August 2012

Power Outage Safety

Last month, in July, portions of the eastern part of the US had lost its power for over a week with record high temperatures. The following is a list of safety tips combined from Rocky Mountain Power and Red Cross concerning power outages.

Keep food as safe as possible.

• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. First use perishable food from the refrigerator. An unopened refrigerator will keep foods cold for about 4 hours.
• Then use food from the freezer. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.
• Use your non­perishable foods and staples after using food from the refrigerator and freezer.
• If it looks like the power outage will continue beyond a day, prepare a cooler with ice for your freezer items.
• Keep food in a dry, cool spot and keep it covered at all times.

 Electrical equipment

• Turn off and unplug all unnecessary electrical equipment, including sensitive electronics.
• Turn off or disconnect any appliances (like stoves), equipment or electronics you were using when the power went out. When power comes back on, surges or spikes can damage equipment.
• Leave one light turned on so you’ll know when the power comes back on.
• Eliminate unnecessary travel, especially by car. Traffic lights will be out and roads will be congested.

 Downed lines

• Call 911 immediately and then call Rocky Mountain Power, 1-877-508-5088 (toll free) if you see a downed power line. Don't touch it!
• Keep everyone, including pets, out of the area. You cannot look at a downed line and determine if it's "live."
• Do not touch a person if a power line is touching them. Immediately call 911.
• If a power line falls across your vehicle, stay in the car and wait for emergency personnel to cut the power. If your vehicle is on fire and you are in imminent danger and you must get out of the vehicle, JUMP – with both feet together—as far from the car as possible. If a part of your body touches the car and the ground at the same time, you could be electrocuted.

 Generator safety

·         If you use a portable electric generator, please do so with caution since generators can pose serious safety hazards when improperly used or installed. Remember to follow the manufacturer's instructions.

• Never plug your generator into an outlet and don't connect a generator directly to your home's main fuse box or circuit panel.
• If you must provide temporary power to your home's wiring system, the generator must be connected through an approved transfer switch that will isolate your house from our system. The switch must comply with the National Electric Code and local building codes. These include permits, inspection and installation by a licensed electrician.
• To temporarily power an appliance, plug it directly into the generator.
• Use properly sized and grounded extension cords and keep cords hidden so they don't present a tripping hazard.
• Always properly ventilate a portable generator. Gasoline-powered generators produce carbon monoxide and the fumes can be deadly.
• Make sure that the total electric load on your generator won't exceed the generator's rating.

In the house

• Never use a generator, grill, camp stove or other gasoline, propane, natural gas or charcoal ­burning devices inside a home or garage. Never use kerosene or propane heaters or stoves inside without proper ventilation. They create dangerous fumes. Also, don't use charcoal in your house or garage. If you have them outdoors, locate them away from doors, windows and vents that could allow carbon monoxide to come indoors.
• Install carbon monoxide alarms in central locations on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas to provide early warning of accumulating carbon monoxide.
• If the carbon monoxide alarm sounds, move quickly to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door.
• In the winter, preserve body heat by wearing multiple layers of clothing. Add a hat and blankets to stay warm. Blankets and towels around your windows and doors help keep the heat in. Also protect your pipes during freezing weather by wrapping them with insulation. Also, leave faucets dripping so water won't freeze and crack the pipes.
• If someone in your home is on life support, be sure to have a back-up system and a plan of action for an outage.

It's best to be prepared

·         Keep your cars always full of gas.

·         Keep a non-cordless phone in your home. They can work with the power out.

·         Have at least 2 coolers in your home. Styrofoam ones can work well.

·         Assemble an outage kit, including:

a)      A flashlight with extra batteries

b)      Battery-operated alarm clock and radio

c)      Ready-to-eat foods and manual can opener

d)      Bottled water

e)      Blankets

f)       First aid kit

April 2012

 

   On April 17 at 10:15 a.m., the state of Utah will hold the first statewide earthquake drill, and the largest of its kind ever to be held in the state. It's called the Great Utah Shake Out. 

   Our state government is asking Utahns from all walks of life to stop what they're doing and drop, cover and hold on for one minute. Then, when the "shaking" stops, review your emergency plan and emergency kits and conduct a home hazard hunt. We are also asked to prepare our homes by securing heavy objects, such as the water heater, furniture and TVs. Don't have a plan or a kit? A great place to go for this information is:  http://www.utah.gov/beready .

