Emergency Preparedness Planning: How To Prepare Your Family For An Emergency

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Emergency preparedness and emergency planning are the kinds of tasks that few people consider when they think of family safety planning.

But, thanks to global warming, war, natural disasters, and terrorism, no one is truly safe from the possibility of a disaster occurring in their neighborhood. Most people are unprepared to deal with an emergency should one occur in their city or town.

Few of us even know the emergency preparedness definition, understand the importance of emergency preparedness, or know what is an emergency preparedness plan.

Those familiar with emergency preparedness and emergency planning will know that these terms refer to how prepared people are to respond to an emergency.

An emergency could come in the form of a natural disaster such as earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, or unpredictable tsunamis. It could be a terror attack, burglary, or home invasion, which again is unpredictable.

It could be a preventable accident such as a gas explosion, electricity accident, or fire, or even a financial or economic disaster, such as a money crisis or power outage.

How many people do you know who have been through some sort of emergency preparedness training? Perhaps your family has attended a family emergency planning seminar or family emergency response training.

You may have read all the emergency preparedness books and emergency preparedness guides you could get your hands on, and may even have earned an emergency preparedness merit badge in your school days.

You might have installed the most high-tech security and burglar alarm system in your house. You could have a large storage house of canned goods, in case of an outage or crisis, and you may have the most complete emergency kit ever.

But if you don’t have a home emergency preparedness plan for when that dreaded day comes, it will all be to no avail.

Have you been asked these questions before?

  • What’s inside your fridge right now?
  • Is your dog food or cat food edible by humans?
  • Do you have an emergency meeting place for your family?
  • Who’s going to get your kids from school, in case you don’t make it?
  • What’s in your emergency preparedness backpack?

If you find these questions somewhat intimidating, privacy intruding, and uncomfortable to answer, that’s no surprise because most people don’t have a satisfactory answer to any of them.

These are just some of the questions that you will answer when you create an emergency preparedness plan with your family.

Fortunately, there’s a lot you can do to prepare your family in case of a worst-case scenario. Remember, when you plan for an emergency, you must consider all possible threats, calamities, and disasters.

Home-related emergencies may include the most common – electrical or fire accidents, physical accidents such as falling downstairs, gas leak explosions, earthquakes, typhoons, and even burglars.

Remember, that emergency preparedness and emergency planning are not just buzzwords, but a practical and realistic way to prepare your family for emergencies.

The degree of devastation and havoc created by natural disasters can be shocking. High-speed winds, torrential downpours, and severe floods are some of the possible events that can cause widespread destruction and loss of life.

Emergency preparedness planning refers to a set of activities or a list of reminders that will familiarize every member of the family with what they need to do in case of an emergency.

It actually just takes less than an hour for you to formulate an emergency plan, have it printed, and give each member of the family a copy. So, gather your folks around and get started with your emergency preparedness planning right now.

Emergency Preparedness Checklist

It is always a wise decision to prepare your home for the possibility of a natural disaster occurring.  Here’s an emergency preparedness checklist to use in case you’re faced with such a situation.

  • Emergency Contacts

The first step is to make an emergency preparedness chart and put it into a binder with all relevant documents and a list of contacts to emergency units like the police, 911, fire department, hospital, clinic, and technicians, in case of electrical appliance accidents.

It’s a good idea to put your emergency preparedness binder near the telephone or in a place where a telephone conversation is commonly held so that every member of the family can access the numbers easily when required.

Make sure you create a speed dial for numbers like 911 on all your family mobile phones and landlines. Another important element in your emergency preparedness plan is a list of contacts living outside your city or State.

In case of a regional disaster, such as a hurricane or earthquake, it may be difficult to stay connected using local lines. Ensure that everyone in the family shares the same list of contacts.

  • Emergency Exits

The most important emergency planning rule is to lay out the emergency exits in case of a home invasion or a natural disaster. This means identifying the fire exit route of your house and having everyone memorize it.

