September was National Preparedness Month
and IÂ’ve been working with The Clorox Company and Consumer Queen, to help you make an Emergency Preparedness plan and an Emergency Preparedness Kit. It is vital that we all prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
I hope you’ll print out this post and put it in your Executive Homemaker binder for future reference. You never know when you’ll need it.
Emergency Preparedness Plan
- Emergency Preparedness Check List – Check!
- How to Create an Emergency Preparedness Plan – Check!
- Emergency Plan for your Pets – Check!
What happens AFTER disaster strikes?
What do you do when you get home after an emergency?
In the wake of disaster, there is much to do as you assess the health and safety of your household as well as next steps to rebuild your life. The first thing you’ll want to do is check communication channels to ensure that local officials have declared it safe to return home.
When home, cleaning up after a natural disaster can be a daunting task so itÂ’s important keep your health top of mind using these steps:
- Before entering the home, look outside for loose power lines, damaged gas lines, foundation cracks or other damage
- During cleanup, wear protective clothing, including rubber gloves and rubber boots
- Look for flooding or large pools of standing water surrounding your home. These waters can be contaminated with high levels of bacteria that can make you sick, so disinfecting with a solution of bleach and water may help to remove mold and prevent the spread of infections and illness
General Health & Safety Tips:
- For more information please visit www.clorox.com/redcross and download the preparedness guide: Prepare Yourself Now for Peace of Mind Later
- Keep your hands clean, either by washing your hands or using a hand sanitizer
- If you feel feverish or sick after a disaster or during clean-up, see a doctor immediately
- Eat healthy foods and drink lots of clean water
REMEMBER – your emergency preparedness kit should include a minimum three-day supply of water for evacuations (2 weeks for home) for your entire household. This means approximately one gallon per person, per day for washing and drinking
If water supplies are compromised and you are unable to boil water for one minute (three minutes at high elevation), you can create drinkable water by using un-scented disinfecting bleach such as Clorox. You can also use bleach to clean non-porous surfaces in your home.
- To Disinfect Surfaces: Use 1/4 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water, or as directed on the label, to disinfect hard, non-porous surfaces in your home.
- To Disinfect Water: If you need to purify water during an emergency, (and do not have the means to boil it for 3-5 minutes), you must disinfect your water using bleach. If water is clear, add 8 drops (1/8 tsp.) of bleach per gallon of water. If water is cloudy, add 16 drops (1/4 tsp.) of bleach per gallon of water. Mix the solution thoroughly and let it stand for about 30 minutes before using it. Properly treated water should have a slight chlorine odor. If it doesnÂ’t, repeat dosage and allow water to stand an additional 15 minutes. The treated water can be made drinkable by pouring it between clean containers several times.
For more information please
visit www.clorox.com/redcross and download the preparedness guide:
Prepare Yourself Now for Peace of Mind Later
Giveaway: Enter to Win!
I am giving away a $25 gift card so that you can create your own emergency preparedness kit. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post.
If you are on twitter, you can earn an extra entry for sharing this tweet with your followers. (This is completely optional.) Example Tweet: How to Create an Emergency Preparedness Plan http://bit.ly/ctgJ2n Enter to win a $25 GC from @Clorox and @TipJunkie #Preparedness Pls RT
Julie L says
I honestly think that this is a great reminder to me about being prepared for an emergency…because our household is not-thanks for the giveaway
Nachelle Sampson says
What a great giveaway!
Heather Mohr says
Good idea to make up a kit.
Sharon T says
This is a wonderful thing to have. I have survived through a number of hurricanes and without a preparedness kit, it would have been much more demanding than it already was. I now live in Missouri, and we are still in need of an emergancy kit, so I will be downloading and reveiwing your information to make sure I have everything covered. An extra $25 gift card would be great!
robin ingram says
I would love to win this. We are trying to get our emergency preparedness done.