WATER STORAGE

I have broken a few bones in my life, had one major surgery, taken some very nasty falls and mashed my fingers with a hammer more times than I can count. In the 50s as a kid, all my dental work was done by a military dentist that did not believe in novocaine. Yes… there has been pain in my life. But, by far, the most uncomfortable I’ve ever been was when I was NPO (nil per os) for a few days. After abdominal surgery my doc ordered “nothing by mouth” for a while until my gut started working again. That meant nothing to eat and no water to drink. After a while the nurses allowed me carefully metered ice chips and the occasional swab dipped in water to bathe my mouth but nary a drop made it down my gullet. I even offered to trade my vehicle with a nursing assistant if he would just bring me a cup of water. That was a no go.  I was not dehydrated thanks to the IVs but my mouth was parched as the Sahara in summer.

Going without a drink of water for a few days was the most miserable experience of my life.  This may explain why drinking water is the first thing I added to my disaster supplies. Are you set for water in case of a disaster ? Experts recommend 1 gallon per person per day. Portland Bureau of Emergency Management recommends a two week supply. So 14 gallons per person is the recommendation. Don’t forget additional water for your pets. I also have a bit of additional water for my orchids but they don’t demand much. So my family and plants should not shrivel and die in a disaster where city water is interrupted… well, for a couple of weeks.  If you just don’t have the ability to store that much water, store as much as you can.

 

The down sides of water storage are cost, space, weight. For more on water storage, see the article in Hillsdale News on water storage.  So if you’re looking for a New Year resolution, how about beginning to gather a water stash for disasters. You might also think about storing some food, too, though people can go quite a while without food. Although, after my bout of “nothing by mouth” the finest meal I’ve ever had was Kaiser Westside Hospital’s version of the egg McMuffin. I give them 5 stars for cuisine.

Patrick Pangburn, Hillsdale NET

 

 

WINTER WEATHER

We have had our share of winter weather over the holidays including extreme cold, high winds, rain and a bit of snow. All this, plus families were traveling near and far for the holidays.

If your travels take you around Oregon any time of year and you are unsure of road conditions, https://www.tripcheck.com/ is a great resource. This site provides current conditions, as well as, many road cams so you can see for yourself.

We also recommend Public Alert’s Winter Weather page.  Materials are available in 26 languages if you live, work or serve in non-English speaking communities and want to help.

And times like this it is a good idea to check on your vulnerable neighbors. We avoided a large, prolonged power outage in the most recent winter weather so neighbors had heat. But some may have been home bound and in need of food shopping or other vital errands.  And homeless neighbors can be directed to warming shelters and other resources with a call to 211.

If you’re okay and comfy your neighbors may not be.

 

WILL MY CELL PHONE WORK IN A DISASTER ?

If there is a major disaster, there are power outages and your cell is at 9% the answer is NO ! You cannot call your spouse or kids’ school. You will not be able to let your emergency contacts know that you are okay (or not). You may not even find out that your automobile warranty is about to expire.

Even without the disaster it is wise to keep your phone charged. Here is an interesting  article on whether or not to keep your phone near fully charged all the time. What plans do you have to charge your cell during a power outage ? Here are some thoughts on  alternate power sources.

 

But what if your phone is charged but your area’s cell phone system fails ? If cell towers or ancillary equipment are damaged you will not have cell service. If they are intact but without “city power” they are mandated to have a 2 hour back-up power supply. So cell phones may work for a while and then fail. Most carriers have mobile “cell phone towers” that can replace damaged equipment and restore service but these will take a while to put into service.

Your last option in a disaster with power failure and a non-functional cell phone is BEECN. We will go into much more detail about Basic Earthquake Emergency Communication Nodes (BEECNs) in our Spring NET Newsletter. Meanwhile, you can read up on BEECN with the provided link. If you have radio skills or would like to acquire those skills you might consider stepping up as a BEECN volunteer.