   Locally, our city of Syracuse has been holding natural disaster training sessions each year utilizing our block captains. They are NOT holding one this year. However, we have been asked to participate with the state's Shake Out on April 17th. Syracuse City and our stake would like us to try a little experiment on our own beyond the statewide Shake Out.  We have been asked to live as if a disaster has hit our area  and try to live without electricity for a while (No TV, i-pods, microwaves, regular ovens and stoves, and of course lights), - basically live without power.  Cell phone usage should be at a minimum. You can use your battery powered radios if you have one. Grocery stores, gas stations and ATMs could also be off-limits. As we have normal lives to live during the day, we will go to our  jobs as usual, but when we get home, we should return to our mock disaster and live at home as if we are without power.  Some may want to use their food storage (but plan on replacing what you use), cook on the BBQ Grill or use emergency type stoves, live in their camper or trailer house for a few days, run a generator for light only, use bottled water.  These are just a few examples of what one can do.

   SAFETY MUST BE OUR PRIMARY CONCERN! For example: do not cook indoors with charcoal, use extreme care if using candles and matches, do not use unapproved items to start a fire, like gasoline. Do not shut off your refrigerators or freezers - just let them run. Do not shut off your power box or natural gas. Just try to avoid appliances that use them. If you have a medical condition that warrants the use of electricity or compromises your health, do NOT participate in this exercise.  Use common sense.

   Use your imagination as to how severe a situation you want to make the disaster to be.  This is purely a volunteer experiment, it will only be you and your family experiencing these things.  It would be great to have this happen for at least 48 hours,  and some will do it for longer, and for many it will be shorter.  It would be nice to have your family drill sometime between April 17th though April 22nd .  Also, it would be wonderful to have families share or write about their experience of having to rough it for awhile, their likes and dislikes, their ingenuity to adapt to the situation and how they got by in another newsletter.  Again, this exercise is strictly voluntary and for how long you want to do the drill is up to you. You will design your own mock disaster ( large earthquake) and see how well you could cope with such an event. Hopefully we will never have to live through a large one, but we should always be prepared to meet challenges as we encounter them. BE SAFE and learn better how to prepare. Best wishes.

January 2012

Our recent windstorm and lessons to be learned

Although last December's windstorm did not affect us severely here in Syracuse as in other parts of the county, it should be a clear wake up call of what could very easily happen here to us. Interestingly, our last Syracuse City emergency drill dealt with a microburst disaster. Do we actively participate in our city emergency drills or are they a bother to our busy schedule? Today I would like to list lessons learned from our recent windstorm and other things we can do to prepare  for this realistic disaster:

1.      Always keep your car at least half full of gas. When power is out, so are our gas stations.
2.      Stores may not help you out if they are out of power too.
3.      The city or county may not address your emergency problems right away.
4.      Prepare immediately for a long haul while you can. Find your flashlights, things to keep you warm and
      how you will deal without power for a while. Don't wait until night or when they are needed.
5.      Have several flashlights and batteries handy.
6.      Know how to check up on your family and loved ones if power is out.
7.      Keep you cell phones fully charged.
8.      Flashlight apps on cell phones were very handy but drain your battery down faster.
9.      Some people went without power for 5 days. Think of all the ways that would affect you in your home in
      December (food, refrigerators, stoves, furnaces, lights etc.)
10.  Having heavy duty visqueen plastic for roofs or windows on hand. Plywood pre-fitted for windows that
      blew out would have been nice for many people. 2x4's on hand could also be helpful.
11.  Duct tape, have lots of duct tape on hand.
12.  Know how to shut off your utilities and have numbers handy to call the gas, electric or water companies.
13.  Some people would benefit in having chainsaws with extra gas.
14.  Give a helping hand if you can, it's always appreciated.
15.  There are many other lessons that could be listed, but this is a start in getting one to think.
16.  Count your blessings. Things could have always been worse.

I challenge you to take some time in a family home evening and discuss how your family would handle such an event and work towards being better prepared.

October 2011

Preparedness Survey 

We just finished our city emergency drill. Are you ready for a real one? Please use this check survey to test your preparedness. It will teach you what your weak areas are.

FOOD

•   I have enough food for my family for 14 days
•   I have enough food for my family for 3 months
•   I have enough food for my family for 1 year
•   I know how to use and prepare my stored food
•   I have many recipes for my stored food
•   My stored food is little adjustment to my current diet
•   My stored food is properly kept and rotated regularly
•   I have used the Family Dry Pack in Layton/Ogden
•   I have an alternative cooking source

WATER

•   I have 1 gal water/person/day for 14 days
•   I know water purifying techniques
•   I have a water purifying system
•   My stored water has been changed in the last 2 years

FINANCIAL

•   I have a financial reserve to last 3-6 months
•   I have sufficient cash at home

FAMILY

•   I know what should be in my Family Plan
•   My family each has an emergency contact list
•   My family has an out of area/state contact list
•   My family has a local/area meeting place
•   I have important information secured and copied
•   I have current photos of my family

SAFETY

•   I know First Aid/CPR skills
•   I have flashlights that work
•   I know how to shut off my water/gas/electricity
•   I have and know how to use a fire extinguisher
•   I have an emergency radio (battery/solar)
•   I have an alternate source of safe heat/warmth

EVACUATION

•   I have a 72 hour kit for each family member
•    My 72 hour kits are rotated every 6 months (summer/winter)
•   My cars all have car emergency kits
•   My cars are always 1/2 full of gas
•   We have a fire escape plan for our home

Question: If you could not purchase anything for 2 weeks, what 3 things would you need/miss the most?

