Every Life Secure!

Hurricane Sandy Says it Again, "Disasters Are Not Going Away" - Prepare Now

Even as a follow-on Nor'easter is on its way, the message from Hurricane Sandy is clear... There will be disasters, they will be disastrous, and your neighborhood can be hit, so prepare now.  Everyone needs to prepare to evacuate or to shelter in place for at least three days after a disaster.  You can see from Sandy, three days is a minimum.

Get your emergency kit now.  I can tell you, we are seeing a great surge in orders as many have gotten the reminder message.

Every Life Secure... Is Yours?^TM -- Over 500,000 Lives Secured and counting.

 

Colorado Wildfires Remind Us to Be Prepared to Evacuate

The sad scenes of hundreds of homes burned to the ground and tens of thousands of people evacuating in Colorado and elsewhere in the west remind us all of the need to be prepared to evacuate our homes on very short notice in case of an emergency or disaster.

Make sure you have an evacuation plan and the right emergency kits to take care of your own needs for up to 72 hours.  Government resources are quickly overwhlemed in a major disaster.  You need to be prepared to take care of yourself.

Every Life Secure... Is Yours?^TM -- Over 500,000 Lives Secure and counting.

Japan Warned of Potential 34 Meter High Mega-Tsunami

The Japanese government warned its citizens to prepare for a 34 meter mega-tsunami in the case of a triple quake.  Early warning and fast evacuation would seem to be the only hope in such a scenario.

While most of our readers don't live in Japan, all of them live where a potential disaster could require fast action and rapid evacuation.  Make sure that you have your emergency kit at-the-ready.

Every Life Secure - 490,000 lives secured and counting.

 

 

Should You Evacuate In A Hurricane? If In Doubt, Get Out!

With Hurricane Irene bearing down on the East Coast, many are asking themselves if they should evacuate to safer places.  While residents should obviously pay attention to guidance from local authorities, my own experience would say, "If in doubt, get out!"  Don't mess with winds that can gust beyond 100 MPH.  The winds and the accompanying storm surges and flooding can be deadly.

I have survived a direct hit by a super typhoon (the Asian version of a hurricane) with sustained 130 MPH winds.  I did this with my family in a house with a corrugated tin roof and large glass sliding doors.  It is amazing that we made it through without any injuries.  Not all were so lucky in that same storm.  In that situation in 1970 in the Philippines, there were no evacuation shelters to go to.  Had there been, it would have been wise to have use them.

Don't mess with Category 3 and Category 4 hurricanes.  If you are in a vulnerable area or live in less than a sturdy home, evacuate.  It is simply not worth taking the chance.  Historically, many who have stayed in less than safe situations have perished, and those who did survive would often have made different choices.  I know I would today.  It is very scary and dangerous to sit out the storm. 

Once you are trapped by the high winds and accompanying water, there is little chance to change ones mind.  If you do not evacuate early, there comes a point where any attempt to evacuate only exposes you to greater risk.  So evacuate early and ensure your safety.  Don't risk staying in harms way.  

  Every Life Secure - Over 440,000 lives secured and counting.

FEMA Urging Preparedness As Hurricane Irene Approaches

As the East Coast braces for a potential Category 4 Hurricane Irene, FEMA urges preparation for evacation and shelter in place.  Don't wait until the storm surge and damaging winds hit.  Prepare now if you live on the East Coast.

If you live elsewhere, think of this as one more reminder of the importance to be prepared at any time for any emergency or disaster.

Every Life Secure - Over 440,000 lives secured and counting.

USGS Says "Worst Is Yet to Come" in Virginia Earthquake, If it Is a Foreshock

  Head of the USGS (United States Geological Survey), Marcia McNutt, is quoted as warning that the shaking may not be over in Virginia.  She said "What the concern is, of course, is that this is a foreshock.  If it's a foreshock, then the worst is yet to come."  The magnitude 5.9 Virginia earthquake is probably plenty enough already for those who evacuated the White House, Pentagon, and the Capitol.

Every Life Secure

Nuclear Accidents in the U.S. - We Are Still At Risk

The citing of an Alabama nuclear reactor with a "red finding" that indicates a risk for an accident of "high safety significance" reminds us that there is an ongoing risk of a nuclear accident in any of the over 100 nuclear reactors in the United States.  The citation was for a faulty valve that could have kept the reactor from being properly cooled in an emergency.

It is interesting to note that the same Browns Ferry nuclear power plant in Alabama has been shut down since April 27th because tornadoes cut off external power.  Emergencies do happen and they do impact nuclear power plants.

If you live near a nuclear reactor, be prepared to evacuate in case of a nuclear accident.

Every Life Secure

You Don't Have to Be A Survivalist to Be A Survivor

It's true -- you don't have to be a "survivalist" to be a "survivor."  I'm a "survivor" of many disasters, but I'm not a "survivalist."  Though I have learned much from those who are self-identified survivalists and have great respect for their knowledge and skills, I believe all of us as "regular people" can take basic steps that allow us to be a survivor in case of a severe emergency or disaster.

