let’s go dancing”, and we did. That day has and will change our country forever, I am so thankful for all of the troops that have fought to protect my freedom over the last 10 years.
September is Emergency Preparedness Month and my friends and professional organizing colleagues Megan McGlynn and Melissa Stacey and myself are holding an free emergency planning workshop. During the workshop we will:
- Learn how to prepare an emergency kit in order to sustain oneself and their family for three days without utilities, electricity, and water service
- Create a family emergency plan
- Learn how to take a basic inventory of your home in order to expedite the insurance claims process after disaster strikes; and identify sources of information in the community that will be helpful before, during and after an emergency.
Please join us tomorrow, September 14th from 4-5pm at the
Campbell Library, 77 Harrison Avenue in Campbell California.
Because my specialty is home organization I am going to be talking about the emergency kit. It doesn’t matter where you live, you are susceptible to an earthquake, hurricane, snow storm, power outage, flood, etc. and any of these things could leave you and your family stranded at home for a few days without power or electricity.
Before I talk about the emergency kit you need to have in your home and today’s fantastic giveaway, I want to talk about the emergency kit you should have in your car. An emergency could happen while you are driving so it is smart to have a small tub in your trunk with a few emergency essentials.
This is what my emergency kit for my car looks like, it has a blanket, an extra pair of sneakers and socks (just in case I am wearing heels or sandals and need to vacate my car and walk), a flashlight, a power flare, and water.
Next let’s talk about emergency kits for your pet. This is my emergency kit for Harper, it contains a towel, food, water, and extra food dish, a leash, a toy, and her medicine (she has terrible allergies so Children’s Benadryl is a staple). I keep her kit stored next to my emergency home kit, it is stored in a small bin so I could carry it with us if we had to evacuate.
Now let’s talk about the home emergency kit. Living in California I thought more people would have an emergency kit in their homes but I rarely see one. When I ask my clients why they don’t have one they say they don’t worry about emergencies or they don’t know how to create one, or they have been meaning to set one up but they just keep forgetting. How many of you have an extra supply of food, water, and emergency items in your homes?
This is what my kit looks like. It is recommended you have supplies stored in air-tight tubs or on shelves in your garage or basement. Mine are stored in a cabinet in our garage. It holds all of our essentials and it is easy access to the kitchen if I need to replace or store extra items. I also keep a duffel bag on top just in case I need to leave my house during an emergency.
Here are the items that should be in your kit, this list comes directly from FEMA.
- Three-day supply of non-perishable food.
- Three-day supply of water – one gallon of water per person, per day.
- Portable, battery-powered radio or television and extra batteries.
- Flashlight and extra batteries.
- First aid kit and manual.
- Sanitation and hygiene items (moist towelettes and toilet paper).
- Matches and waterproof container.
- Whistle.
- Extra clothing.
- Kitchen accessories and cooking utensils, including a can opener.
- Photocopies of credit and identification cards.
- Cash and coins.
- Special needs items, such as prescription medications, eye glasses, contact lens solutions, and hearing aid batteries.
- Items for infants, such as formula, diapers, bottles, and pacifiers.
- Other items to meet your unique family needs.
Depending on your climate, this items might come in handy too…
- Jacket or coat.
- Long pants.
- Long sleeve shirt.
- Sturdy shoes.
- Hat, mittens, and scarf.
- Sleeping bag or warm blanket (per person)
I stock my kit with non-perishable food from Costco because it comes in bulk. I chose items that we would eat normally like tuna, protein bars, peanut butter, fruit cups, canned chili, canned beans, and pasta.
There is also an extra pair of shoes, towels and blankets, moist wipes, and at least 3 days worth of water. If you have a pool or live next to someone who has a pool think about investing in a high quality water filter
Flashlights and a radio with extra batteries and a Powerflare, first aid kit, and toilet paper. If you have never heard of Powerflare go to their website, it is a much safer alternative to a flare.