Note that a fire exit is not only intended as an escape from a fire in the building, but also for disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, flooding, and even burglaries and home invasions.

First, make sure that every member of the family is present. Then start discussing the plan around the safe exits of the house. Show everyone the locations of the floor drains, gas valves, water pipes, electrical boxes, and fire extinguishers.

Exit doors are usually found in the kitchen, but what if an emergency took place in the kitchen? In that case, would the main door be a better option for an exit? How about in each room? Do the kids have assigned routes to emergency exits?

Discuss all these possibilities with your family so you get an idea of how everyone sees it. For all you know, they may point out important details that never crossed your mind.

  • Safe Meeting Place

The second thing to consider in your emergency preparedness plan is a safe meeting place for your family. When you leave your loved ones at home, how will you contact them in case of emergencies? Where will you meet and who will they call?

It could be your favorite restaurant or it may be a good idea to appoint a relative living nearby as your destination of refuge. You could deal with it on a case-by-case basis.

For example, during a fire accident, determine which house or place of refuge your family members will be staying in temporarily. If there’s an incoming hurricane, recommend that your family members evacuate to a friend or relative in a nearby city or state.

Assign a person who will pick up your kids when you can’t make it and make sure they have a list of health conditions of all your family members, especially a record of allergies. Make a list of your neighbors’ contact numbers and the emergency services in your area.

Don’t forget to brief every family member about this designated safe place where all plan to meet, just in case not everyone is present during an emergency.

Finally, give everyone a family photo or individual photos of all your family members to keep with them at all times. This can be extremely helpful when a family member is missing.

Pets are family members too, so your emergency preparedness plan should include emergency preparedness for pets. Unfortunately, they’re not allowed in evacuation and resettlement areas, so you may have to leave them in a veterinary clinic or with a relative.

  • Secure Doors and Windows

To begin with, you will need to make certain alterations to all the doors and windows at your home. You might want to replace a window with one that is sturdier and install an impact-resistant window.

This can decrease the possibility of your window breaking into little pieces of glass if a tornado hits the area. Another practical idea would be to install impact-resistant shutters to cover the openings in the window.

This would prevent flying debris from entering the house through cracks in the window panes, which could be dangerous for anyone in the vicinity.

Your entrance doors must have a security lock, with an inch-long bolt, and a minimum of three hinges. This will anchor the door frames to the wall so that the door stays intact.

If you have sliding glass doors that are delicate and get damaged easily, you may want to consider replacing them, especially if you live in an area prone to hurricanes or tornadoes.

Doors constructed with plastic glazing, laminated glass, or a combination of both are impact-resistant and can be used as a replacement for sliding glass doors.

  • Preparing the Lot

There are a number of things you must do in case of a hurricane warning. Rid your property of tree limbs and dead, weak trees. If your home is in an area that is likely to get flooded, it’s best to evacuate it before the onset of the hurricane.

If this is not the case, you must purchase the essential 72-hour kits to prepare for the possibility of being stuck in your house for days at a stretch.

  • Stocking Food and Water

When a hurricane or storm forces you to hunker down for days because leaving home is dangerous, your emergency preparedness supply is likely to dwindle if the storm continues for too long.

It’s important to stock adequate food and water in your 72-hrs Emergency Preparedness Kit, to provide your family with the nourishment they need to survive the storm.

That’s why you need to stock up on water and food supplies that will last a minimum of 72 hours. Other essentials include:

Don’t forget to include other personal items of need, such as extra keys for your car and house, medications, diapers, and baby formula.

Listen to the weather reports on your emergency solar portable radio to prepare for any dangerous situations you and your family may encounter. If you have a clear idea of what to expect, you’ll be able to plan properly.

The most important thing is to stay calm. Panic attacks will not help you think clearly when implementing your emergency preparedness plan.

As a final thought, teach your family how to be responsive and manage stress during critical moments. Always check, keep, maintain, and update your emergency preparedness supplies.

