Rick
04-07-2009, 08:55 PM
It's 2:14 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. You are the only one home when there is a frantic knock at the front door followed by rapid ringing of the door bell. You answer the door to find a police officer (deputy, sheriff, RCMP, whoever is appropriate to your area).
"There's been a wreck," he says. "A tanker truck (derailed train if you prefer or accident at a chemical plant) carrying liquid chlorine. There's a huge cloud and it's moving this way. You have two minutes to grab whatever you can. Get movin'!"
You have just enough time to grab your cell phone, car (truck) keys, BOB and your pet as the officer times you.
"Let's go!" he yells as you race to grab your cell phone.
"Let's get out of here," he says as he escorts you to your vehicle. "They're evacuating the flugal horn factory (where your better half works) and the school (where your kid(s) is. They think the cloud will be here within the next ten minutes."
"But where is.." He cuts you off mid-sentence. "Let's go!" he yells as he jogs toward his cruiser.
In just two and half minutes you've abandoned your home and you now have everything you own, at least for the time being, in your vehicle.
1. Do you have a plan to locate the rest of your family members or a place you are to meet?
2. Do you have required medications for yourself and your family in your BOB?
3. Do you have sufficient cash in your BOB to assist you while you are away from home? (ATMs or banks could be affected if the chlorine gas cloud is large enough.)
4. Do you have spare glasses or other durable medical goods that you or your family require in your BOB? Durable medical goods might be tire repair equipment for wheel chairs or scooters, equipment for visual, hearing or speech impaired family members, cognitive disability or self-administered medical treatment (insulin, for example).
5. Do you have any documentation in your BOB that you might need. Copies of one or two credit cards so you know the numbers, copy of driver's license, copy of military ID or Visa in case you don't have your wallet.
6. Do you have an inventory of household goods in your safe deposit box or in your BOB? An inventory will aid you in obtaining an insurance settlement should an accident destroy your home.
7. Have you taken the time to understand what emergency needs your pet has and have you taken steps to fulfill those needs?
You are welcome to dispute any of the assumptions in this scenario. It's simply designed to make you think for a moment about some things that you might not have considered for your BOB.
For your edification, here is a link to a recent study on the 101 most dangerous chemical facilities in the US. The report also lists an additional 202 facilities considered to be at high risk.
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/11/chemical_security_map.html
Here is a link to a brochure by the American Veterinarian Medical Association that gives you tips and ideas on disaster planning for your pets and livestock.
http://www.avma.org/disaster/saving_family.asp
"There's been a wreck," he says. "A tanker truck (derailed train if you prefer or accident at a chemical plant) carrying liquid chlorine. There's a huge cloud and it's moving this way. You have two minutes to grab whatever you can. Get movin'!"
You have just enough time to grab your cell phone, car (truck) keys, BOB and your pet as the officer times you.
"Let's go!" he yells as you race to grab your cell phone.
"Let's get out of here," he says as he escorts you to your vehicle. "They're evacuating the flugal horn factory (where your better half works) and the school (where your kid(s) is. They think the cloud will be here within the next ten minutes."
"But where is.." He cuts you off mid-sentence. "Let's go!" he yells as he jogs toward his cruiser.
In just two and half minutes you've abandoned your home and you now have everything you own, at least for the time being, in your vehicle.
1. Do you have a plan to locate the rest of your family members or a place you are to meet?
2. Do you have required medications for yourself and your family in your BOB?
3. Do you have sufficient cash in your BOB to assist you while you are away from home? (ATMs or banks could be affected if the chlorine gas cloud is large enough.)
4. Do you have spare glasses or other durable medical goods that you or your family require in your BOB? Durable medical goods might be tire repair equipment for wheel chairs or scooters, equipment for visual, hearing or speech impaired family members, cognitive disability or self-administered medical treatment (insulin, for example).
5. Do you have any documentation in your BOB that you might need. Copies of one or two credit cards so you know the numbers, copy of driver's license, copy of military ID or Visa in case you don't have your wallet.
6. Do you have an inventory of household goods in your safe deposit box or in your BOB? An inventory will aid you in obtaining an insurance settlement should an accident destroy your home.
7. Have you taken the time to understand what emergency needs your pet has and have you taken steps to fulfill those needs?
You are welcome to dispute any of the assumptions in this scenario. It's simply designed to make you think for a moment about some things that you might not have considered for your BOB.
For your edification, here is a link to a recent study on the 101 most dangerous chemical facilities in the US. The report also lists an additional 202 facilities considered to be at high risk.
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/11/chemical_security_map.html
Here is a link to a brochure by the American Veterinarian Medical Association that gives you tips and ideas on disaster planning for your pets and livestock.
http://www.avma.org/disaster/saving_family.asp