Happy MORSELICIOUS MONDAY!
Have you thought about what will you do/pack in case of an emergency?
Talk about GRATITUDE in its PUREST form.
For those of you not living in Southern California, here is an article about our
most recent and too close to home fires.
It was over 100 degrees here in Los Angeles and the stifled air smoldered with suffocating smoke. The Los Angeles Fire Department closed off part of our street to allow the countless fire trucks to station here, less than ¼ mile from us.
Doug rushed home from work and had to park about 3/4 miles away and walk up the hill with bags in tow.
Cars stopped. Neighbors evacuated, helicopters and
super scoopers soared overhead.
The news stations announced voluntary evacuations and encouraged residents to stand by, in case it increased to mandatory.
My heart and head sinking and swimming, as I wondered
what to do? What to pack?
Immediately, I called my elderly neighbors to make sure they were safe. Their daughter and her husband had already evacuated them. CHECK!
Our friends offered us places to stay.
More neighbors packed up, advising me to do the same.
My head kept reeling back to the note I had written on my TO DO LIST
for the past 2 weeks, that I had YET to check off:
**** update photos and documents for insurance/disaster kit
It was too late now. So I had to figure out what was ABSOLUTELY necessary and what was SENTIMENTALLY irreplaceable.
My parents saw the fires on the news 6 hours away from here. Thankfully, Mom had her DISASTER LIST ready to share with me and walked me through what to pack, just in case.
For someone who’s always been extra prepared, this too close –for- comfort-near emergency was a giant WAKE-UP call!
Once the super scoopers did their job dropping nearby ocean water over the flames, we learned the fires were becoming contained and we would NOT need to evacuate. We All breathed a smoky sigh of relief.
Timing is perfect: September is National Emergency Preparedness Month, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Ready campaign to increase public awareness of emergency preparedness, urges four basic steps:
, be informed and get involved.”-National Safety
My list and kit are now up to date and I wanted to share with you, God forbid you’ll ever need it.
Please share with your loved ones and feel free to add anything (s) I left out. Please post your additions so the rest of us can add to our list’s. NOTE: I don’t have pets or children, so I know there are PLENTY of items to add for people with either or both.
THANK GOD, everyone is OK!
I am FILLED with GRATITUDE!
Check on your elderly neighbors
Children, pets, people with disabilities.
Mo’s list:
(best to keep a bag under your bed or somewhere you’ll have easy access to grab I.C.E. – in case of emergency)
First aid kit:
Water
Tweezers
Hand sanitizer
Pocket knife
Matches
Pencil
Can opener
Notebook
Pens
Bandages
Adhesive tape
Band aids
Neosporin
Aspirin/ibuprofen
Sunscreen
Safety pins
Antiseptic
Baby wipes
Emergency blanket
Flashlight
Batteries
Dust mask/washcloth
Hand crank or battery operated radio
Cell phone with charger
Cash
Clothing for a few days/nights
Toiletry bag:
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Soap
Lotion
Contact solution (if necessary)
Ziploc bags
Eyeglasses
Sunglasses
Flash light
Walking shoes
Socks
Gloves
Jacket
Hat
Prescription medications
List of allergies
Vitamins
DOCUMENTS
(NOTE: great idea-photo copy all of these & keep in ziploc bag in your kit) Keep originals in a safe deposit box
Family records:
Birth certificate
Marriage certificate
Death certificate of family members
Will & Trust
Insurance policies
Mortgage papers
House title
Car title
Passport
Social security card
Immunization records
List of bank accounts, credit cards
List of emergency contact numbers
Laptop with portable hard drive, charger and USB cables
Camera with cable
Photo albums (irreplaceable sentimental value)
Book (s)
FOOD (for a few days)
Water
Reusable water bottles (wide mouthed bottles also good to shake up protein drinks and soups)
Non-perishables
Nuts
Nut butters
Easy to open canned goods
Jerky
Protein-food bars
Crackers/rice cakes
Cereal packages
Oatmeal packages
Protein powder packages
Dehydrated packaged foods
And for those of you who’d rather purchase a disaster kit, here are a couple great sites:
http://www.redcrossstore.org/shopper/prodlist.aspx?locationid=1
Please LIKE Mac-n-Mo’s on Facebook
and visit my new health coaching site, The Morselist
Have a MORSELICIOUSLY THANKFUL MONDAY!
