I love the way that smartphones bring libraries-full of information to our pockets. That includes the information we need to prepare for emergencies as well as instructions to respond to emergencies in the moment. For the iPhone, there is a wonderfully complete and easy-to-navigate app by evolvingmonkeys.com called simply Emergency Preparedness Checklist and Guide. Developed…
Category Archives: Supplies
Are You On Pinterest? See My “Masters of Disasters” Picks
I have a bunch of tools that have become my go-to favorites for emergency preparation. I think of them as my “masters of disasters.” So that you can share them, too, I’ve put them on some bulletin boards on Pinterest. Right now I am working on three bulletin boards: my top picks for emergency supplies…
Where Do I Keep Emergency Supplies?
Oregon-based professional organizer and blogger extraordinaire Krista Colvin had the genius idea to do a series of peeks inside the homes and lives of other professional organizers. Today she featured a few of my tips on where to keep emergency supplies, with photos. Pay her blog a visit for the inside scoop on some of…
New Emergency Water Storage
My tap water crosses two of California’s eight major earthquake faults before it arrives in my glass. Though many upgrades have been made, the aqueducts that deliver that water were not built with a major earthquake in mind. If a major earthquake struck right now as I type, the flow of water from the Sierra…
Are You Emergency-Ready? Use the Start of Summer to Update Your Preparations
Once you’ve set up your basic emergency plans and gathered supplies, do you have trouble remembering to do the little tasks of maintaining your emergency preparation? Use the change of the seasons as a reminder to update your plans and supplies. Here is a checklist of simple steps to keep your preparations up to date:…
More Lessons Emerging From New Zealand’s Latest Earthquake
Early Wednesday afternoon local time a devastating 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck New Zealand’s second largest city, Christchurch. The city has been suffering numerous smaller quakes, sometimes called aftershocks, since a major earthquake last September, and I have posted several items from my friend and Christchurch resident Wendy Davie, who has endured every day of it, sometimes…
The Most Important Emergency Supply
It’s not the first-aid kit. It’s not the roadside flares. It’s not your cellphone. The thing that everyone needs, every day, no matter what, is water. Emergency officials recommend having one gallon of water per person or pet for each day. And they recommend storing enough for three days at a minimum, and up to…
Learning From OPM (Other People’s Mistakes)
Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself. – Eleanor Roosevelt Whenever I learn of someone who has gone through a tough situation, I’m eager to debrief them so that I can learn things I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. So I was especially happy…
Notes and Lessons from the San Bruno Blast
If the firemen knocked on your door to say you had to evacuate, what would you do first? My friend and professional organizing colleague Molly Brady, who lives in San Bruno, CA, was under an evacuation order on the night of September 9th this year, after a Pacific Gas and Electric pipeline exploded in a…
Three uses for a trash bag in an emergency
It doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming to improve your emergency preparation. You can take a small step next time you go to the grocery store. Pick up a box of large, thick plastic trash bags to add to your emergency supplies. The Eagle Scout in you will find all sorts of uses for…