Keeping Things Clean

Keep an eye on this blog for a chance to win a new sanitizing product. The makers of Prefense say their foaming hand sanitizer won't dry out your hands like alcohol-based sanitizer products can. It also helps shield you against germs longer than most other hand sanitizers.

The company is sending me a small bottle of Prefense to try, and I'll post my review here. They're also giving one of my readers the chance to win a large bottle of Prefense. I'm really excited to offer you the chance, because this sounds like a wonderful product to have in a disaster kit.

Disasters can be very messy. Think about it -- hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, fires, they can leave behind a lot of damage that you have to clean up. They can also knock out the water supply and electric power that can be instrumental in keeping clean and germ-free.

One of the company founders, David Reusswig described Prefense as "an invisible glove" because it lasts for hours, reducing your risk of getting sick or developing an infection as well as eliminating the need for constant reapplication.

Can you tell I'm excited to try it out? Keep watching for my review and the chance to win your own bottle of Prefense!

Water

We're just a few weeks away from the start of the 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Week by week, I'll be covering one or two of the supplies coastal residents should have on hand, just in case. If you follow along, by the time the season begins, you'll be mostly prepared. If a storm does head your way, you'll be ahead of the game and can easily handle all the last-minute details.

Our first topic is WATER, for drinking, washing and flushing.

I've been through a number of hurricanes, and only once was there any serious widespread issue with plumbing. Let's consider some of the reasons why your tap water may be unsafe or unavailable for use.

• During a hurricane, trees may be uprooted; the high winds may even spin the tree around in the ground. If tree roots run anywhere near the water line, the line could be breached.
• Flooding and overloaded drainage systems could cause problems.
• Electrical power outages may affect sewage lift stations and water pumping and purification operations.

If you have any doubt about the safety of the water coming out of your tap during or after a storm, do not drink it!

SAFE DRINKING WATER

The federal government and many other emergency response agencies recommend keeping bottled water on hand for an emergency. The rule is one gallon per person per day, and you should be prepared to live for three days without any assistance.

3 Gallons Per Person/Pet Per Day

So, you need 3 gallons of water per person in your household. Add 3 gallons per pet as well. You may need more if anyone in your household has a medical condition that requires they drink more than average, if you have a really big dog or a horse, or if you have non-perishable food that calls for adding water.

Depending on where you shop, you can get drinking water (purified, distilled, drinking water, spring water) for 75 cents to a dollar per gallon. There are 128 ounces in a gallon, so here's how it breaks down (roughly) for a few common sizes of bottled water.

20-ounce bottles = 7 per person/pet per day
16-ounce bottles = 8 per person/pet per day
8-ounce bottles = 16 per person/pet per day
1 Liter bottles = 4 per person/pet per day
half-liter = 8 per person/pet per day

If money is a concern for you, remember:

You don't have to buy all that bottled water as long as you have clean, sealed, human-consumption containers to store the water.

Maybe you have something that you use for camping or sporting events. That big Gatorade-orange cooler/dispenser can be thoroughly cleaned and filled with water from your tap before the storm hits.

If you buy juice or tea by the gallon, wash the containers and fill them with water. You might need to let them sit with baking soda in them for a while to get out residual scents from the original drink.

Do you have plastic water bottles that you use when you're out walking or that you take with you to work/school? Use them, too.

Be creative. Just make sure that all those small containers add up to:

3 Gallons Per Person/Pet Per Day

WASHING AND FLUSHING

You'll want to wash up in the days after the storm. You'll be out picking up limbs and trash in your yard. You may be repairing damage. It's summer, so it's usually really hot. You'll sweat. You will want to be able to wash your hands and bathe a little.

This is why we fill our bathtubs with water before a hurricane.

I don't remember who it was, but I still laugh at the person who, in an article or a blog or something, was ridiculing the practice. She wanted to know what good it would do to fill a bathtub with water.

This is the water that you'll use to wash hands or take a sponge bath, rinse dishes (if you're not using disposable), and flush the toilet if pressure is low (more on that later). Keep the bathroom door closed to keep pets and small children out of the water.

You could use the water for drinking or cooking, in a pinch. Be sure to purify by boiling or adding bleach - add 1/8 teaspoon (8 drops) of regular, unscented, liquid household bleach per gallon of water, stir it well and let it stand for 30 minutes before you use it. I wouldn't recommend tub water for drinking, but it's better than nothing.

