Emergency Preparedness Phase One - The Foundation

StarryEyed
StarryEyed Online Community Member Posts: 389 Empowering

This is the first of Six Phases of Emergency Preparedness, which is discussed in this thread:

This phase has the following problems to work through to prepare for emergencies:

  1. EMERGENCY CONTACTS LIST: Create an emergency contact list of contacts, such as emergency services, crisis lines, friends, family, emergency professionals and neighbours. This list can be updated as we work through the phases.
  2. EMERGENCY MONEY: Put emergency money aside, if you can afford it.
  3. EMERGENCY WATER: Put water aside reserved for emergencies at home.
  4. EMERGENCY LIGHTS: Get candles and emergency lights for home.
  5. MOBILITY AIDS: Make sure your mobility aids are easily accessible and charged.
  6. PET PREP: Have a transportation method and emergency supplies for your pet and emergency info included in your contacts list.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITY – MINDFULNESS: As you're working through this phase, try to be conscious (mindful) of your thoughts and feelings. You don't need to judge these as good or bad, or right or wrong. Just let them be present as you prepare. You might want to write about these or talk to someone, or talk about these on the forum.

I hope someone found that helpful. Any thoughts?

Comments

  • jonf
    jonf Online Community Member Posts: 327 Empowering

    don’t forget pencil, chalk and paper

  • Chris75_
    Chris75_ Online Community Member Posts: 3,992 Championing

    Don't forget your toothbrush.

  • jonf
    jonf Online Community Member Posts: 327 Empowering

    And salt

  • StarryEyed
    StarryEyed Online Community Member Posts: 389 Empowering
    edited November 18

    Thanks for you input! The thing is, as I was saying in the other thread, those would fall under the next phase Phase 2 Supplies. I think it's best to show you all six phases. I didn't want to do that because I want to focus on one phase a time, but I think it will make more sense to you that way. So here it is…

    Each phase has problems to solve. The idea is each phase gets more difficult. We start with emergencies at home and little by little preparing stuff for evacuation, and the last phase is evacuation.

    ➡️PHASE 1 - THE FOUNDATION AT HOME

    1. EMERGENCY CONTACTS LIST: Create an emergency contact list of contacts, such as emergency services, crisis lines, friends, family, emergency professionals and neighbours. This list can be updated as we work through the phases.
    2. EMERGENCY MONEY FOR HOME: Put emergency money aside, if you can afford it.
    3. EMERGENCY WATER FOR HOME: Put water aside reserved for emergencies at home.
    4. EMERGENCY LIGHTS FOR HOME: Get candles and emergency lights for home.
    5. MOBILITY AIDS: Make sure your mobility aids are easily accessible and charged for use at home and outside.
    6. PET PREP: Have a transportation method and emergency supplies for your pet and emergency info included in your contacts list.

    ➡️PHASE 2 - SUPPLIES

    1. FIRST AID KIT: For home and portable.
    2. FOOD AND WATER: For home and portable.
    3. PORTABLE BAG OF SUPPLIES: For home and evacuation.

    ➡️PHASE 3 - COMMUNICATION

    1. NO LAN LINE
    2. NO WIFI
    3. NO INTERNET
    4. NO MOBILE PHONE

    ➡️PHASE 4 - COOLING/HEATING

    1. NO COOLING
    2. NO HEATING

    ➡️PHASE 5 - HOUSE FIRE

    ➡️PHASE 6 - EVACUATION FROM HOME

    What's difficult for me may not be for you. And what is logical to you may not be logical to me. It's very subjective to do an emergency preparation. So this is based on my life and my perceptions. You can follow mine, or use mine to give you ideas to make your own. Or just read along for the heck of it. Or not.

  • StarryEyed
    StarryEyed Online Community Member Posts: 389 Empowering

    As I just said in the other thread, I'm finding trying to do this on the forum even more confusing and overwhelming than trying alone. So I'm going to stop banging my head against the wall here and try other sources online and IRL. I'm hesitant to bring it up, but will... I'm scared, really effing scared. I'm not prepared for anything. Nothing at all. So this is a very serious situation. I'm not sure if responses in these threads are intentionally trying to make light of my situation or not. But that's how it feels. And it's inappropriate.

  • Catherine21
    Catherine21 Posts: 8,451 Championing

    Very helpful thankyou

  • StarryEyed
    StarryEyed Online Community Member Posts: 389 Empowering

    You're most welcome.

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 7,770 Championing

    I think I mentioned before, access for emergency services, I have a key safe and local ambulance trust has a scheme where I give them the code which is stored in their system in the form of an address flag, which the other emergency services also have access too.

