Green Valley Preparedness Fair - Handouts!

Thanks to all those who worked SO hard to make this event a success!! As promised here are links to the handouts from the Preparedness Fair. Just click on the link and it will take you to Google Drive where you can download the handouts. 

Water Storage and Purification

Home First Aid Kit

72 Hour Kit - Example

72 Hour Kit - Preparation 

72 Hour Kit - Food Example

Preparedness Fair Tasters Table Recipes

Canning Class by Linda Thomas

90 Day Pantry - Menu Plan

90 Day Pantry - 3 Steps of Purchasing

Sprouting Basics (Powerpoint format)

The Ultimate 72-Hour Kit (Article Link)

Sportsman's News has a great article about 72-Hour Kits by Dan Kidder. 

Family Emergency Plan

Download the Family Emergency Plan from Ready.gov!

Meet with your family and discuss why you need to prepare for disaster. Explain the dangers of fire, severe weather, and earthquakes to children. Plan to share responsibilities and work together as a team.

Discuss the types of disasters that are most likely to happen. Explain what to do in each case.
Pick two places to meet:

• Right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency, like a fire.
• Outside your neighborhood in case you can't return home. Everyone must know the address and phone number.

Ask an out-of-state friend to be your "family contact." After a disaster, it's often easier to call long distance. Other family members should call this person and tell them where they are. Everyone must know your contact's phone number.

Discuss what to do in an evacuation. Plan how to take care of your pets.

Complete this Check list

• Post emergency telephone numbers by phones (fire, police, ambulance, etc.).
• Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1 or your local Emergency Medical Services number for emergency help.
• Show each family member how and when to turn off the utilities (water, gas, and electricity) at the main switches.
• Check if you have adequate insurance coverage.
• Get training from the fire department for each family member on how to use the fire extinguisher (ABC type), and show them where it's kept.
• Install smoke detectors on each level of your home, especially near bedrooms.
• Conduct a home hazard hunt.
• Stock emergency supplies and assemble a Disaster Suplies Kit (72 hour kit).
• Take a Red Cross first aid and CPR class.
• Determine the best escape routes from your home. Find two ways out of each room.
• Find the safe places in your home for each type of disaster.
• Practice and Maintain Your Plan
• Quiz your kids every six months or so.
• Conduct fire and emergency evacuations.
• Replace stored water and stored food every six months.
• Test and recharge your fire extinguisher(s) according to manufacturer's instructions.
• Test your smoke detectors monthly and change the batteries at least once a year.

www.redcross.org

Natural Disasters in Nevada

A disaster is when needs exceeds resources. Some examples of natural disasters in Nevada are:

• Flash Floods & Floods

• Earthquakes - We may not feel all the small earthquakes we get, but Nevada is 3rd highest in the US for earthquake activity. On FEMA.gov Nevada is listed as a "Very High Risk" for earthquakes

• Thunderstorms and Lightning

• Tornado - Nevada does get tornados, however they are very small, usually a 1 or a 2.

• Wind

• Winter Storms - Rare in Las Vegas/Henderson, but when it does happen, it affects us greatly! Las Vegas does NOT have snow plows, sand, etc.

• Extreme Temperatures - For Nevada we have an average of 22 days a year above 110 degrees!
  • 150 Days above 90 degrees
  • 97 Days above 100 degrees
  • 22 Days above 110 degrees
  • 35 Days below freezing

Shelter in Place

Whether you are at home, work or elsewhere, there may be situations when it's simply best to stay where you are and avoid any uncertainty outside.

There are other circumstances when staying put and creating a barrier between yourself and potentially contaminated air outside, a process known as "sealing the room," is a matter of survival. Use available information to assess the situation. If you see large amounts of debris in the air, or if local authorities say the air is badly contaminated, you may want to take this kind of action.

The process used to seal the room is considered a temporary protective measure to create a barrier between you and potentially contaminated air outside. It is a type of sheltering in place that requires preplanning.

