Thanks to CaliforniaVolunteers, I have 10 disaster kits to give away for a new contest. CaliforniaVolunteers is the office that oversees that State’s volunteering initiatives including its family preparedness program, WE Prepare.
To win a kit, send in one of the following: an emergency preparedness tip, something your have done to prepare for a disaster, or a suggestion to improve preparedness in your community to the Comment section below or in an email to me at jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com by June 7th. I’ll choose 10 winners by random.Â
As you can see in the photo (taken by my daughter), the kit contains drinking water packets, a block of survival food, a glow stick, flashlight, whistle and some first aid supplies.
I got the idea for this contest from a blog called Wendolonia which did something similar with CaliforniaVolunteers earlier this year. It was part of an initiative by the state agency to reach out to “Mommy Bloggers” like Wendolonia to promote the WE Prepare family readiness program . (I wrote about that effort last month and then spoke with CaliforniaVolunteers about doing the same kind of contest.)
Again, to win one of the 10 kits above, please send in either a preparedness tip, something your have done to prepare for a disaster, or a suggestion to improve preparedness in your community to the Comment section below or in an email to me at jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com by June 7th.
11 responses so far ↓
1 Jonathan Haber // May 26, 2009 at 11:57 am
Here’s my preparedness tip: Help educate your neighbors by writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper reminding them and urging them to take preparedness into their own hands. Just today, I sent the following letter to the editor of my local “gazette” newspaper: “Thanks to the free “Alert Montgomery†notification system, I received a text alert today about the potential for flooding during this week’s rain storm. Alerts from the system have also warned me about road closures and more. An interesting statistic was published at the bottom of the alert. It said that the alert was sent to 544 users. If true, doesn’t that sound like a very low number in a county of almost one million residents? Come on neighbors, it shouldn’t be news to you that taking a few simple steps can make a big difference in ensuring your safety and well-being during an emergency. Go online now and check out the free resources that federal, state and local governments provide to help you stay informed and prepare for an emergency. At the very least, you should visit Ready.gov and pandemicflu.gov. If you live or work in Montgomery County, visit the county home page (just Google it) and follow the link to sign up for the free “Alert Montgomery†system to stay informed of emergencies (weather, traffic, etc.) in your community. Don’t be caught off-guard. Take the time now to prepare you, your family and your business to weather the storm.”
2 Preparedness Pro // May 26, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Excellent content. I blog regularly about how people can be more prepared for emergency situations here: http://tinyurl.com/colg9v
3 Preparedness Pro // May 28, 2009 at 10:58 am
I recently invested in a solar oven as an outlet for cooking in an emergency. Since it’s difficult to acquire new skills under duress in an actual emergency, I have begun cooking with my solar oven now to familiarize myself with it. It is absolutely amazing. No water. No messy clean up. No worries of scorching or burning. No constant monitoring. And no fuel of any kind is required. The solar oven is now officially my new cooking nirvana. So far I have used my solar oven to cook delicious chicken, roast, baked bread, sausage, ham and even pasteurize water. In fact, this is a pic of my yummy chicken – look at all the natural juices that come from cooking it in the solar oven! http://twitpic.com/60rgi For people who don’t want to shell out more money, it is possible to make your own. Details at http://solarcooking.org/plans/funnel.htm.
4 Blair B. // May 28, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I think that one of the best things you can do to help with community preparedness is to help everyone learn to grown their own food either on their own lots or in community gardens.
5 Andrea // May 30, 2009 at 1:25 pm
I think the best tip I have is, not to overwhelm people! I have taught a couple of classes for my church on preparedness. I always tell people it isn’t about getting everything today, it is about getting one thing at a time, or learning something new. For example, have a flashlight under each bathroom sink, tape the power company phone number to it, and make sure it is always in the same spot! Also, learn how to open a garage door manually, or grow a basil plant in a sunny window for practice. Build on these new skills, and soon you will be a regular pioneer!
6 Patty Brooks // May 31, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Turn off your power and water for a weekend and survive it. You don’t really know how it will go until you try it.
Trying this before you lose it in a real situation will give you an idea of what you will need when it really happens.
Take notes and make a list of items most important to your survival. This is the best time of year for this drill. (its a great way to conserve energy and lower your bill).
7 Jonathan Haber // Jun 5, 2009 at 10:22 am
As a follow-up to my suggestion above, the local newspaper (Gazette) did publish my letter to the editor under the heading “Free services prepare us for emergencies”:
http://www.gazette.net/stories/06032009/montlet173009_32523.shtml
8 Dennis Hanlon // Jun 9, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Suggest people go home and turn off all their power (or at least pretend it’s off.) No tv (especially after June 12), no computer. Do they have flashlights at the ready? Do they have a battery powered radio? Do they have sufficient prescription drugs for 3 days? Do they have a first aid kit? Do they have a telephone that does not rely on electricity?
Once folks see where there weaknesses are, they will be more open to other preparedness meaures.
9 Send Me A Preparedness Tip, Win A Disaster Kit — Call For Contest Entries // Jun 22, 2009 at 12:21 pm
[...] New Contest: Send In A Preparedness Tip, Win A Disaster Kit Furnished By CaliforniaVolunteers [...]
10 led flashlight // Jun 25, 2009 at 3:15 pm
I think one of the post important things you can carry with you, in case of an emergency, is an led flashlight, and a small first aid kit. I can tell you how many times I’ve needed both of those!
11 Patty Brooks // Jun 27, 2009 at 3:09 am
I started a neighborhood association to get my neighbors together, then I held an Emergency Preparedness Awareness Fair and Blood Drive
We had a total of 327 attendees as follows:
275 guests, 12 staff , 12 agencies / 37 agency representatives, 3 City representatives &. 6 sponsors,
Our blood drive goal, 25 pints and we managed to collect 34 pints
The agencies included
Ca, Highway Patrol (1)
San Jose Crime Prevention Unit (3)
Moreland School District (1)
R.A.C.E.S (5)
http://www.Iprepare.com (1)
San Jose Prepared/CERT (4)
Pelican Products (1)
San Jose Fire Dept. & Paramedics (6)
Ca Firesafe Council & Smokey Bear (2)
San Jose Mounted Police (2 officers & 2 horses)
Stanford Blood Center Mobile (6)
S P N A (4) + 3 photographers + 10 staff volunteers
City Reps: Kim Shunk Director of the Office of emergency Services (1)
District 1 Councilman Pete Constant & 1 photographer (2)
Mayor Chuck Reed & 1 aide, 1 photographer (3)
Then I started a website and forum to help others prepare and be informed.
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