You could be storing expired food in your emergency preparedness kit so make sure you constantly check the expiration dates.

To avoid spoilage of food in your emergency kits, make a schedule or calendar of maintenance where you can list the expiry dates of the items and set a reminder on your mobile device to consume the canned foods in your emergency before they expire.

  • Emergency Preparedness For Kids

Call your children’s school and ask about their emergency plans. Remember that children could become stressed during a disaster. Kids are typically afraid of seeing people injured and may be afraid of being alone.

Keep your children calm and assure them that everything will be alright. Teaching emergency preparedness to kids will give them the guidance and confidence they need to think on their feet and cope with unfamiliar situations.

Encourage your kids to get their Cub Scout emergency preparedness pin or Boy Scouts merit badge for emergency preparedness.

Help them fill out their emergency preparedness merit badge workbook and go over their emergency preparedness merit badge answers with them, so they’re mentally prepared if disaster strikes.

Another fun way of preparing kids for an emergency is to introduce them to these emergency preparedness games for kids. You can also watch emergency preparedness videos on YouTube or subscribe to updates from emergency preparedness websites.

If possible, get your entire family to do a free FEMA Emergency Preparedness Course online, so they understand:

  • What is emergency preparedness?
  • Why is emergency preparedness important?
  • The principles of emergency preparedness &
  • Emergency preparedness requirements in different situations

Who knows, one of your kids may even go on to get an emergency preparedness job as an emergency preparedness coordinator or go into emergency preparedness consulting.

These emergency preparedness training courses and emergency preparedness tips may not prove to be adequate in all situations, so add more rules as and when you see fit.

Remember that emergency preparedness plans can help you mitigate the risks and ill effects of a disaster and keep your family safe from harm.

Note: It is very rare for home insurance policies to cover damages caused by either flooding or natural disasters without specific add-ons.

After the above preparations have been made, review your homeowner’s insurance policy to ensure you are covered before any severe weather indications.

5 Green Energy Tips To Save Energy At Home And Work

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Many people find it daunting when they consider the prospect of making their home and office greener. But there are many small things you can easily do to save energy at home and work without drastically changing your lifestyle.

5 Green Energy Tips To Reduce Your Home Energy Usage

Need some green energy tips to help you save energy at home and work? These green energy ideas will help you save energy without drastically changing your lifestyle.

1. Small Changes Can Make a Difference

Greener living can start with the simple turn of your light bulbs while replacing them with new energy-efficient dimmable, LED lights and grow to become bigger home improvements.


A great tip to help save energy for those of you who cook a lot is to use lids on your pots and pans. You can actually be a more efficient cook when you do this, and it helps you save energy and money in the process.

When you cook at home, use a microwave oven as much as you can. Stoves and ovens use a lot more energy than microwaves. So, whenever you can “nuke” something in the microwave, take advantage of it and tremendously cut down the energy output.

Move your frozen foods from the freezer to the refrigerator when you are thawing them out. This way of thawing food is safer than leaving it out, and the cold air the food releases helps to cool the inside of your fridge, so it needs to run less often and consumes less energy.

To reduce the energy that your refrigerators and freezers require, put them in a cool place. Placing them in a sunny location or directly in front of heating vents can increase the time that they need to run.

Use a water-saving showerhead in your bathroom. You won’t notice a difference in the feel of your shower, but you’ll save a lot of water. There’ll be an immediate decrease in your water consumption, and saving water benefits our planet.


2. Unplug Things That You’re Not Using

One of the simplest ways to help save the environment is to use less energy. When you aren’t using an appliance, unplug it.

When you aren’t using your television, computer equipment or lights, don’t forget to turn them off. This is a simple tip that can help you save money, too.

Take the battery out of your laptop when using it at home so you can save money by running the laptop using AC current.

A laptop battery will continue to draw up energy even when full, so running plugged-in without the battery uses less electricity. It will also extend the life of the battery.