Whenever I buy new blankets like these, I add the old ones to my emergency kit.
As important as it is to have an emergency kit, don’t forget to do these things to maintain your kit…
- Keep canned foods in a dry place where the temperature is cool.
- Store boxed food in tightly closed plastic or metal containers to protect from pests and to extend its shelf life.
- Throw out any canned good that becomes swollen, dented, or corroded.
- Use foods before they go bad, and replace them with fresh supplies.
- Place new items at the back of the storage area and older ones in the front.
- Change stored food and water supplies every six months. Be sure to write the date you store it on all containers.
- Re-think your needs every year and update your kit as your family needs change.
- Keep items in airtight plastic bags and put your entire disaster supplies kit in one or two easy-to-carry containers, such as an unused trashcan, camping backpack, or duffel bag.
Giveaway
Last but not least, let’s talk about the giveaway. It can be costly to set up an emergency kit but that shouldn’t be an excuse. Kuzak’s Closet will be giving away a $50 gift card to either Costco or Wal-Mart (the winner’s choice) so that they can stock up on emergency essentials.
There are 3 ways to win, if you do ALL 3 you can triple your chances of winning so please enter to win today!
- Become a fan on Facebook
- Follow me publicly on Google Friend Connect
- Comment on this post and tell me why where you were on 9/11
I will be announcing the winner on my Facebook Fan Page this Friday, September 16th!
39 comments :
Wow…these are great ideas. On 9-11 I was sleeping at home and had a 1 month old baby. My husband took our 1.5 yr old out to get new shoes and came back and woke me up to tell me what happened. I spent the rest of the day watching the news, crying and praying!
I was working in my office in Kirksville, MO. When the other dentist told me about the planes flying into the building, I thought it was the beginning of a joke. I watched the news for weeks with each patient that came into the office. Most interesting to watch was the Amish reaction to the entire event. They saw it once (maybe twice) on the day it happened at their neighbors' homes. They weren't quite sure who many of the “important players” were (ie, Rudy Guliani or George Bush). Strange to see their lives so minimally affected while our lives changed forever!
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I was a sophomore in college. I was asleep on the top bunk of our bed when my roommate came in and turned on our tv. It took lots of phone calls and news reports to get the whole story. So scary. So proud of those who have fought for the country in the last 10 years.
I hadn't thought of a kit for Mr Tobin; I need to do a kit for him AND us!
I was on my way to work and remember picturing a small prop plane hitting the building. Once I got to my office we were casually on CNN.com and yahoo.com but weren't getting much info. When the 2nd plane hit I ran to my mom's office (we worked together at the museum); my brother lives in Brooklyn and worked at South Street Seaport (his office has since moved). We found out later that morning that he and my sister in-law were fine and hadn't yet left for work. We spent many hours during the rest of the day in the open lounge area watching a tv we brought in from a classroom.
The next day, myself and my coworker at lunch at a neighborhood restaurant owned by a Jordanian family; we felt that it was important to support a local business owned by a family from the Middle East. It was our way of telling them that we were not going to make assumptions about every person of Arab decent. I'm not sure they knew why we ate there that day but we did. I've always felt that it was the patriotic thing to do.
Thanks for including a can opener in your list! I used to inspect emergency kits for child care facilities, and almost everyone forgot to put a can opener in their kit! Kind of hard to get into the tuna fish without a can opener!
I was just still asleep (in Alaska) when the first plane hit the first tower. We were awakened by a phone call from a friend and turned on the TV. I was driving my daughter to school and then heading to work when the first tower collapsed. We watched the tragedy on a large screen TV in our conference room. We still had patients to see, and our duties to attend to, but it was hard to concentrate on the matters at hand. My husband (who works for the Diocese of Juneau) had taken the day off because he had conducted a workshop that weekend. He headed to work and coordinated an evening prayer service. My son, who was nine at the time, drew picture after picture of the burning towers, of fire fighters, of the planes, and of the Pentagon. It was his way of processing the terrible events. I will never forget that day.
