What Do You Mean We Can't Go This Way???

Sometimes, the route you planned to use in case of an emergency is no longer safe or available. Make sure you have more than one route you can travel in an emergency and know the roads and streets surrounding them. Always have more than one back door out of a situation, driving routes are no exception. Remember the movie "2012" when John Cusack was driving the limo and the earthquake was swallowing the houses and cars behind him. He knew more than one route out of town and which streets would get him where. Hopefully, you won't be dodging falling buildings, sink holes or fireballs; but, you should always have alternate routes and know where they will take you. GPS systems are good as long as they are up-to-date. Notice I didn't say great, I just said good. If you've had past experiences with GPS systems, you know they may sometimes take you around Robin Hood's Forest to get to something three streets over. You should, if possible, have some knowledge of the area you are evacuating through. If you know before hand that you will be taking a particular evacuation route, research it, find out the adjoining streets, what are the main streets you can reach, how far down the road will you have to travel if you miss a particular turn or there is a detour. Put a current and up-to-date map in your glove box as added security. Nothing to make a bad situation even worse is to get lost.

EARTHQUAKE! Virginia- Don't Panic...

I just experienced my first 5.9 quake - in VIRGINIA!!!  Never felt anything like this before.  At first I thought it was a really hard gust of wind; but then I noticed the trees were not moving.  So many scenarios ran through my mind, but earthquake wasn't one of them until I felt the whole building shudder all around me.  The unthinkable, to me was happening, an earthquake, in Richmond, VA.  Then I couldn't remember what to do.  I tried to remember all those times I'd heard about the quakes in California.  Ah heck, what the devil did they say to do????  Am I supposed to stay in the building, am I supposed to go running down the stairs, screaming like a mad-woman? What?  For some reason, the disaster movie, Earthquake, jumped into my head.  Little help there since the only thing I could remember was the title of the movie and that it was about a disaster.  No help there.  Not reassuring either.

Fortunately, the emergency preparedness training kicked in, just after realization struck a few seconds later; kick started by one sane voice saying,  "It's an earthquake - remain calm. The tremor has stopped, let's evacuate the building."   It was my supervisor, he was smiling.  I figured if he's smiling, I can stay calm.  This galvanized me to grab my zone warden cap, the list of employees on my floor, and make sure everyone evacuated from my section.  Needless to say, didn't need to tell anyone twice.

Thank goodness everyone here is okay.  But it bought home something pretty important.  It's important to be prepared, to know what to do, and to remain calm.  So I'm sharing a link for what to do during an earthquake.  Believe me, I'm definitely going to commit this to memory.   They say there may be aftershocks later.    http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/earthquakes/during.asp

Do you have your emergency list prepared?  Do you know what to do, where to go?  What you should absolutely have in case of an emergency?  Have you reviewed your contact list and what to do if you can't use your phone or cell phone to check on family and friends?

Make Advance Plans for Shelter & Evacuation: Including Your Pets

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By preparing for an emergency ahead of time, you'll be better able to deal with it. Also by making sure every one in your family knows what to do, it will take some of the worry out of the situation.
Make plans for sheltering and evacuation BEFORE there is a situation for both you and your pets.

• Designate a safe place in your home where family members could gather during a tornado (e.g., basement, downstairs restroom, lowest central room). Make sure there are no windows or glass doors in the area.

• Should you be unable to return home, designate a safe location outside of your neighborhood, and make sure everyone knows where to meet.

• Choose an individual, preferably out of the immediate area, to serve as a “check-in” point-of-contact for dependents to call in case you or your family get separated.

• Decide where your family would go in case evacuation is required (e.g., friend, relative, motel, shelter).  Notify relatives or friends of destination. Keep maps available, and mark alternate routes to the destination that lead away from rivers, streams, creeks, etc. Obey warning signs and barricades. Find out where community shelters are located and how to get there.

• PETS - Don't forget to include your pet or pets in your emergency plan, your pet is a part of your family too.   Shelters do not allow pets, so you should know ahead of time where you can shelter your pet in an emergency. Check with your local animal shelter or animal rescue about their emergency shelter policy. Don't wait until the emergency to find out that your pet has no where to go. 

• Make sure your pet or pets are up-to-date for all their vaccinations.  Make sure you have a copy of
  your pet's shot record as well, especially their rabies vaccination.  Place a copy in your emergency kit, so you'll have it if needed.  

• If you have a small or medium sized pet, please make sure you have a pet carrier or sturdy leash.  For larger pets, make sure you have a strong leash that will not break easily and a muzzle if needed.  They can become just as frightened as you.  Avoid biting mishaps.  It makes it easier to transport your pet in an emergency, they won't be able to run away and helps to avoid biting mishaps. 

ARE YOU AS PREPARED AS YOU SHOULD BE?  Find out more here