Speaking of Emergency Preparation...

First, let me say there is a store called Recreation Outlet in South Salt Lake with a great deal on a bag to help start the emergency kit. According the newspaper ad, they were $9.99/ea. I may try to find something on wheels for Mason, but I plan on checking them out for Alan and myself, so I will let you know if they are as good as they sound.

Secondly, one of my neighbors stopped by a few days ago because our city is starting to focus on Emergency Preparation. She is in charge of six households within the immediate area of her home, which seems fairly manageable.

She brought over a packet from the city which includes a page to fill out our family information so the city will have it on file. It also has the Salt Lake Valley Health Department Family Emergency Preparedness Guide. I will post more on this after I have time to sit down and read it. It then has a Ziploc bag, labeled with the name, address, and cell phone number of our coordinator (neighbor). Inside the Ziploc bag are five sheets of construction paper in green, yellow, red, black, and white. These are to be put in one of our front windows in the event of an emergency, and indicate the following: green=all is well, yellow=we need help but it is not critical, red=we need help immediately, black=someone is deceased, and white=already evacuated. There is a supplemental packet with additional local information and a list of available resources.


For the most part, I think this is a good idea. It's a way for the city to make account for its residents in case of a disaster. We all saw what happens when civic leaders are not prepared for a major disaster after Hurricane Katrina. I think our city is being more responsible and I intend to comply.

I would encourage everyone to check with your ward, city, or other miscellaneous geographical area to see if there is an emergency prep plan in place. If not, please contact me and I will help you get at least a copy of the materials our city is giving out, because they aren't included in the 72-hour kit list I'm posting. I hope every area has one, because from a selfish perspective, I want everyone I care about to be accounted for in the event of emergency.

If there ever is a disaster with wide magnitude here, it is certain that Alan and I will both be called into work. Alan will have no choice in the matter and will have to go. I already know I would need to make sure my family was cared for because that is my most important job.

Like all of us, I'm just trying to get informed and prepared. Hopefully we will never need it.