Disaster Tested, Mother Approved

Growing up my mother was a preparedness guru in her own right. She always had drinks and snacks prepared for long road trips, she kept a back pack of first aid materials in each vehicle along with three or four blankets, she carried a tube of Neosporin and Q-tips in her purse along with a bottle of Tylenol, and perhaps most importantly, she always stocked up on plenty of canned food.

Every time we made it to the grocery store (usually once a month) my mom would buy bulk canned corn, green beans, soups, chilies and fruits along with other packaged snacks. While it was just as much about price and convenience as preparedness, I know that had we become somehow trapped in our house by a snowstorm (happened once for a week) or the power went out along with our electric stove (happened too many times to count) we would have something to eat.

While I don't buy BULK canned goods, I still make sure I have a few around just in case, especially for that night when I just can't bring myself to fire up the stove.

With that said, I'd like to take this post to honor the canned good. Happy 200th Birthday, and here's to many more!

Denver Post: Canning food turns 200 years old

Remember Fire Safety

It's not quite fire safety week, but a weekend fire in Louisville resulting in two deaths is a grim reminder of the importance of practicing fire safety every day.

Research conducted by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) shows that nearly 3,000 people in the U.S. die every year in home fires. From 2003-2006 two-thirds of home fire deaths occurred in homes with no smoke alarms. Keep yourself and your family safe using the following tips:

• Install a smoke alarm on every floor of your home and in each bedroom or sleeping area
• Test smoke alarms once month by pressing the "test" button
• Replace batteries once a year
• Create an emergency escape plan
• Know two ways to exit every room in your home/apartment

For more on fire safety, visit www.nfpa.org.

Keep your friends close

As a transplant Louisvillian, I tend to worry about family and friends back in Colorado. What can I say; I'm my mother's daughter. I ask myself questions like:

What will happen to them if they get hurt?
Who will ride with them to the emergency room?
Who will help nurse them back to health?

I would love to have the ability to immediately be by their side in case of an emergency, just like this guy was for his friend who had just been electrocuted.

Miracle in Mayberry

While AED's aren't always accessible, having the ability to save your loved ones is just a phone call or e-mail away. Contact the Louisville Area Chapter Health & Safety office for information on CPR, First Aid and AED classes.

Call 561-3605 or e-mail health.info@louisville-redcross.org.

Eternal Optimism of the American Mind

A recent study reveals Americans are quite the optimists when it comes to disaster risk. Posted in Risk Analysis, results from the study showed that between 365 mental health workers from Japan, Argentina and the U.S., Americans had the lowest risk perceptions for terrorism.

"Although participants from the USA had a higher exposure to terrorist events than those from Japan and Argentina, they believed they were least vulnerable to them." - eht-forum.org

Authors of the study think the optimism can be attributed to the United States' position of power in the world.

For more on the study go to eht-forum.org.

And for more on the latest news in public preparedness, check out In Case of Emergency, Read Blog.

Pakistan Floods affect Millions

At least 12 million people have been affected by recent flooding caused by monsoon rain in Pakistan. The American Red Cross has committed $250,000 to relief efforts. The money will be used to buy tarps, blankets and kitchen sets for the estimated 540,000 people displaced by flooding. Pakistan's Red Crescent Society is on the ground providing food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support.

For more on what the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are doing to help those affected, go to www.ifrc.org.