To "Shelter In Place And Seal The Room"

• Bring your family and pets inside.
• Lock doors, close windows, air vents and fireplace dampers.
• Turn off fans, air conditioning and forced air heating systems.
• Take your emergency supply kit unless you have reason to believe it has been contaminated.
• Go into an interior room with few windows, if possible.
• Seal all windows, doors and air vents with plastic sheeting and duct tape. Consider measuring and cutting the sheeting in advance to save time.
• Be prepared to improvise and use what you have on hand to seal gaps so that you create a barrier between yourself and any contamination.
• Local authorities may not immediately be able to provide information on what is happening and what you should do. However, you should watch TV, listen to the radio or check the Internet often for official news and instructions as they become available.

information from Ready.gov

Stove in a Can

Stores for 5 yrs and burns for 6 hours

Supplies:

• 1 new quart size Paint Can with lid (can be purchased at ACE, Lowes or Home Depot)
• 1 roll Toilet Paper (cheap kind and NOT jumbo sized)
• 1 bottle 70% rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl not ethyl)
• 12 oz can (chunk chicken type) with holes drilled in and vents cut around bottom, or #10 can w/vents (we used a #10 can)
• paint can opener (free from Lowes or Home Depot)

Directions:

1. Remove cardboard roll from inside toilet paper and discard
2. Fold toilet paper to fit inside the paint can
3. SLOWLY pour rubbing alcohol over toilet paper until covered.
4. Cover tightly with lid. Tap it down with a rubber hammer and it won't leak.

The first page of this PDF is a printout of the Stove in a Can. You can cut the bottom off and glue it to your can for future reference.

Here you can see how the stove (the small can) can fit inside a #10 can.

Your cooking pan will fit right on top. Make sure your #10 can has enough holes for ventilation. The PDF pictures shows a 12 oz can used for cooking.

Snap on your lid from the #10 can and it can hold your matches and a small paint can opener. You'll need the paint can opener to get your stove open.

Make sure you hammer down your top with a rubber mallet. It will create a seal, so the alcohol won't leak out of your stove when it's being stored.

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

This would be a great course to take to help with Emergency Preparedness! Classes are FREE and you can register for the 6 week course here . I don't see any available classes in Henderson right now, but there are some for October - December located at Losee Rd and also in Boulder City.

"In Southern Nevada CERT training began in 1999. The first course was held in Sun City Summerlin and graduated 12 students. We offer between 18-and 20 courses each year throughout Southern Nevada at Community Centers, Churches, and other facilities provided by the groups sponsoring a course. If your group consists of 15-32 individuals we can tailor a course specifically for it.

The Community Emergency Response Team concept was developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) in 1985. The Whittier Narrows earthquake in 1987 underscored the area-wide threat of a major disaster in California. Further, it confirmed the need for training civilians to meet their immediate needs. As a result, the LAFD created the Disaster Preparedness Division with the purpose of training citizens and private and government employees.

The training program that LAFD initiated makes good sense and furthers the process of citizens understanding their responsibility in preparing for disaster. It also increases their ability to safely help themselves, their family and their neighbors. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recognizes the importance of preparing citizens. The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) and the National Fire Academy adopted and expanded the CERT materials believing them applicable to all hazards.

The CERT course will benefit any citizen who takes it. This individual will be better prepared to respond to and cope with the aftermath of a disaster. Additionally, if a community wants to supplement its response capability after a disaster, civilians can be recruited and trained as neighborhood, business, and government teams that, in essence, will be auxiliary responders. These groups can provide immediate assistance to victims in their area, organize spontaneous volunteers who have not had the training, and collect disaster intelligence that will assist professional responders with prioritization and allocation of resources following a disaster. Since 1993 when this training was made available nationally by FEMA, communities in 28 States and Puerto Rico have conducted CERT training."

Utility Shut Off and Safety

Thank you Lee Lloyd for allowing me to post this on our blog (and thanks to Melissa for sending me Lee Lloyds information in the first place!)

WHAT IF DISASTER STRIKES?

In the event of a disaster, you may be instructed to shut off the utility service at your home.
Do you know how to turn off your main water valve? Your electricity? Your gas?

Attached is some information that will help you in a natural disaster or even a problem that could become a disaster in your home at anytime such as a leaky water heater, faucet, tripped circuit, gas leak and many other problems. Just become familiar with these 3 things (water, natural gas, electricity) to protect your home, yourself, pets, and/or your family. It only takes 5 minutes to learn where these things are and 5 seconds or less for a disaster to destroy everything.

*The pictures on the attached email are actual photo’s from my (Lee Lloyds) house. Most all of yours should look very similar.

Here is the 3 page PDF for you to print out and learn how to shut off your utilities!