Alabama tornadoes, Chile earthquake: Are you prepared for this coming year of natural incidents?

The new year has begun and already a string of natural incidents have occurred:  earthquakes in Chile and Hawaii; and tornadoes in Alabama.  While the high accumulations of snow may decrease the potential of flooding over greater areas this year, we still have several months of potentially winter weather.  Fires have also occurred in Reno already, taking homes and businesses along with them.

Natural incidents are not uncommon, but when the earth seems to be shaking the Mother Earth finger, we all seem to shake and roll.  There will be changes in the world this year as FEMA and local/city/state governments have depleted budgets for 2012.

While you would like to think the government would protect and help you rebuild, that is simply not going to be the case going forward.  Communities of devastation may be better set if they relocated and build from scratch, a new community.  I know that sounds absolutely horrid to many, it may be the answer of the few.

Debris removal, rebuilding costs and remediation, temporary cities and support services could expect to triple or quadruple the budget of rebuilding by adding these costs on.  Sometimes it is just quicker to start in a new place than wait for all the cards to stop falling from the sky and arrange in an orderly fashion.

Are you ready for this year if you are affected by a natural incident?  Have you prepared your family and business for what you should do in the seconds immediately following an event?  How are your survival plans and kits doing?

Remember, hoarding coupon busting items in your garage is NOT a survival plan.  Ten freezers among you and your friends will defrost in 24 to 36 hours following an event depending on the location you live in.

Personal and small business consulting plans are available now to discuss your concerns prior to an event.  Submit a request for support now, before an event, for best results.

Be safe.  See you through the year safely.

2012 – Natural disasters and draining FEMA? What will you do then?

With the increased incidence of natural disasters in 2011, what will be for 2012?  FEMA has already warned of budget issues and there is a potential risk for disasters to go without continued financial support to rebuild.

Many projects that were in the process of rebuilding from hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, have been stopped due to decreased funding.  While the money was alloted for projects at the time they were approved, it can’t sit there forever in a box to be accessed indefinitely.  Politicians and the private sector thought the money was a given and they could get what they needed from FEMA and other grants to rebuild the city to what it was before the natural disaster.  Umm, no.  While that was the ‘thought process’ in the think tanks that worked to design what should happen after a big event, the reality and the dreams are totally different.

Why are we talking about Katrina still?  Because it is giving us lessons to learn by.  Tons of things worked, tons of things did not work and no, the city and the people are not “back” to normal or what ever picture you are painting in your head.  Life changes.  To expect to take a picture today of your street, have an event, and then submit that picture to the insurance company or FEMA to copy is never going to happen.

So, why am I bringing this up?  The year 2012 is starting out so far behind the eight ball, it may not be recognized by many as the days tick tock by.

Start now!  Realize what is important and forget the rest.  Let things go by that do not serve you.  Live with less, clean out what can go and hold on dearly to the loving things you hold in your heart.  Copy all the important items to disc and scan/email them to family and friends now.  Stock piling?  While that may work for some events, do not put your heart and soul into it, an event may come and destroy it.

You can prepare for the worst, and that is comforting, however, life is not a book that can be written with events, it is ever-changing.  Expect only that events will change the world, each and every day.  You are the only constant.  Cherish what is important.

Sign up for email notifications when I post and you will know when the new site is live and all preparation products are available.  Be safe.

9/11 Cancer? and Joplin fungus? What next? Radiation by flowing ‘gyre’?

There are so many things in life that make us sick, yet the correlation of cause and effect are rarely spoken about since it may implicate others.  In the big scheme of things, who are you waiting for to tell you what you should already know about life around you?  Who is going to be the last word in disaster discovery and will you really feel safe?

Mold and cleanup from Hurricane Irene flooding, musty smell is not normal anyplace!

Hurricane Irene has flooded so much of the north-east coast of the US,  that Labor Day weekend will be spent cleaning.  This disaster has everyone asking about what to do.  Precautions are necessary to protect your health.

If the area is water-logged and mold is starting to appear, five small areas of mold spores does not indicate that is all that has to be cleaned.  Mold spores act like roaches or termites, one means you have tons and they are where you cannot see.

Where to start after Hurricane Irene and you are flooded out

So much of the Northeast coast of the United States has been experiencing flooding conditions as the result of rain from Hurricane Irene.  In some areas, wind damage may be minimal, water is the biggest challenge.  Even still today, three days after the storm passed overhead in some areas, the damage is still occurring.  It will take a few more days for rivers that are ‘up stream’ to crest and deliver all that extra water to the sea.  Until then, heartaches will be felt as more damage is possible.