After Hurricane Ivan, when the waterfront sewage treatment facility was flooded and damaged, and with many damaged or flooded drain lines throughout the county, water pressure was practically non-existent. In addition, county officials requested that no one flush their toilets to back up the already overloaded system. Once they okayed flushing again, the pressure was still really low. You'll need extra water for flushing the toilet.

It takes about a gallon of water to flush. Don't open your tank and pour it in, though. One gallon won't do it that way. Slowly pour the water directly into the bowl. When it reaches a certain level in the bowl, the toilet automatically flushes. Cool, huh?

SOURCES OF WATER

Three or four days after the storm, the National Guard, various relief organizations, and some businesses will provide free ice and bottled water. You usually have to go pick it up. There will be a line. At some point, the supply will run out. It is, however, a source of ice and water. Stay tuned to local information sources (primarily radio) for times and locations.

Unless you have a tankless water heater, you have a source of water. The tanks usually have a faucet on the outside, so it can be drained for cleaning or replacement. Be sure to turn your water heater off before draining! You don't want it trying to heat an empty tank, and you don't want it to fill with contaminated water, especially if you're using it a gallon or two at a time. As long as the tank filled before the storm, it's clean and safe.

THE BOTTOM LINE

If you have a family of four and two average-sized pets, you need 18 gallons of drinking water on hand if a storm strikes. This can be water you collect in containers you already have or bottles that you buy. You should be able to purchase this quantity for $18 or less.

You will also need water for washing your hands, bathing, rinsing dishes, and flushing the toilet. Fill your bathtub or collect tap water in containers.

Store purchased water in a dark place, such as under the sink, pantry, closet or linen cabinet. If you use bottled water regularly, rotate older bottles out and new bottles in throughout the season. Wait to fill your own containers until a storm is brewing.

Buy an Emergency Kit and Help People in Japan

Now's a great time to prepare for a disaster.

Why now?

If not now, when? Don't put it off until a catastrophe is imminent.

Here's a little extra incentive:

Ready Set Go Kits is an online store specializing in ready-made emergency preparedness kits. They have kits for several different types of disasters - hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, etc. - plus special kits for children, pets, and workplaces.

I compared the earthquake kit for 1 person and the hurricane kit for 1 person. They contain exactly the same things. I'm not surprised. The basics of an emergency kit are pretty much the same, whether you're facing a natural disaster or a man-made event. I suppose some people wouldn't buy a generic "disaster survival kit" where they might buy one that's supposedly specific to the kind of disaster most likely to hit their area.

The dog and cat kits are also pretty similar. The dogs get a bonus of 2 chew sticks. I assume that the included food would be specific to a dog or a cat and not just "pet food."

You can buy all these things separately, and it may even be a better deal to do so, depending on what's included (are they plastic bandage strips or flexible fabric, for example). What's great about these kits is they save you time. Click on the buy button, and when the package arrives, you just put it in your hall closet or wherever you'll remember to look for it, and you're done for at least a year. Some of the items, like the boxes of water, have a 5-year shelf life, but eventually you will have to replace the food, water and batteries.

You may be wondering how all this can help people in Japan or maybe you think I'm going to suggest buying a kit and having it sent to the tsunami zone. Not at all. Just buy yourself an emergency kit in March 2011, and 10% of the purchase price will be donated to the Red Cross for disaster relief in Japan. Simple, huh?

If you don't have an emergency kit, do yourself and the tsunami victims a favor and order from Ready Set Go today.

In case you're wondering, I receive no compensation for this post. I read about the kids and the donation to Japanese disaster relief, and I thought it was appropriate for this blog.

Disaster preparedness must be a priority!

