National Preparedness Month

[hollyking]

September is National Preparedness Month (NPM). In the past I have posted information and links to help people get prepared. I still have quite a bit of information to share, but I was wondering if anyone was interested. If you are interested, what kind of information would you like to see? Some of the topics I can cover are:

• How to design and implement a disaster plan.
• What to keep in your Go Bag. (A “Go Bag” is a backpack or other small bag you keep handy to grab and go during an event.)
• Tips for creating an emergency stockpile in your home.
• How to communicate effectively during an event.
• Amateur radio and how to get your own license.
• How Amateur radio is used during emergencies and disasters.
• The difference between an emergency and a disaster and how to prepare for each.
• Questions and Answers.

So shall I roll up my sleeves and start coming up with some posts? I was just thinking that September is NPM, but events can occur at any time during the year. Maybe I should post about this during the whole year, not just this one month. Something to think about.

Update: There has been enough interest so I will prepare a month of preparedness posts for September. I welcome any questions because I would like to provide information that you can use.

Comments

[hollyking.livejournal.com]

Ok, I'll post away. Is there any topic you would like me to cover?

[damiana-swan.livejournal.com]

So, what's the practical difference between a "go" bag and a "ho" bag? (A ho bag being the bag you keep packed for spending the night with your sweetie, that is.)

*tongue only partially in cheek*

[hollyking.livejournal.com]

A lot of the basic things would probably be the same. Personal hygiene products and medications would be useful in both. As would a change of clothes. Although with a "Go" bag you would want to focus more on protective clothes. You probably don't need sturdy shoes in your "Ho" bag and items such as a knife, whistle, dusk mask and emergency radio would depend on if that's your kink.

That's an idea for one of my posts. Thanks!

[ravan.livejournal.com]

Yes, go for it. The more good information in the blogosphere, the better it spreads.

[hollyking.livejournal.com]

Good point. Ok, NPM "blog-a-thon" coming up. ;)

[dakotaluna.livejournal.com]

Great idea.

[hollyking.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

[cindygerb.livejournal.com]

Any ideas about keeping insulin safe? It really needs to be refrigerated, but a way of keeping it in cool water would work.

[hollyking.livejournal.com]

Ah, a subject near and dear to my heart. Having a partner on insulin and being on Byetta myself I should devote some time to answering this question.

[cindygerb.livejournal.com]

A friend in college was going into molecular biology to develop a bacteria that manufactured insulin as a waste product. All I would have to do is distill it out of solution. He's now in geriatric endocrinology :)

[lilituc.livejournal.com]

It depends on a lot of factors and the specific concern. If the power is only out for a short time and it's in the fridge, just don't open the fridge and it should be fine.

If it's already opened, it's only good for 28 days anyway. It should be fine at room temperature for that period. If you think it's going to get hotter than 86°, you might run into trouble.

You can get a Frio pouch, which works using water to keep things at the same temp. If you want to keep insulin cold, though, it has to be cold starting out when it's put into the pouch. If you put it in at room temp, it will keep it at room temp. So it depends on what your objective is.

Another option is an ice pack, but you want to be careful because insulin also gets ruined if it gets *too* cold. I use a bag made specifically for insulin, with a separate compartment for an ice pack. That keeps it from getting too cold. On the other hand, it's pretty inexact and only lasts for a few hours.

If you're concerned about keeping it longer than 28 days, that's the most difficult without a fridge since it has to be kept cold. I asked that question recently and not even my alternative power folks had any suggestions.

I have heard that some people in India keep insulin in a jar floating in a jar full of water, but I don't know if that keeps it *cold* or just under 86°.

[hollyking.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Good information in there.

I'll specify more about what my posts are covering when I start, but for now I'm talking about an outage of more than a few hours. Ice packs can be used during an emergency but for a disaster using a jar in water would be a better answer as you wouldn't have that much ice available.