What do you do first when you see your property is damaged:

Staying on your boat for a natural disaster or hurricane? Think again

There was just a report on the weather network about a water rescue for someone who decided to stay in their boat through a hurricane.

WARNING!!  If you are thinking about that, don’t.  If you need someone to rescue you in a boat during a hurricane, think again.  It will depend on the severity of the storm, the nature of the emergency and if the local government actually has people to go out and help you.   You are putting not only yourself and family in direct harm’s way, but you are potentially harming the rescue fleet coming to get to you.  There are no heroes here, do not ride a storm out on a boat.

While it does take make sense to some people who may have lost their homes and are living in their boats as a last resort, it is not safe.  If you have a boat, put it in safe shelter.  If you can move the boat to another area of safety, that is best.

If you need to know where your boat is and you are not on it, get a GPS for the boat.  You can follow it on your computer no matter where you are.  This will help during a storm, but if the storm has already occurred and you did not prepare, there is still time.  Get a GPS after the storm to be sure you can identify where your boat is and be your own security patrol.  After a storm and if there is moderate damage, people tend to migrate to different areas and take opportunities to help themselves to what ever is not guarded.

Check the blog listing below for further information about the GPS we recommend.  A gps can be put on a person, place or thing.  See what you need.

Be active in getting your own security protection.  Local government and private security forces will be limited in the recovery phase of disasters.  Take action.

Volunteering after hurricane Irene

Please sign up for our blog and you will receive updates when a posting or book is published.

Please visit:  www.blogtalkradio.com/dr-jeanette-gallagher  for a taped show on volunteering after natural disasters.

The book, “Volunteer after a Natural Disaster:  What to know before you sign up and how to take care of yourself during disaster recovery”  will be available for publishing before the end of 2011.

If you sign up to volunteer now, please read and take precautions.  What is so overlooked when being pulled to help others is the fact of your own health and safety.  Many of the buildings that have damage are very old and hold many potential environmental exposure concerns.  While getting your hands into the piles of destruction after a hurricane or other natural disaster is fine, the piles themselves may be harming you.

Find out what to know before you sign up to help after a natural disaster.  Sign up for this blog to have a note sent to you when it is posted.

Be careful and review these warnings carefully.

Shelters Book is now published, ‘Shelters: Protection during a Natural Disaster’

Hurricane shelters are available and it is important to review exactly what that may mean to you.  To go into a shelter and not have any idea what is ahead of you may not be a good thing.  There are situations which can turn sour rapidly.

Bring very little personal items.  Do not expect to just walk out of the shelter immediately after the last cloud has departed.  You MUST take care of your family and know what to do to be safe.  NEVER allow any person in your party to move about the shelter on their own.

Times for free calls to ask questions on hurricanes

Times for the calls on Saturday, August 27, 2011 are 9am eastern time, noon eastern time, 3pm eastern time, and 6pm eastern time.

The number to call is:  218.339.2699  access code:  912092

We will remain on the line for approximately 30 minutes or earlier if all questions are answered.

Call in to get help in figuring out what to do.  Just ask for hurricane help.  Irene will be here for a while.

Shelter necessities for Hurricane Irene

If you are asked to evacuate to a shelter for hurricane Irene, you must adhere to these guidelines.

Do not bring perishable food items, no electronics that need to be plugged in, no televisions, no large computers, no big bags of stuff, no alcohol, no illegal drugs, no firearms, and ask before bringing animals.

DO bring medications that are in your name only or those of your family, your own dry food in individual containers, individual water bottles, one small blanket, two forms of identification, one electric-cable-or telephone bill (verifies your address), two pictures of your children you are responsible for, two pictures of any adult that you are responsible for that cannot take care of themselves, some sort of id for kids, and closed toe shoes for all(shelter will not be cleaned during the storm and there are many people in a closed space).

Do not expect to have services that you can just ask for.  Expect to be on your own, just under their roof.  Do not put others and yourself in harm’s way by inappropriate behavior, you will be banned from the shelter.  If you have teens that are illegal substance dependant, alert the authorities at the location should you have a problem with controlling them.  There may be many people in the shelter who do not have their meds, prescribed or illegal, and others in serious medical conditions.  Be courteous, keep to yourself and do not demand anything of anyone.  It will not work.

See this blog for the full ‘Shelter living after a hurricane‘ ebook to be published tomorrow.

Be safe!!