Have you seen the photos and video from Japan? Have you heard about the millions of dollars in damages in Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast? What would you do if you had 30 seconds warning that disaster was about to strike? Let's look at the disasters that have unfolded over the past few days:

• Earthquakes: more than one, plus violent aftershocks
• Tsunami: Affecting at least two continents
• Nuclear Plant Explosions: Radiation dangers plus the threat of a meltdown
• Freezing Temperatures: Japan is experiencing winter weather while millions are without power
• Fire: Damaged infrastructures are causing fires and explosions

Any one of these situations is bad enough on its own. Together, they are catastrophic.  I haven't thought much about tsunamis where I live, but take a look at the map. I live inside the area marked in orange. As you can see, we're surrounded on three sides by large bodies of water. I never realized how close our home is to the bays and bayous. A visit to the U.S. Geological Survey website shows me that a 5.8 quake occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in September 2006. It was centered several hundred miles south southeast of my home. This past weekend, a small quake took place in Alabama, about 300 miles north of where I live. All those little spots on the map at right are the epicenters of earthquakes over the past week. You can see the cluster of events in California and Alaska. Wow. Visit the USGS site for updated information on recent seismic activity and for historic reports on your state. Every state has had at least one quake reported. It may have been a hundred years since the last one, but the history is there. The world seems so uncertain right now. We have economic problems, civil unrest, religious strife, and so many disasters, both natural and man-made. Take the time to prepare for the worst. If you never need to use your emergency supplies or the map of your evacuation route, great. Terrific. But which would be worst: preparing a disaster plan and emergency kit and never needing it or finding yourself in the midst of a calamity with no supplies, no plan, and no idea where you can get help? I'd rather be prepared than unprepared. Wouldn't you?

Category 5 Yasi

The ratings scale that classifies tropical cyclones goes from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most destructive. It was a category 5 storm, with wind gusting up to 180 miles per hour, that slammed into Australia on February 3, 2011. Yasi was the largest and most powerful cyclone to hit that nation in at least a hundred years. Once over land, the storm began to weaken, but after traveling around 250 miles inland, Yasi was still a category 3. After another 250 miles, the storm finally began to fade. Yet for all its destruction, at this point Yasi is blamed for only one death. It's one of those really tragic, preventable deaths. A 23-year-old man died of carbon monoxide poisoning while running a generator in a closed room. Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts gave credit for the low death toll to Australians who prepared early and evacuated coastal areas and flood zones. It's worth comparing this Australian storm to Hurricane Katrina, which devastated coastal Mississippi and Louisiana in 2005. The storms were very similar in size and strength, but Katrina is blamed for the deaths of more than 1,800 people.

YASI - 2011	KATRINA - 2005
Sustained Winds 155mph	Sustained Winds 175mph
Low Pressure 929mbars	Low Pressure 902mbars
Size: 372 miles across	Size: 397 miles across

The impact of a hurricane or cyclone depends on many factors beyond the size of the storm and its wind speed. How fast the storm crosses the area, whether it makes landfall at high tide or low tide, the geography of the region will all affect how much damage is done. When you find yourself in the path of the storm, you need to be prepared for the worst. In Australia, residents were warned that response would take at least 24 hours. U.S. and state emergency management officials encourage everyone to be able to take care of themselves for the first 72 hours. That means:

• non-perishable food for three days (9 meals plus snacks)
• water for three days (1 gallon per person per day)
• first aid kit with bandages, antiseptic treatments, painkillers and any needed prescription drugs
• battery powered, solar-powered or dynamo-powered radio for news and information
• battery powered, solar-powered or dynamo-powered flashlights
• food and water for pets
• supplies to care for infants, children and the elderly as needed

Thousands of people in Australia are still without power. Homes and livelihoods are destroyed. This is all happening in a regional already devastated by deadly flooding this season. Disaster can strike anywhere, at any time. Think about your family's disaster plan now and prepare for the future.

Weather and Fire Safety

Weather conditions are a big factor in the risk of wildfire. A good, steady rain soaks into the ground and vegetation. Grass and trees in the ground have plenty to drink, so the stems and trunks are full of water. A stray cigarette butt or lightning strike is less likely to spark a fire. 

When it's very dry, grass and trees dry out, too. They get brittle, and any stray bit of ash can ignite a fire that will spread quickly through wooded areas. A lot of wind is also bad news. Have you ever blown on a burning cinder and watched it glow brighter or even flare up? If a breeze hits ash from a campfire or a hot spot from lightning just right, it can keep it burning and ignite dry materials nearby. 

Wind also spreads fire. It pushes the flames across fields. It picks up burning ash and debris and carries it to new areas. That's one way that fire can cross a road or ditch that would normally act as a barrier. 