  • StarryEyed
    StarryEyed Online Community Member Posts: 389 Empowering

    Hi @Kimi87

    That's a great service. Really great! We don't have it here. Three of my friends and a neighbour have keys to my place. But they're not professionals, which leaves me feeling very unsafe at home. So after many years of thinking about it, this week I decided to set up an emergency button service with the Red Cross. We spoke about it by phone, and we'll set it up next week. I'm so excited to finally be doing this. Have you considered a similar service?

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 7,770 Championing

    I've considered one yes but don't feel my health is bad enough at present. It's definitely something to keep in mind for the future.

  • StarryEyed
    StarryEyed Online Community Member Posts: 389 Empowering

    Hi @Catherine21

    You said in the other thread that you've got a pet carrier for transport. Mine doesn't work as it's too big and too heavy. It was suitable when able bodied, but not now. I can't find a suitable one. Could you please share what you've purchased?

  • Catherine21
    Catherine21 Posts: 8,451 Championing

    OOh ok no I got a pets first aid kit my daughter got a pet carrier from B@M was rubbish there's good ones on pets at home online i have a pet buggy was for my fifi they are very very good like a buggy and habe space underneath for shopping ect can I ask what generator you have im looking at argos solar powered one but im completely clueless everyone keeps saying dont waste your money but I can see alot happening in next few years

  • StarryEyed
    StarryEyed Online Community Member Posts: 389 Empowering

    Thank you, @Catherine21

    I've ever heard of pets at home. I'll check them out.

    This is the generator I bought back in April. It's still sitting in the box. I haven't even looked at the instruction manual or fired it up. As I said, I stopped doing any preparation in the spring when I hit a mental block. So I can't comment on how good it is. But the reviews are great, so I'm not worried. It's really just a glorified battery pack with all the connectors you need. I bought the EB3A model, but there are lots of other models. The fact that it's portable and light is ideal if the lack of power is only local, because then I can carry it somewhere else to charge it for use at home. You'll have to find a similar one with the UK plug connector.

  • Catherine21
    Catherine21 Posts: 8,451 Championing

    Oh pets at home amazing do all sorts for pets food coats worming you name it just Google vets for pets

  • StarryEyed
    StarryEyed Online Community Member Posts: 389 Empowering

    I found pets at home

    https://www.petsathome.com/

    As for vets for pets I only for this, which is for vets not pet products

    https://www.vets4pets.com/

  • Zippy1983
    Zippy1983 Online Community Member Posts: 269 Empowering

    I am on the emergency list for Severn Trent and The National Grid which is a good thing in emergency.
    I do have family, however I haven’t seen or spoken to them in ten years. I have also cut contact with friends as I feel there on there own path in life and I’m on a different route altogether.

    With me having being a falls risk, I have Fall Detection switched on with my IPhone and Apple Watch. They will call an emergency contact which I’ve set up as Carelink and if I’m immobile and don’t respond to an alert to say I’m ok, after 30 seconds it will automatically ring 999.

    I take a lot of precautions and always make sure I’m careful with anything I do.

    On the iPhone if you press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons together, it brings up the emergency screen. The two big options there are - Emergency SOS and Medical ID.

    IMG_0275.jpeg

    This is just a rough idea of the medical Information you can input and it can be set to share automatically with emergency services.

    One thing that I’ve got set up is that if I’m found brown bread, then my funeral provider and plan number are in there to.

  • Holly_Scope
    Holly_Scope Posts: 4,260 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    I love reading your preparation posts @StarryEyed and I know they will help others who are in area's where there's risk over the colder months. I hope by doing this, you feel a bit more safe as well knowing you've got things in place.

    That's a great point @Zippy1983! You absolutely can register with your Gas, Electric and Water suppliers priority register.

  • StarryEyed
    StarryEyed Online Community Member Posts: 389 Empowering

    Hi @Zippy1983 That app is brilliant! Thanks for posting that. I think the Red Cross here has an app too. I'll find out next week when we set it up. Falls was my final reason to sign up. I had a minor-to-medium fall in September and then a rather bad fall in October. My legs and feet are getting weak with lack of use. So the time is now.

    @Holly_Scope thank you for your encouragement. You're forever in my heart for lighting the fire in my belly to try again. That is an incredibly great idea to register with utilities. I'm quite sure we don't have that here, but I'll check it out next week. Thank you for that info!

  • StarryEyed
    StarryEyed Online Community Member Posts: 389 Empowering

    I'm so excited to have made a lot of progress on Phase One. Yay!

    1. EMERGENCY CONTACTS LIST: Done, except one thing - I'm on the fence about setting up an emergency alert system.

    2. EMERGENCY MONEY FOR HOME: Done.

    3. EMERGENCY WATER FOR HOME: Done.

    4. EMERGENCY LIGHTS FOR HOME: Done.

    5. MOBILITY AIDS: All accessible except one thing - I still have to prep my wheelchair. Kind of stumped on that ATM.

    6. PET PREP: Working on it. I've ordered a kitty carrier. I might have to get two types, depending on the mobility device I'm using.