Sept 2022: Emergency bathroom & hygiene

 

Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness

Sept 2022 – Emergency Bathroom & Hygiene

Last month we started making 72-hour kits by getting a backpack for each family member. This month we will add our first emergency supplies into our kits.

What is the very first thing you will need in a large emergency? You can survive about a week without food, and about 3 days without water. The very first thing you will need is a bathroom—you can only go a few hours without one, especially if you have children.

 

Week #1—Gather the Supplies

If you lose city water or sewer during an emergency, you will not be able to flush the toilet. Add these items into your 72-hour kit so you can make an emergency toilet.

·       2 5-gallon Bucket ($3 - $5)

·       Toilet Seat for 5-gallon Bucket (plastic, $13 - $15) (or pool noodle)

·       Garbage Bags (heavy duty kitchen)

·       Kitty Litter, Pine Bedding, or both (2 large bags, scented)

·       Toilet Paper (in plastic)

·       Paper Towels (in plastic)

·       Hand Wipes or Sanitizer

Week #2—Make an Emergency Toilet

For a 6 minute video about the 2 bucket system, click here.

Supply info here. (In an extended disaster, bury the bags rather than storing them as she says in the video.)

Line the 5-gallon bucket with 2 garbage bags. To control smells, put some kitty litter or pine bedding in at the start and after each use. Snap the plastic toilet seat on the bucket and close the lid (or use pool noodle).

If your home is otherwise habitable, you can line the toilet in your home instead of a 5-gallon bucket. Plug the toilet bowl hole with a flexible rubber ball before putting the bag in the toilet bowl. 

Replace the garbage bag at least once a day. Securely tie the top of the bag and bury or store outside.

Week #3—Gather Other Bathroom Items

Get personal hygiene supplies for each family member and put them in their individual 72-hour backpacks.

·       Tissues (in plastic)

·       Comb or Brush

·       Toothbrush, Toothpaste, and Dental Floss

·       Mouthwash and Deodorant (travel size)

·       Wash Cloth

·       Mirror (small)

·       Feminine Hygiene Products

·       Cleaning Solution for Glasses/Contacts

·       Diapers, Baby Wipes, and Diaper Rash Cream

·       Litter Box and Poop Bags (for pets)

Week 4—Shave, Shower, and Laundry

Most people can easily go 3 days without shaving, showering, or doing laundry. However, if you would like to stay clean or prepare for longer emergencies, buy shave, shower, and laundry supplies for camping. For a 3 minute video, click here. (sorry about the audio…but the info is good.)

 

Extra Credit:

For more Utah-specific and in-depth videos on sanitation in a disaster, see the First Responder Mom videos and how to plug drain holes here.

 

Neighborhood Radio Net: Sunday, Sept 11: Participate in a GMRS Radio Net on the 2^nd Sunday (Sept 11th) at 4 pm). Eric & Amy Dennison will be available to answer questions about the GMRS radios. If you have a GMRS radio, we can do a test and help you get started using it.

Zoom link: https://byui.zoom.us/s/4366630502 (Join as attendee)

August 2022 – Start (or refresh) your 72-Hour Kit/Go Bag

 

Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness

August 2022 – 72-Hour Kit

Last month we finished making our general emergency plan. This month we’ll start the most important aspect of emergency preparedness, a 72-hour kit.

Week #1—Commit to Make a 72-hour Kit

During a large emergency (like a major earthquake) utilities, services, and even roads can be disrupted for an extended period of time. It can take three days for FEMA and the Red Cross to set up emergency shelters and distribute supplies.

During this time, you’ll need a 72-hour kit for each person in your household.

Ideas for what to put in kit:

-BYU Women’s Conference list: https://womensconference.byu.edu/sites/womensconference.ce.byu.edu/files/14d.pdf

- https://beready.utah.gov/family-preparedness/get-a-kit-family/

Week #2— Decide Where to Keep It

Based on your situation, decide where to store your 72-hour kit.

·       Camper or Motorhome—If you have a camper or motorhome and you store it on your property during the winter, then you could easily move into it if your home is not habitable.

·       Car—If the emergency happens while you are away from home, you will probably have your car with you. However, you need to insulate perishable items, like food and water, from hot and cold temperatures.

·       Garage or Shed—Because your home could be destroyed by fire or earthquake, you may want to keep emergency supplies in your garage or in a shed.

·       Home—Store it close to an exit, where you can quickly grab it if you need to leave in a hurry.

Week #3—Get a Backpack for Each Person

Because you may need to relocate to an emergency shelter or hotel, get a backpack, duffel bag, or suitcase for each person in your household. Make sure it is large enough for all your emergency supplies. If it is not waterproof, then store it off the floor so it will stay dry.

Week #4—Don’t Borrow from Your Kit

Have your 72-hour kit be for emergencies only. If you borrow items and forget to put them back, then you won’t have them when you need them the most.