The National Weather Service has a page on Fire Weather Conditions. Your state's Forestry Service or Fire Marshall's office website may also have information on fire dangers. Before you set off fireworks, burn trash and debris, or start a campfire, check the conditions and make sure it's safe. Check with your local fire department about burn permits. When you are putting out a fire on the ground, stir up the ashes; even if you douse the area with water, hot spots can remain deep inside the ash for days. Those hot spots can reignite and if the fire grows and spreads, it could put homes, human lives, wildlife and firefighters at risk.

Off-Season Safety - Surviving the Holidays

I turned on the radio last night to listen to the news, and I heard a horrible story. A mother and adult son died in their home because of a fire that is still under investigation, but friends say that space heaters used in the home were probably to blame. The family dog probably perished as well. 

Right after that story, they reported on another house fire where thankfully, no one was hurt, but the home sustained major fire, smoke and water damage. That one was caused by ash or debris flying out of the fireplace, alighting combustible material nearby. 

When I started looking for the details on those two fires, I found a report of another blaze that destroyed a home this morning. The cause is under investigation, but the fire chief believes space heaters are to blame. No one was physically hurt, but the residents are homeless now. 

That article contained information on another situation where the house didn't burn, but smoke was backing up in the home because the fireplace flue wasn't opened correctly -- a fire waiting to happen, and certainly if the people who lived there had been asleep with no working alarm, they could have perished from the smoke. All this reminds of a story from a few years ago, when a woman and her daughter died in a fire. They were on disability, as I recall, and they didn't have electricity in their home. We were in a really cold snap, as we are this week, and they were trying to stay warm by burning a fire in a metal drum. This is always the most dangerous time of year for house fires in Northwest Florida. We're experiencing the first sustained cold temperatures of the year, and in addition to trying to stay warm, people are distracted with the holidays, they're cooking more, they're adding Christmas trees and holiday lights into the mix, and the risk shoots up. 

Here are my safety tips, which I have learned from years in the news business. 

The space in "space heater" is the space you need to leave around it. Many fires begin when a heater gets tipped over (newer ones will automatically shut off when knocked over). Other fires start because a blanket or clothes or anything flammable ends up on top of the heater. Make sure your space heater is in a clear area, and check it frequently to make sure a child, pet or the wind doesn't create a fire hazard by putting something flammable near or on the heater. 

If you must burn a fire: be sure that your chimney is clean, the flue is functioning correctly and it's open, you have clear space in front of the fireplace, and you have a good fireplace screen to catch ash that might flight out. Please, never burn a fire indoors in anything other than a fireplace or properly installed wood-burning stove. Properly installed means it has venting to take the smoke outside. A smoky room can kill you, too, plus if it's not venting out, that means the risk of hot ash is higher in the house as well. 

Have your heating system serviced and cleaned annually. Carbon monoxide is the silent killer. Whole families die in their sleep from dirty heating systems or leaks. 

Read the labels on electronics, appliances and holiday lights. Make sure you're not overloading your outlets. Use surge protectors. Make sure cords are out of the way. Check once in a while to make sure the cords, outlets, and power strips aren't hot to the touch. Major open flame fire hazard: blowing curtains. When you're lighting candles or building a fire, take a moment to step back and survey the surroundings with an eye to safety. Is there anything flammable nearby? Are there papers, lightweight materials or toys that could get blown or knocked into the flames? Never, ever leave the house with a fire burning or candles lit. 

 Here are some more links to fire safety tips:  

Underwriters Laboratories: Top 10 Tips for Safer Holidays  

Underwriters Laboratories: Christmas Tree Fire Video - It only takes a minute  

National Fire Protection Association: Put a Freeze on Winter Fires  

U.S. Fire Administration: Holiday Fire Safety 

My tips are mostly on preventing fires. If the worst happens, are you prepared? Do you have: working smoke detectors? a family escape plan? copies of important documents, such as identification and insurance records, off site? Thinking about what you would do -- how you would get out, how you'd make sure your family members are all safe and accounted for -- will ease your mind in the event of an emergency. It's easier said than done sometimes, but most possessions can be replaced. Sure, if your house burns, you may lose precious mementos, but as hard as they are to lose, they are just things. The truly important thing is that your family members get out alive. 

Underwriters Laboratories is running a promotion with several bloggers right now. I am not one of those bloggers. I receive no compensation from anyone for any part of this post. I only mention it because I did learn about UL's online fire safety tips through one of these blogs, and I don't want there to be any confusion. Stay safe.