How to Create an Emergency Evacuation Kit

How to Create an Emergency Evacuation Kit...Just in Case

By Mary Boone, posted on Zillow 

https://www.yahoo.com/makers/how-to-create-an-emergency-evacuation-kit-125368086550.html

From hurricanes to earthquakes and wildfires, natural disasters can be frightening. While these emergencies come in many forms and may require anything from a brief absence to permanent evacuation, there’s one thing you can do to ensure your safety — prepare.

If you’re forced to leave your home, you may have less than a minute to get out. Having an emergency evacuation kit packed and ready to go could mean the difference between your well being and hardship.

“You can’t control disasters, but you can control how prepared you are for them,” said Rafael Lemaitre, director of public affairs for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “The outlook for the coming Atlantic hurricane season, for example, looks to be quieter than normal, but all it takes is one to affect you and your community. It only takes one disaster to change your entire life, so it makes sense to prepare.”

What you’ll need:

Beyond stocking up on nonperishable food, water, flashlights and clothing, you need to collect important documents to include in your evacuation kit. Your kit should include:

•Cash: In small bills. If the power is out, you won’t be able to make withdrawals from an ATM.
•Identification: Copies of your driver’s licenses, Social Security card, birth certificate and marriage records.
•Insurance: Copies of home, auto and health policy information.
•Banking: Savings and checking account numbers.
•First-aid kit: The American Red Cross recommends bandages in various sizes, gauze pads, adhesive cloth tape, antiseptic wipe packets, antibiotic ointment, hydrocortisone ointment, an oral thermometer, non-latex gloves, scissors, tweezers and aspirin.
•Medication: Keep at least a seven-day supply of essential medications in your evacuation kit and determine how often you should replace stored medication. Have extra copies of prescriptions or leave a copy of your prescriptions on hold with a national pharmacy chain or with a relative who lives some distance away.
•Legal: Copies of wills or power-of-attorney documents.
•Contact information: Doctors, family members, friends and work contacts, among others.
•Connectivity: An extra cellphone charger or portable charging unit for your phone. Solar and wind-up chargers are available, while others use small batteries.
•Navigation: A map of your city or region that includes street names and public transportation information. Disasters often force detours and changing traffic patterns; a map will help keep you from getting lost.

Pulling it all together

Use a large water-resistant backpack or duffel bag to hold your emergency kit. Look for bags with padded shoulder straps and waist straps to help distribute weight and make it easier to carry long distances. Experts suggest keeping documents inside a waterproof container in your evacuation backpack or duffel.

Store your emergency supplies in a safe place where you can grab them easily.

“Studies have proven that the more prepared people are, the less anxious they are and the more quickly they recover from disaster,” said FEMA’s Lemaitre. “It only takes a few minutes a couple times a year to make sure your family’s evacuation kit is up to date, but it’s an important investment to make for you, your family and your children.”

This Personal Rescue Backpack SkySaver Lets You Rappel Down Buildings

"If you live in high-rise apartments, this would be a great life saver. Information was found on nocamel.com."

This Personal Rescue Backpack SkySaver Lets You Rappel Down Buildings

By Roseanne Tabachnik, NoCamels August 20, 2015

With thousands of skyscrapers around the world, and many more under construction, the new generation of mega-buildings calls for effective firefighting and rescue methods to keep tenants safe and away from danger.

One innovative evacuation solution is now provided by Israeli startup SkySaver, whose brand new emergency backpack is designed to help residents escape from high-rises. This lifesaving kit comes equipped with a cable cord that, in case of an emergency, is attached to a pre-installed anchor located near a window. When fire breaks out, the emergency device is strapped on with buckles that wrap around the waist and between the legs. Then, the individual starts rappelling down the side of the building. Yep, just like Spiderman.

Since infernos pose great challenges to fire departments, requiring a high degree of organization to be successfully contained and extinguished, it’s important to rescue as many people as possible before and while the fire is put out. And that’s exactly when the SkySaver says it can come in.