Extra Credit—Buy a Premade Kit

If you can afford it, buying a premade 72-hour kit is a quick way to get some basic emergency supplies. If not, you can save money by making your own kit as we talk about it in the newsletters this year. However, don’t assume the kit contains everything you need, especially if it’s inexpensive. Also, make sure you know how to use all the items in your kit.

Neighborhood Radio Net: Sunday, August 14

Participate in a GMRS Radio Net on the 2^nd Sunday (August 14th) at 4 pm). The first several sessions will be on Zoom and will be informal. Eric & Amy Dennison will be available to answer questions about the GMRS radios. If you have a GMRS radio, we can do a test and help you get started using it.

Zoom link: https://byui.zoom.us/s/4366630502 (Join as attendee)

July 2022 Newsletter- Make a Plan Part 2

 

Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness

July 2022 – Make a Plan (Part II)

Week #1—Set your Budget

Decide how much of your monthly budget will go toward emergency preparedness.  Over the next 2 years, $10 - $20 a month can make a difference! If you would like more than you can afford, tell friends and relatives you would like emergency preparedness items for birthdays and Christmas. For a 2 minute video: https://tinyurl.com/2d6tp82b

Week #2- Participate in a Neighborhood Net

https://onesteptoprep.blogspot.com/2022/05/how-to-participate-in-gmrs-radio.html

Participate in a GMRS Radio Net on the 2^nd Sunday (July 10^th) at 4 pm). The first several sessions will be on Zoom and will be informal. Eric & Amy Dennison will be available to answer questions about the GMRS radios. If you have a GMRS radio, we can do a test and help you get started using it.

Zoom link: https://byui.zoom.us/s/4366630502 (Join as attendee)

Week #3 —Neighborhood Info and Emergency Alerts

·       Provide information about equipment or skills that would be useful in an emergency and about the needs of your family.

o   https://tinyurl.com/3te7zybe

·       Sign up for emergency alerts from Sandy City to get information about local hazards, severe weather and other emergencies.

o   https://sandy.utah.gov/1748/My-Alerts-Emergency-Routine-Alerts

·       Download the Red Cross Emergency app  for emergency alerts for our area and other places you care about. It has information on how to prepare for all kinds of emergencies and the location of emergency shelters.

o   https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/mobile-apps.html

·       If you are disabled, handicapped, or have special needs, use the Utah State Special Needs Registry (call 211 or visit www.SpecialNeedsUtah.org). Personal information is shared with emergency responders so they can serve you better during small emergencies. However, during large emergencies they will be overwhelmed, so make other plans too.

Week 4- Prepare Children (and grandchildren!)

During an emergency, kids need a sense of security. They will feel safer if you involve them in your emergency planning. Make sure they know how to call 911 and to only do it during a real emergency. Most important, during an emergency, stay calm and talk about positive things. This will reassure them and help them feel safe.

https://www.ready.gov/kids

Extra Credit- Plan for Pets

Most emergency shelters do not take pets. Sometimes they can accommodate them, but you should not depend on it. If you need to evacuate, will you take your pets to a friend/relative’s house, pet boarding business, or stay in a pet friendly hotel (instead of the shelter)? Because some roads may be blocked or bridges may be unstable, you should have several options.

You will need vet records, pet carrier, leash, and pet food. You should have your phone number on their collar, an implanted pet chip, and a current picture of your pet. For a 3 minute video, click here. https://tinyurl.com/269yyvb3

 

Contact: Amy Dennison amymorris@gmail.com

onesteptoprep.blogspot.com

We are in this together!

 Have you been feeling like this lately?

                                    Or this? 

• Natural disaster or manmade challenges
•  Earthquake
•  Pandemic
•  Job loss/reduction
•  Loss of the person in your family who knows how the bills are paid
•  Inflation and supply chain disruption

2021 statistics for Sandy City

• 96,000 people over 22 square miles
• 7 fire departments: 80 full time, 30 volunteer=110
• https://www.firedepartment.net/directory/utah/salt-lake-county/sandy/sandy-city-fire-department
• 117 police officers
• https://www.police1.com/law-enforcement-directory/police-departments/sandy-city-police-department-sandy-city-UT-e1KGbAJ49h9vLO20/

117 + 110= 227 emergency response people divided by 96,000 people = 1 response person for every 422 people in Sandy

…plus Costco, the soccer stadium, the mall, and other shopping centers within Sandy. In a disaster, priority will be given to places with higher density of people. 

Convenience is the first thing lost in an emergency. Prepare now to in order to be capable when things are not convenient.

The more we can help each other, the better off we’ll be.

CERT: Community Emergency Response Training

Sandy City: https://sandy.utah.gov/1362/CERT

$15, meets over several weeks

Draper City: https://www.draperutah.gov/627/CERT

$35, hybrid- online and in-person

JUNE 2022 Willows Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness

Make a Plan (Part I) 

The best resource we have during an emergency is each other as neighbors! The biggest roadblock we have to being prepared and being able to help each other is feeling overwhelmed.