To increase your chances of being a disaster survivor you can:

1) Learn about what to do in various emergency or disaster scenarios.  All of us can identify various kinds of disasters or emergencies that are common to where we live and learn about how to appropriately respond to them.  For example, I live in Illinois and as such should know the basics of what to do in case of earthquakes, tornadoes, blizzards, chemical spills or explosions (freight trains come within a mile of my home), nuclear accidents (we have 11 nuclear reactors in Illinois), and floods.

Such knowledge is readily available on the web (from this emergency preparedness blog among other sources), in books, in pamphlets, from local emergency responders, etc.  You don't need to become an expert in emergency response to learn and remember such basics "Drop, Cover, Hold On" in an earthquake, "get out of your car and into a ditch" in a tornado, or  "have a 72 hour emergency kit in case you have to evacuate or shelter-in-place" in any number of disaster scenarios.

I used to worry about trying to memorize and keep in mind the "10 bullet points for how to respond to each type of disaster".  I have come to believe that one can get and retain most of the "survivor knowledge" they will really need by just occasionally learning about these events and thinking about the key things to do and not do.  A lot of it comes down to common sense once you learn some of the basic principles of response.

When it comes to knowledge of how to respond, you don't have to be a trained survivalist to survive a disaster.

2) Have an emergency kit and emergency supplies.  As I share constantly in this blog and as the U.S. Government has told us for years now, everyone should have an emergency kit and adequate supplies to last for at least 72 hours (3 days) on their own after a disaster.  Hurricane Katrina taught us that even in America, you can go hungry and be thirsty if you are not prepared to meet your own needs after a catastrophic disaster.

I personally am prepared to support my family's basic needs for much longer than 72 hours, but this minimum is a good place to start.  For relatively little money you can either build your own emergency kit or buy an emergency kit that will meet your basic needs.  Remember, its about "sustaining life" not "sustaining lifestyle" for those few days after a disaster.  Your absolute survival essentials can be fit into one backpack.  That same backpack of supplies can be used to help you evacuate or shelter-in-place.

You don't have to own the ultimate survival knife in order to survive most disasters and emergencies. I love cool survival gadgets as much as the next guy, but basic supplies will do for most scenarios.  Any regular person can obtain an emergency kit that may not contain all the high-end specialized gear a trained survivalist may desire, but that will work just fine to help you be a survivor in a disaster.

3) Have a basic plan of how to evacuate or shelter-in-place.  If you have the basic knowledge of how to survive a given catastrophic event, and you have the supplies to meet your basic needs for a period of time, you can top that off by thinking through your emergency plan. 

The appropriate response to most catastrophic disasters will require you to do one of two things to avoid harm or to deal with the event's aftermath: evacuate of shelter-in-place.  If you have to evacuate, you'll need to know how you will gather family members, and where you will go before you actually have to leave.  Evacuation can happen in a real hurry in some scenarios and the time for preparation is over when the time for action has arrived.  Plan in advance.

Shelter-in-place plans also require some forethought.  Thinking through your plans will help you better ensure that you have the right emergency supplies in place to respond to an emergency at a moments notice. 

As in other aspects of emergency preparation, your plans don't have to be elaborate.  SEAL Team Six level planning and practice is not necessary.  Just think through the basics and make sure that all family members or colleagues in the workplace know what the plan is.

Following these basic approaches to emergency preparedness will allow you to survive most of what might come at you in this life in the way of emergencies or disasters.  Don't be intimidated by the emergency preparedness process.  You don't need to be a survivalist to be a survivor.

Every Life Secure

How Do I Survive a "SuperStorm"?

How do I survive a "superstorm"?  This is the question many are asking in the wake of the U.S. Geological Survey release of what it calls its "ARkStorm Scenario" in which it predicts that California could suffer devastating storms that could dump up to 10 feet of water over 40 days, flood one fourth of the homes in the state, and cause over $300 Billion in damage.

Though there is no specific answer as to how to survive such a superstorm in California or elsewhere, the truth is that there are simple steps that everyone can take to be prepared for such a disaster.  In the most basic sense, under any severe flooding scenario, there are two possible ways that one might be forced to respond in order to survive.  They may either be forced to evacuate their homes or they may be forced to shelter-in-place (hunker down and stay put).

My own personal experience is one of having to shelter-in-place for about two weeks without the benefit of running water, electricity, or even the availability of food beyond what was in the house.  This came, as I have described in another blog post, after a major typhoon and its accompanying destruction.  I have also lived through shorter periods of sheltering-in-place caused by significant flooding that essentially shut down travel for several days.

