Taken from "In case of Emergency Read Blog"

Mike Coston, a friend of this blog, who writes the really terrific Avian Flu Diary suggests that every American have a “disaster buddy” as part of their preparedness planning.

In a post today, “In An Emergency, Who Has Your Back?”, Coston explains that such a buddy would be “someone who prearranges to help a friend, relative, or neighbor during a personal or local emergency.” It was an idea that Coston had originally for dealing with the flu (his expertise) and now believes could be useful for disaster preparedness in general. He writes:

We are truly only prepared as our friends, families, and surrounding community are. There are roles to play for everyone, including civic organizations, schools, and church…

Now – before a disaster occurs – is the time to sit down and talk to your friends, family, and neighbors about how you will help one another during a personal or community wide crisis…

Frankly, having (and being) a `Disaster Buddy’ to friends, neighbors, and relatives should be part of everyone’s family disaster plan…

This concept isn’t new of course. It is what friends, neighbors, and families have done for each other for thousands of years. Find it here:

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2010/07/in-emergency-who-has-your-back.html

Emergency Notification service for pets

In his blog Alerts & Notifications, Rick Wimberly has a short post about a company called Pets Guardian:

There’s a new emergency notification service for pets. Well, it’s not for notifying pets, but for notifications regarding pets when an emergency occurs…

Here’s how it works. If, say, emergency medical technicians respond to a call and residents are taken away, the EMTs will have a number to call to activate the notification system. It will then call friends or family pre-designated by the pet owners, instructing them to come get the pets. Signs would be posted around the house, providing the number and instruction to responders.

Or, if a subscriber wants, it can receive a daily check-in from Pets Guardian to confirm that the pet is OK.

Make a Plan for your Pets

September is National Preparedness Month, which is a great time to get your family and your family pet ready. This year, Oregon Emergency Management is focusing on changing perceptions about emergency preparedness from negative to positive.

Just because you plan ahead to be able to take care of yourself during a disaster doesn't mean you are thinking negatively. On the contrary, preparedness is a very positive step. For you pet's sake, preparing means getting an animal emergency supply kit and developing a pet-care buddy system.

Your pet kit should include the basics such as food, water, leash, collar, medicines, bedding, sanitary items, first aid kit, treats and toys. A good place to keep the kit is inside your pet carrier.

At www.ready.gov or by calling (800) BEREADY, pet owners can receive free emergency preparedness information. In addition, an instructional video is available at www.ready.gov/america/about/instructional.html that demonstrates how to make a plan for your pets.

Stop where you are right now and think!

On Friday, I attended a safety fair in Hillsboro and as we were handing out our standard preparedness information, we began to talk about disasters. LOL We always do, but this time, we gave ourselves a scenario.

We were over an hour from home and work. What if the big earthquake hit right then? What would we do first. Well obviously we would duck, cover and hold, but what about after?

The roads are probably closed due to power lines being down. The phones aren't working. There is no power for computers.

How do we check on our families? Do we have a family plan in place so that our children and loved ones know where to go or what to do if we are not around?

How do we get back to work? Those of us in Hillsboro work in emergency management and are needed at work when something happens.

Where will we stay if we can't get home for days? What will we eat when restaurants are closed - no ATMs working? Is the water still working in the building or will we need to find the hot water tank?

The chances of us not being at home or work when a big disaster strikes is pretty high. Truthfully for a moment, we - who work for emergency management - just stood there looking at each other. Then our brains kicked in and we decided the following was the best we could do.

First - protect ourselves and those around us.
Next - Help the injured
Try text messaging as that often works when cell phones don't
Listen to the radio in the car for information

If possible use the helicopter that was there on display to shuttle people where they need to be.
(that won't always be a possibility obviously)

Congregate in the nearest building that is safe.

Gather supplies - we were lucky, everyone had lots of supplies - it was a safety fair after all.

Determine our next steps based on information on the radio.

Now - wherever you are right this minute - what would you do if the big one happened NOW?
Studies have shown that the people who have thought through these situations are the ones who survive because the other just freeze up.

You don't want to have to think in an emergency - plan ahead. Talk it over.