This monthly newsletter will help you complete small steps to become prepared for an emergency. The challenge for the week take around 5–15 minutes. If you complete the challenge step each week, in two years your home and family will be better prepared for an emergency.

 

Here are the first few steps for this month. Let’s do this together so our neighborhood will be prepared!

 

Week #1—Decide to Prepare

Disasters can strike at any time without warning. The more you prepare, the better off you’ll be. Discuss the importance of emergency preparedness with your family and commit to spend a few minutes each week preparing. Talk about what you can accomplish if you spend a little time each week, and how good it will feel to be prepared!

 

Week #2—Choose your Meeting Spot

Talk about where you’ll meet in the case of an emergency.

Pick two meeting places—one right outside your home for when your home isn’t safe and another a little farther away for when our neighborhood isn’t safe.

If you have children in school, talk with them about what they should do if you are not able to get to the school to pick them up. Plan a designated route for them to walk home.

Bonus: Plan a designated route for family members who commute to work, so you’d know where to find them as needed.

 

Week #3—Create a Family PACE Plan

Determine your family communication PACE plan: Primary, Alternate, Contingency and Emergency communication. How will you communicate if there is no cell service?

 

Week #4—Emergency Contact Card

Fill out and print the Emergency Contact Card for each family member. Have each family member put the card in their wallet, purse, backpack, etc.

https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/National/m4240194_ECCard.pdf

 

Extra Credit 1:

Fill out the Family Emergency Communication Plan from Ready.gov:

https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/family-emergency-communication-plan.pdf

Extra Credit 2: Sign up for CERT training

-          Sandy City: https://sandy.utah.gov/1362/CERT

o   $15, meets over several weeks

-          Draper City: https://www.draperutah.gov/627/CERT

o   $35, hybrid- online and in-person

 

Family Emergency Communication PACE Plan

1. Communication Goals

·       Reunite with loved ones

·       Establish communication within your preparedness group

·       If needed, call out for assistance from further away

·       Coordinate with others for information exchange and support requests

·       These plans are all effective for non-emergencies (off-roading, camping, if cell towers are congested, etc.)

        2. Every family should have a PACE plan for communication

     3. Contingency Communication Options

 4. How to get your GMRS license

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuX_zx35VpU

     5.       How will we learn how to use these radios?

    Stay tuned for more info about “nets” (meeting at a pre-designated time and frequency). Our first few “nets” will be over Zoom so we can help you.

Recommended FRS and GMRS Radios

The recommendations below will allow you to charge your radio when grid power is off. These radios can be powered with USB-C cables and the cigarette lighter adapter added in order to plug it into your car. (You may already have this to power your phone.)

·       FRS: (2 pack) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqvhGXLAgTM
·       Handy-talkies (handheld) GMRS:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOO6jL0duCk

o      Cigarette lighter adapter - https://www.amazon.com/Charger-Ainope-Aluminum-Charging-Compatible/dp/B0795DJXNH/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=car%2Blighter%2Badapter&qid=1653361437&sr=8-7&th=1

OR- Handy-talkie GMRS Family Pack: https://www.buytwowayradios.com/btwr-essentials-pk-gmrs.html
·       Mobile GMRS (to use in a car) https://www.buytwowayradios.com/midland-mxt115.html .

·       For an upgraded antenna: click the "accessories" tab and select the Midland MXTA26A 6db gain antenna and also select the MXTA12 Mag Mount. 
·       This radio and antenna will allow you greater transmitting power.  In an urban environment the upgraded antenna is helpful to overcome line-of-sight obstructions and power line interference.

 

Hand-held GMRS radios will allow for communication, but have a limited range

Radio reviews from Eric:

These are only recommendations.  Feel free to shop around and get what suits you.

I would advise that the GMRS radio be repeater capable too.  I suggest that you have a way to charge your radio when grid power is off.  That is why these recommendations include radios that can be powered with USB-C cables and the cigarette lighter adapter added in order to plug it into your car. (You may already have this to power your phone.)

I have personal experience with the Beofeng G11s - nice audio, sturdy feel, but I had to spend some time programming it out of the box in order to communicate with non-Beofeng radios.  Be advised.  

I also tried the Radioddity GM-30 - nice radio, ready out of the box, minimal fine-tuning, the manual is easy to understand and follow. 

I really like the transmit and receive audio of the Wouxan KG905g.  Good manual too.  Of course, it's the most money of the three that I have tried, but the adage "you get what you pay for '' really applies to handheld radios. I would think the KG805g is a strong performer for $20 less.  I only got the 905g for the larger battery capacity.

There are many other FRS radios available online and off-the-shelf from many retailers. In most cases they would be sufficient for immediate neighborhood communication.

·    If items are out of stock, go ahead and order. Orders are filled as inventory comes in.

Remember:  FRS and GMRS handy-talkies (HT's) share (overlap) channels 1-15. Channels 15-22 allow for 50 watt power usage.  Channels 23-30 are reserved for repeater use and 50 watts output power. Please take the time to watch this video, it explains it well.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVdAgAZgFLM&t=32s