One may prepare to either evacuate or shelter-in-place in very similar ways.  The preparation for one event is the subset of the preparation for the other.  By this I mean that one might prepare supplies for up to two weeks or more if they have to shelter-in-place in their homes with no water, electricity, and additional food or other essentials.  Then they might have a portable kit of supplies that would sustain the basic necessities of life for up to three days (72 hours) should they have to evacuate.  The portable kit can be the source of some of the supplies necessary for sheltering-in-place.

In this way, one is covered whether they need to stay put or they need to get out.  It is difficult to practically carry more than three days of supplies on your person.  If you are able to take a vehicle in your evacuation you can always add extras, but one should be prepared to evacuate on foot and survive outside during that time for up to three days.

People are gaining in their understanding of the need to prepare to meet their own needs for 3 days or more as they are increasingly aware that no government agency is prepared to care for everyone's needs during or immediately after a devasting event such as the predicted California SuperStorm.

Visit us at www.LifeSecure.com for emergency solutions that meet the need to prepare for either evacuation or to shelter-in-place.  If you haven't already done so please make the effort now to make a plan and get the emergency kits and supplies you need to survive in any emergency or disaster.

The bottom line is the best way to survive a California Superstorm is to prepare to care for your own essential survival needs.

What Causes Most Fire Related Deaths? How Smoke Masks and Smoke Hoods Can Prevent More than 2000 Deaths Per Year.

According to the CDC (US Centers for Disease Control) "most victims of fires die from smoke or toxic gases and not from burns."  Some sources indicate that "inhalation injury from smoke and the noxious products of combustion in fires may account for as many as 60-80% of fire-related deaths in the US, many of which are preventable."

With approximately 2,755 people (not including firefighters) in the United State dying from fires each year, this means that over 2,000 people might be spared death each year if they were to have a smoke mask or smoke hood in the event of a fire.

Quite simply, smoke masks and smoke hoods can save lives in a fire.  No matter how quickly firefighters respond to a fire, the danger from smoke inhalation has already begun before they can arrive on the scene.  By the time smoke and toxic fumes begin to form and set off smoke detectors, people are already in danger. 

That's why it makes sense to have a smoke mask or smoke hood to give you time to safely exit a burning house, office, or other building.  Smoke and toxic fumes will often spread faster throughout a structure than the flames themselves.  This means that safe evacuation is often possible if one can just protect their breathing long enough to get out of the building and away from the smoke and toxic fumes caused by the fire.

In many cases the 15 minutes or so of protection provided by some smoke masks (eg. Xcaper Smoke Mask) may be adequate for safe escape.  In other cases, such as in a high rise or large facility, it may be important to have up to 30 minutes to escape.  Some smoke hoods (eg. IEvac Fire Escape Hood) provide this length of protection or more.

Some smoke mask kits also provide eye protection from smoke.  All Smoke hoods  provide eye protection and some smoke hoods provide a certain level of heat protection for the whole head.  Not all smoke hoods are of the same quality and protection level.  Make sure you are getting a lot more than a simple plastic bag with a filter.

In general, the more severe the potential fire and smoke environment one might anticipate, the more advisable it may be to have a smoke hood.  For less extreme environments, a smoke mask kit may prove adequate protection.

As fires may often be associated with wider disasters from terrorism or other man-made or even natural events (eg. earthquakes, hurricanes), one might also consider a combination evacuation kit.  Evacuation kits such as the !Extreme™ Disaster & Fire Evacuation Kit (80020) are designed to get you out of a fire safely and then to support you for up to three days in a more widespread disaster in which help may not be immediately available to all victims. 

A combination emergency evacuation kit helps you to cover all emergency bases and can be used in a non-fire emergency as well.  Such kits can make a lot of sense for use at home or at work and can be kept at one's bedside at home or in a desk drawer or office shelf at work.

No matter where you live or work, fire and the related smoke and toxic fumes are one of the greatest dangers you may face.  As with all emergencies, advanced preparation can often help avoid injuries or death and allow one to be calm when faced with a threatening situation.

As literally thousands of lives could be saved with the use of a smoke mask or smoke hood, its worth considering the purchase.  This is especially true as such protection can now be purhcased for less than $100.  Even very sophicated smoke hoods can be purchased for less than $200.  This puts such protection within the reach of most businesses and families.

While a smoke detector may be the key to an early alert in case of fire, a smoke hood or smoke mask may be the key to a quick and safe evacuation from a burning building.

Consider your risk and be sure to chose the smoke mask or smoke hood that is best suited for the potential risks where you live or work.  At LifeSecure we have chosen to carry the Xcaper smoke masks and IEvac Fire Escape Hoods as we consider them to be among the best and most user friendly fire evacuation protection devices in the industry.  Both of the these systems are well suited for quick and easy deployment in a fire evacuation.

Click here for more information on preparing to survive a fire.

Click here for more information on preparing to survive a wildfire.

Every Life Secure