I really want to talk just a bit more about the notebook as it has space for a few things I had not considered. Page one is a place for “what” and “where’. For example, hand-crank radio-in the upper, left hand kitchen cabinet; wooden matches, cabinet over the refrigerator; alternative cooking tools, den closet.
Emergency Contact Page
Instruction Sheets (for things like disinfecting water)
Pockets for birth certificates, SS cards, driver’s license and so on-make copies of each and note location of original.
Pocket for pictures of each family member
List of internet passwords
Pocket for cash
Credit card info plus customer service numbers
Pocket for local maps (this is a GREAT addition)
Pocket for copies of prescriptions including eyeglasses
Pocket for flash drives of important information
Funeral wishes (we all die and this would make things easier for a surviving spouse
All of the expected lists are also included.
I saw something on TV yesterday that really struck me. It was an interview with some NYC folks who were furious that their streets were still not cleared up from the storm. The dislocation from the reality of the natural world is astounding. Nature bats lasts folks and just because you want or need something does not mean it can magically appear. What on earth will people like this do if things shut down for longer than a few days???? If a blocked road leads you to a temper tantrum then you need an attitude adjustment and the opportunity to spend a few shifts with a road crew.
I have been hit with my New Year, must clean and reorganize the house, Webb-fit crazies today. The clutter from the holiday and the visitors is getting to me and I must rearrange something.
December 29, 2010 at 8:40 am
We’ve had similar TV interviews after our snow in the UK. Lots of muttering about the bins not being emptied, streets not cleared etc etc.
We missed a few social engagements because of the snow, which was disappointing, but not the end of the world.
We had wood, oil (no mains gas in our village. Everybody heats with oil, but lots of our friends were very low on oil and were then told there was a 3 week wait for delivery) and food, including all we needed for Christmas. We’d had several weeks notice of the bad weather, but nobody else had thought to get in extra milk, bread or even buy what they needed.
I find it astounding that people take so little responsibility for themselves. These are our friends- sensible, educated people and yet none of them can think even a week ahead to zip round the supermarket or make sure they have adequate heating. We have a wood burner, but most only have their radiators. A couple of neighbours were very smug because they had 4×4′s, but the lorries were barely making it to local shops- it’s no help if the shops have no food.
The thing is, they were all in the same situation last February, so the excuse that this is unusual weather for us doesn’t really cut it any more. I discovered that one family didn’t even own any Wellington boots. We live in a small village of 200 houses, surrounded by farmland, with no pavements (sidewalks) or street lighting. How do you manage to not own any waterproof footwear?!
December 29, 2010 at 9:23 am
I need a notebook just like that! I find it very hard to get started on our notebook because it is overwhelming to start from scratch!
On a positive though, my husband and I are on our end-of-the-year-use-all-the-remaining-vacation-days vacation and are plowing through the accumulation of things we never use and reorganizing our own little stockpile of “just-in-case” necessities!
Paula Spalding.
December 29, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Hooray for the photos! What a great resource. Thanks!
December 29, 2010 at 1:28 pm
You keep prcticing with the pic and you’ll find it easier and easier to post them.
Interesting emergency resource you have described to us, kathy, thank you for that.
A Happy New Year to you all!
peace, Shamba
December 29, 2010 at 2:47 pm
I think this is a great tool to have. The only thing that does concern me a little and that I won’t be including in my binder if I make one like this are copies of social security card/numbers. This is a resource you want available to all members of your household, so it would be stored some place accessible. If it’s accessible to you and yours, it’s also accessible to anyone who visits your home. From what I’ve read, most identity thefts are not done by strangers but by people that we know. The same thing goes for internet passwords and credit card info.
I do keep the copies of those locked away in a safe place that only trusted family members have access to.
December 29, 2010 at 7:21 pm
I too have the New Year’s cleaning bug. How can I not, all the children are home for the holidays, I’m home for the week too. All that ‘manpower’ just sitting around! I washed ceilings today, the girls did the walls, and the boys caught up on hauling the recycling to the depot and getting that room reorganized. Tomorrow? Maybe the basement!
December 30, 2010 at 6:10 am
Kathy,
I have a fire/waterproof locked safe in which I store my sensitive documents. The safe is the size of a large briefcase and has a handle. It nis not kept out in the open but is easily accessible in case I need to “gab and go”.
I keep all of my original documents in there along with copies in my safety deposit box at the bank. I also keep a supply of cash in the box and with old utility bills, etc.
Trafal
December 30, 2010 at 10:31 am
Yes, we were all set for being snowed in as well — a nice feeling!
One of the NYC concerns, although it may not have gotten the coverage it deserved, was that ~80 emergency vehicles were not kept plowed out. Because of that some of them actually ran out of gas (some are required to stay running in case of urgent response or something), and ~90 calls for help weren’t responded to quickly/at all, because no one could get there. This is Not the norm for NYC, and Mayor Bloomberg tried to cover it up.