When the days are longer, leave your lights off as long as possible. Install dimmers for LED lights so that you can adjust how much light you actually use.


Install automatic light sensors with motion detection in your most highly trafficked rooms. Use these sensors to turn the lights off when no one is in the room, which will save you money as you use less energy.

If motion-sensing lights are working for you indoors, try adding them outdoors and in the garage, as well!


3. Weatherize Your Home

Weatherizing your home will help your home be more energy efficient. You can greatly reduce your home’s energy by sealing ducts, installing energy-efficient windows, and adding insulation.

If you can, replace your windows for those that are energy-efficient. These have many benefits, such as reduced spending on energy bills, a quieter home, and less condensation on the interior of your windows.

If you can’t replace your windows, install energy-efficient curtains instead.


4. Heat or Cool Each Room Separately

If you live in a cold climate, you can save a substantial amount of money on your monthly bill by heating each room separately.

A good way to get that done is to use a floor heating system that has a main board for allowing you to set a certain temperature in different areas. If you happen to own a larger home, this will be especially beneficial.


One green energy device you can use is a programmable thermostat. These thermostats can regulate your home’s climate so you are not cooling or heating your home unnecessarily.

The newer models can be programmed with multiple starts and stop times for various days during the week to conserve power. Reducing your thermostat to 60 degrees when the house is vacant will save you more energy than you may think.


60 degrees is the target temperature at which your heater will be consuming the least energy. You can minimize energy usage and save money.

The same goes for climates that require air-conditioning. One easy way to stay green in the summertime is to set your thermostat’s temperature five degrees higher than normal. This can cut your cooling costs by up to one-fifth.

Use fans to cool your home whenever possible. Have a separate AC in each room rather than central air-con.

Make sure your air-conditioning appliances have the Energy Star sticker or logo so that they meet the guidelines set by the U.S. Energy Department and those of the EPA. You may have to purchase these appliances to get tax rebates.

5. Switch to Renewable Or Green Energy

If you’re a business owner, then you’ll be aware of your electrical costs, so you should know that installing solar panels in your office or place of business can save money in the long run.

When you market to customers, make sure you mention that you’re using renewable or green energy. Many consumers prefer going to businesses that support renewable energy technology and care for the environment.


Solar panels will pay for themselves tenfold by not only attracting more customers but also by saving money on electricity bills. Switch to a solar water heater to heat your pools, showers, hot tubs and kitchen faucets to save money.

Solar water heaters use solar energy in an efficient way to heat your water. While many of these upgrades have high up-front costs, they may qualify for tax credits or other rebates.


Consider installing solar-powered lamps for outdoor lighting. These lamps are inexpensive and do not require any kind of power source other than exposure to the sun.

This does more than just save energy. As an added benefit, you are spared the trouble of running an outdoor wiring system.

Look for subsidies or rebates at the local and federal levels for updating your home to renewable energy sources. Your local utility company may be offering green energy rebates to apply updates.

Other companies may offer tax deductions from your local or federal government. These rebates and credits can substantially reduce the cost of installing green energy technology in your home.

Every home is different. These differences will make green-energy technology needs vary. Some green energy solutions that one homeowner implements may not work for another.

When you see green energy tips that fit your current scenario, make use of them wisely to cut your bills and save the planet.

Renewable Energy: Green Energy Solutions For Your Off-Grid Home

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Are you looking for green energy solutions to power your off-grid home? You don’t have to be an energy consultant to understand the many benefits of renewable energy or green energy.

So, what is renewable energy and why are renewable energy sources better for the environment? Why use renewable energy sources?

The definition of renewable energy is “energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power.” This source of energy is not likely to run out, inasmuch as the sun is likely to stop shining.

How do renewable energy sources affect the environment? Firstly, renewable energy sources don’t cause global warming, which is caused by burning fossil fuels, which are non-renewable energy sources.