I was about to go for a run and as I pulled into the parking lot, the radio people came on and said there was some kind of situation in NYC. A plane had hit a building. I only ran for about 30 minutes that day and by the time I got back in my car it was full on, wall to wall coverage on the radio. I went right home and watched the second plane hit the second tower on TV. Horrifying.
Every day is a gift.
We were on the west coast so still getting ready for work in the morning when my sister called to find out if my husband was home or on a business trip. Fortunately, he was home and we immediately turned on the radio.
I was sitting in a class as a student! ( I hated the class) but was proud to be in the army reserve at the time. I served overseas the year after during OIF/OEF
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I was on my way to class and was listening to the radio and didn't understand why they weren't playing any music. When I got to class they told me it was cancelled and why. I couldn't believe it. I drove home and got my husband up in time to see the towers fall.
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On 9/11, I was a senior in college. I normally didn't turn the TV on before I went to class, but I did that day. It was shocking.
Great idea about a pet emergency kit…never thought of that!
On 9/11, I was in our new apartment just outside of Cleveland searching for jobs online and e-mailing back and forth about an interview appointment. My hubby was at work and called to let me know to turn on the tv. Once I turned it on, I was in a state of shock. Especially after I learned that the plane that crashed in PA was in Cleveland airspace before getting back on course the other direction toward DC.
This year, on 9/11, I was explaining that day to my 5- & 6-year-old, which was tough. I thought it was time for them to know.
I remember watching the 9/11 news on television back home in India. The news shocked not only the Americans but people round the globe! The pain was felt by all.
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On 9/11 I had just recently lost my job and was down in the dumps. As soon as I saw the news that morning I knew that my life would be okay again, but so many others would be changed forever.
sally.lustig@yahoo.com
On 9/11 I was getting ready for school in my room. My dad shouted for me to come upstairs quick to see what was going on. I wish I would have gotten to see the live footage but I had to leave for school…a day I will always remember.
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On September 11, 2001 I was getting ready for school. I had just started seventh grade. I remember asking my mom to explain what was happening, I didn't understand what terrorism was. I wish it were still like that.
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I was home sick from school. My mom was calling over and over and over until I answered. She asked me not to turn on the tv until she got home so she could explain everything to me. I was about 13 and couldn't understand how people could have such strong hate in their heart for others. It was an extremly sad day and one that I will never forget.
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I was actually at my church working that morning before going to my full time job
Michellephillips@frontiernet.net
I was at my boyfriend now husbands parents house and we didn't have the TV on and my friend Heather called and started asking me what do you think was going on? and I said I don't know what you are talking about. She told me and I ran to the TV in disbelief. I remember driving back to my parents house from Sterling Heights all by myself because Rob had to work at his job at Onstar at the time. That day was was changeling for him because he was giving direction to subscribers on how to get out of New York. I just remember driving to my parents and wondering if something else was going to happen while I was in my car.
I was in graduate school and had a 9 A.M. class, so it wasn't until the next class that people had heard what happened and were discussing it–by then, the Pentagon and both towers had been hit. After the second class, TVs had been moved out into the hallway and we all gathered to watch the news coverage.
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I had to feature this for all the great information you included. THanks for linking to the party.
My college days was running, I was asleep on the top bunk of bed when my roommate came in and turned on our tv. It took lots of phone calls and news reports to get the whole story. So scary. So proud of those who have fought for the country in the last 10 years.
I was teaching a class of 2nd and 3rd graders in Texas and my middle son called me from the HS and told me about the first plane and then the 2nd plane hit while we were talking. Tried to see what was happening on the internet before the school shut the access down.
I already told you how great this project is so it should come as no surprise that I will be featuring you on this weeks Amaze Me Monday, Before reading It I thought It is very hard to do.
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I remember watching the news on 9/11 on TV back home in India. The news shocked Americans not only round but people around the world! The pain was felt by all.
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