Lessons learned from 9/11

The idea for the rescue device was conceived after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. The main purpose of the backpack was to create a device that is wearable and user-friendly, a so that people don’t have to depend on others to be saved; they can rescue themselves, according to the company.

“Our backpack is very compact, and a person could actually travel with it,” CEO Avner Farkash tells NoCamels.

Founded in 2012, the startup has already created three different models of the emergency pack, depending on the height of the building; cable lengths range from 25 meters to 80 meters, which means that at this point, SkySaver can serve residents of buildings of up to 20 floors.

The varying models weigh between 8 kilograms to 12 kilograms and can carry up to 136 kilograms. Depending on the length of the cord, the SkySaver is priced between $750 and $850.

And while the device is only intended for one-time use, Farkash notes the SkySaver is worth the investment. Alternative devices, such as the Rescue Reel and the Evacuator, are reportedly more expensive.

SkySaver’s R&D center in Jerusalem is now developing additional solutions with even longer cables in order to escape skyscraper fires. The three new products are expected to hit the market later this year, and will be priced similarly to the original SkySaver device. Additionally, the startup is in the process of creating a kit designed to help carry down toddlers, older children, and even pets to safety.

Residential Security

Residential security is a critical component of any personal security program. The following guidelines should be used in reviewing your residential security.

❑ All entrances, including service doors and gates, should have quality locks— preferably deadbolt. 

         Check your:

Front Door

Rear Door

Garage Door(s)

Service Door(s)

Patio Door

Sliding Glass Door

Gate Swimming Pool

Gate Guest House Door(s)

❑ Don’t leave keys “hidden” outside the home. Leave an extra key with a trusted neighbor or colleague.

❑ Keep doors locked even when you or family members are at home.

❑ Have window locks installed on all windows. Use them.

❑ Lock louvered windows—especially on the ground floor.

❑ Have locks installed on your fuse boxes and external power sources.

❑ If you have window grilles and bars, review fire safety. Don’t block bedroom windows with permanent grilles if the windows may be used for emergency egress.

❑ If you have burglar or intrusion alarms, check and use them.

❑ Keep at least one fire extinguisher on each floor, and be sure to keep one in the kitchen. Show family members and household help how to use them.

  ❑ Periodically check smoke detectors and replace batteries when necessary.

  ❑ Keep flashlights in several areas in the house. Check the batteries often, especially if you have children in your home. (They love to play with flashlights!)

  ❑ A family dog can be a deterrent to criminals. But remember, even the best watch-dog can be controlled by food or poison. Do not install separate “doggy doors” or entrances. They also can admit small intruders.

  ❑ Choose a location that offers the most security. The less remote, the safer your home will be, particularly in a neighbor-hood close to police and fire protection.

  ❑ Know your neighbors. Develop a rapport with them and offer to keep an eye on each other’s homes, especially during trips.

  ❑ If you observe any unusual activity, report it immediately to your local Law Enforcement.

❑ Establish safe family living patterns. If you understand the importance of your contribution to the family’s overall security, the entire household will be safer.

❑ While at home, you and your family should rehearse safety drills and be aware of procedures to escape danger and get help.

❑ Educate family members and domestic help in the proper way to answer the telephone at home.

❑ Vary daily routines; avoid predictable patterns.

❑ Know where all family members are at all times.

❑ Use these same guidelines while on leave or in travel status.

Establishing a Safe haven

Follow three basic steps in setting up a safe-haven in your home:

❑ Designate an internal room;

❑ Install a two-way communications system or telephone; and

❑ Furnish the safe haven with an emergency kit. It is highly unlikely you would spend more than a few hours in a safe haven; however, the sup-plies listed below are suggested for your maxi-mum safety. Your security officer can tell you more about how to select and secure your safe haven.

The following is a checklist of possible safe haven supplies:

Fire extinguisher

Fresh water

5-day supply of food

Candles, matches, flashlight

Extra batteries

Bedding

Toilet facilities

Sterno stove, fuel

Shortwave or other radio

Medical/first aid kit

Other items for your comfort and leisure—a change of clothing, books, games