By Art Nash
Cooperative Extension Service
Is it just me, or are others noticing an increase in the frequency of catastrophic events that seem to be hitting various parts of the country? Mega storms, many consecutive weeks of drought and fiery temperatures, unstoppable wildfires covering more acreage than is usually estimated in a fire season … I’d like to think that it might just be closer media coverage on patterns that have always been showing themselves as such, yet I suspect, if not the volume, that it’s the magnitude of the force that is something new.
While reading a CNN article, I was made aware of how robust the emergency preparedness sales market is in terms of prepackaged kits to help people ride out a day or two of having no transportation or power at home. Yet there were an important couple of sentences mentioning that while money can buy the supplies, there are “‘intangibles” that are just as important. When confronted with either having to stay sequestered at home or office without electricity, or, when having to leave your home with only what you and your family can carry with them, there are certain variables that will help most situations.
For instance, communication is a key factor. Sit down with the whole family and talk about evacuation routes, how to turn off water or gas, or how to navigate a home when it is dark and things have been dumped from receding floodwaters or earthquake after the fact. In addition, talk through who will be responsible for collecting important documents or cash.
It isn’t just rehearsing or understanding within the house that is important for coordination during disrupting events, it is wise to talk with those on your street or in your neighborhood to figure out who knows CPR and who has medical training. It’s important to have a rapport with these folks, who you may need to rely on when you get to the bottom of your driveway during an unraveling disaster.
Many people go to fairs, conferences, trade shows and pick up meaningful materials or promo gizmos. Yet are they read, or are the items used ahead of time after reading through instructions to understand what tasks and for how long the gadget is safely used? Set up and try out the item to see if it will be operational before you have to use it in a tenuous situation. It is important to practice techniques such as loading button cell or triple A cell batteries into a flashlight while you are calm, your fingers are steady and you have good light to see what you are doing. Owning the goods doesn’t guarantee that the job will get done under urgent conditions unless they are tested and confirmed beforehand.
At the Emergency/Safety Fair in mid-August at the Carlson Center, a lot of people were picking up stoves, lights and heaters off our Cooperative Extension display table. Attendees could get the “feel” for the weight, size, and shape of small pieces of equipment/fuel.
My hope with those hands-on demos is that people get a sense for each item and get geared to handle their own items, off the garage shelves and out of the boxes so that when the time comes they are familiar with how to operate them for cooking, heating or lighting. Communication, practice and experience are sometimes as important in trying times as tools themselves.
For more information, check out Art Nash’s and Dr. Davin Holen’s Alaska Emergency Disaster Homeowner’s Manual online https://seagrant.uaf.edu/bookstore/pubs/MAB-79.html
Art Nash is the statewide Energy Specialist for UAF Cooperative Extension Service, and has been director of the AgrAbility program for its half decade of serving disabled Alaskans. He can be contacted with questions at 907-474-6366 or at alnashjr@alaska.edu.
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