Now you know what you need to work on. You don't have to panic or go in debt to get everything ready by tomorrow. Just make goals and try to accomplish something each month as you are able. Doing something gets you farther than saying one day I'll work on it and then do nothing. Some of us may need to re-evaluate our priorities. Make your families first and sleep well at night.

April 2011

Earthquake Preparedness

The recent earthquake in Japan should be a strong reminder that we should be as prepared as much as possible for earthquakes we well could experience here. Also we should try to learn from the Japanese on what we could do differently. When preparing for earthquakes, we must plan on having enough food and water as well as clothing, medical supplies and other necessary equipment for ourselves and our families for at least 72 hours. Assistance from our fire and police departments may not be immediately available following an earthquake. The following is a list of emergency supplies recommended from http://earthquake.usgs.gov:

1.   Fire extinguisher.
2.  Adequate supplies of medications that you or family members are taking. 
3. Crescent and pipe wrenches to turn off gas and water supplies. 
4. First-aid kit and handbook. 
5. Flashlights with extra bulbs and batteries. 
6. Portable radio with extra batteries. 
7. Water for each family member for at least two weeks (allow at least 1 gallon per person per day) and   purification tablets or chlorine bleach to purify drinking water from other sources. 
8. Canned and package foods, enough for several days and MECHANICAL can opener. Extra food for pets if necessary. 
9.  Camp stove or barbecue to cook on outdoors (store fuel out of the reach of children). 
10. Waterproof, heavy-duty plastic bags for waste disposal.

Many of these emergency supplies can be assembled and put in a kit that is easily accessible if we have to leave. We also need a family communication plan and prepare our homes ahead of time to have minimal damage after an earthquake. Ready America suggests the following steps we should take now to help us in this effort. (http://www.ready.gov/america/beinformed/earthquakes.html)

Step 1: Get a Kit

Get an Emergency Supply Kit, which includes items like non-perishable food, water, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, extra flashlights and batteries. You may want to prepare a portable kit and keep it in your car. This kit should include:

• Copies of prescription medications and medical supplies;
• Bedding and clothing, including sleeping bags and pillows;
• Bottled water, a battery-operated radio and extra batteries, a first aid kit, a flashlight;
• Copies of important documents: driver’s license, Social Security card, proof of residence, insurance policies, wills, deeds, birth and marriage certificates, tax records, etc.

Step 2: Make a Plan

Prepare Your Family

• Make a Family Emergency Plan. Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to know how you will contact one another, how you will get back together and what you will do in case of an emergency.
• Plan places where your family will meet, both within and outside of your immediate neighborhood.
• It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members.
• You may also want to inquire about emergency plans at places where your family spends time: work, daycare and school. If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one.
• Be sure to consider the specific needs of your family members
• Notify caregivers and babysitters about your plan.
• Make plans for your pets
• Take a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) class. Keep your training current.  (Classes may be taken from our Syracuse City Fire Dept.)

Step 3: Be Informed

Prepare Your Home

• Fasten shelves securely to walls.
• Place large or heavy objects on lower shelves.
• Store breakable items such as bottled foods, glass, and china in low, closed cabinets with latches.
• Hang heavy items such as pictures and mirrors away from beds, couches, and anywhere people sit.
• Brace overhead light fixtures.
• Repair defective electrical wiring and leaky gas connections. These are potential fire risks.
• Secure a water heater by strapping it to the wall studs and bolting it to the floor.
• Repair any deep cracks in ceilings or foundations. Get expert advice if there are signs of structural defects.
• Store weed killers, pesticides, and flammable products securely in closed cabinets with latches and on bottom shelves.
• Identify Safe Places indoors and outdoors like under sturdy furniture or against an inside wall away from where glass could shatter around windows, mirrors, pictures or where heavy bookcases or other heavy furniture could fall over.
• Find out how to keep food safe during and after and emergency by visiting: http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/emergency/index.html

Thanks for your interest. We must learn from disasters around us. The earthquake in Japan can teach us a lot about what we need to do, to be better prepared for earthquakes.

Earthquakes

Handbook for Utah Earthquakes
Printed by the Utah Geological Survey, 2008