Search Results for: blog preparing for emergencies

Preparing for Pet Emergencies

When I prepared my house for Hurricane Irene last year I gathered all of the essential supplies. I had a plan for how to evacuate with my pets in case it was necessary, although I really didn’t think the flooding would get that bad in my area. Still, I was prepared. Another thing I did while I still had my power and access to the Internet was to make sure that I had the local emergency veterinary services number written down. We all know what number to dial when we have a human medical emergency, but do we have that … Continue reading →

Preparing for a Powerful Snowstorm

All along the east coast, from Delaware through the New England state, families are bracing for a powerful snowstorm that may bring many inches of snow. Already snow has landed in Georgia, an unusual occurrence. Cities and states are declaring states of emergencies, even before the first snowflake has fallen. Here in my little part of Pennsylvania, we are expecting somewhere around 12 to 14 inches of the white stuff. While we don’t usually freak out about snow, the reality is that once you get a prediction past six inches here, it is time to make the preparations to ensure … Continue reading →

Planning for Pets When Emergencies Call You Away: A Checklist

Yesterday I wrote about what we’d do with our pets if an emergency called us away. Do you know what you’d do? Do you have a plan in place? If not, I created a list of things to think about and prepare for ahead of time. 1) If you take your pets with you, will you have a place to stay that welcomes them too? If you won’t be staying with relatives (or can’t), make a list of pet-friendly hotels in the area. (Before you need them, but confirm the pet-friendly status still exists when you book your room.) Use … Continue reading →

Code Red: Planning for Pets When Emergencies Call You Away

This has been in the back of my mind for a while now because Wayne’s grandparents are in their mid-80s and my parents are in their mid-70s. They all live in Denver, and while Wayne’s grandparents are relatively healthy, my parents have both been struggling with increasingly declining health. So I’ve been trying to put some plans in place in case we get the worst call any person can ever get. Just yesterday I asked Wayne what we would do in such an emergency. “You shouldn’t think like that. You attract what you think about, you know.” “I know, but … Continue reading →

Single Parents and Emergencies Two

As I said before, single parents aren’t immune to emergencies. Apparently, every spring, someone sets fire to the field across the street from our new house. We didn’t know that when we bought our house, and though it wouldn’t have changed our minds, at least we would have been forewarned. A couple of weeks ago, my brother needed a ride to work, but I told him he needed to wait while I threw in a load of laundry. When we stepped out the back door, we both immediately smelled smoke, if I wouldn’t have thrown in that load, we wouldn’t … Continue reading →

Preparing For A Puppy

Puppies are so soft and adorable, aren’t they? I remember when we first got ours I rarely kept my hands off of her. They have that little puppy smell and all you want to do is love on them. Watching them waddle around, getting use to their new environment is such a joy. They tire so easily and when they do, your lap is the best bed ever. The weeks go by. The cute little puppy is now bigger and a little terror! The house has become a disaster area – newspapers are shredded, torn into little pieces ands strewn … Continue reading →

Preparing Your Child To Make A 9-1-1 Call

One of the first things I taught Tyler as soon as he learned his numbers was how to dial 9-1-1 for emergencies. I explained how important it was that he dial the number only when there was a problem such as if I became sick and he couldn’t wake me. If you haven’t taught your child how to use this lifesaving service, you definitely should. Don’t know where to start? Here are a few tips: (1) Make sure your child knows what constitutes an emergency. What’s an emergency to a young child may not actually be one. Give concrete examples … Continue reading →

Preparing for Winter Storms

As the cold weather begins to set in for the year, it is time to prepare for winter storms. The severity and frequency of winter storms will vary from place to place. It is important to consider the area you are living in when making plans. In certain parts of the country, they will shut everything down for an inch or two of snow. In other areas it takes a foot or two to shut down. You will need to plan according to how people react in your area, because they may not have the tools necessary to make the … Continue reading →

Planning For Emergencies: Grab-And-Go Bag

If you a regular reader of my blogs you know that I was living in New Orleans before Katrina and that I am returning home in June– just in time for the hurricane season to start. Although I have lived in the south all of my life and am all too familiar with the threat of hurricane’s, like many people, I never really prepared myself for having to actually leave the city. Like a lot of people, whenever there was a threat I would schlep to Winn Dixie and pick up a few goodies to eat, some batteries, candles, etc. … Continue reading →

Practice Preparing Your Emergency Food

Sometime this summer you may want to experiment with your food storage and your alternate cooking sources to make sure that you can cook when you do not have power available to you. A great time to do this would be on a camping trip. If you don’t have time for one this summer, you could set up in the backyard and plan a basic dinner, which you prepare entirely without electricity. If your primary source of emergency preparedness foods are MRE’s or the hiking and camping meals, which are available to you then you should plan a meal that … Continue reading →