Another benefit of renewable energy is that it can be decentralized, that is, it can be produced locally. You can turn whatever is available locally – wind, solar, tidal energy, hydroelectric (water energy), geothermal energy or biomass energy – into electrical energy to power your off-grid home.

That’s why it is so easy to power an off-grid home with green energy.

How much energy comes from renewable sources?

How much energy is produced by renewable energy sources today? In 2018, renewable energy sources accounted for about 11% of total U.S. energy consumption and about 17% of electricity generation.

While Iceland generates 100% of its electricity from hydroelectric and geothermal sources, 28% of Denmark’s electricity comes from wind, and the government plans to increase this to 50% by 2020.

Any new homes built in California after 2020 will have to be at least partially solar-powered, Google now sources 100% of its energy from renewable sources like solar and wind, and Tesla plans to install solar panels on 1100 houses in South Australia, creating the world’s largest virtual solar plant.

What are renewable energy sources?

There are many types of alternative energy available that are an excellent substitute for fossil fuels that cause global warming. But most people have a lot of questions about renewable energy sources.

They usually want to know, are renewable energy sources reliable? Are renewable energy sources cheaper and more cost-effective? Can renewable energy sources replace fossil fuels?

How many renewable energy sources are there? What are some renewable energy sources examples and how do they compare to each other?

Here are the main forms of renewable energy, along with the advantages of using each one.

Solar Energy Solutions

Passive solar building design uses the inherent properties of building materials to absorb the sun’s heat during the day and keep the home warm at night. These construction methods have been used by many civilizations since ancient times.

Passive solar heating and passive cooling — approaches known as natural conditioning — provide comfort throughout the year by reducing, or eliminating, the need for fossil fuel.

Yet, while heat from sunlight and ventilation from breezes is free for the taking, few modern architects or builders really understand the principles involved.

In his book, The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling, Dan Chiras, brings those principles up to date for a new generation of solar enthusiasts.

Active solar energy solutions like solar hot water systems use a fluid like water to absorb the heat, while photovoltaic (PV) solar panels convert sunlight into usable direct current electricity and are currently installed in over 100 countries.

What are solar energy’s advantages and disadvantages? The benefit of solar energy is that it is in abundant supply and will not run out for millions of years. All we have to do is find more efficient ways to harvest it.

The disadvantage of solar energy is that our current photovoltaic systems don’t convert energy efficiently enough to be considered a feasible energy alternative.

How efficient are renewable energy sources such as solar power systems? Not as much as we would like, unfortunately.

Solar Energy Facts: Roughly 16% of the sunlight that hits the photovoltaic cell is converted into usable energy.


However, there are new breakthroughs happening all the time in the field of solar energy. For example, electrical engineer Aaswath Raman, at the University of California in LA, invented a device that can harness energy from a dark night sky to power an LED, which is immediately practical for lighting and off-grid sensors.

The primary advantage of solar energy is that it is free, and with more efficient models already in production, solar power may become the world’s primary energy source in the future.

Wind Energy

Wind energy is one of the fastest-growing sources of electricity in the entire world. Here are some wind energy facts.

In 2013, the 168 million megawatts of energy that wind turbines produced resulted in the elimination of 95.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. As of the end of 2014, the United States wind power capacity was at 65,879 megawatts.

There are many advantages of wind energy as wind turbines do not pollute or contaminate the surrounding area on which they are built. Wind turbines can be located offshore and some countries use wind farms to supply up to 20% of their electricity needs.

Despite these compelling wind power facts, it does have some disadvantages as wind turbines have been blamed for killing birds that fly into them and they can only generate power in windy areas.

Wind Turbine Facts: A single wind turbine can produce enough energy to power 500 households.

Wind turbine companies now produce small wind turbines or home wind turbine kits and wind turbine generators to generate wind power for homes in remote areas or for those who want to experience off-grid living.

If you live in a place where solar and wind energy are both plentiful, you can get a Hybrid Wind Solar Power DIY Off-Grid Kit for power generation around the clock.


It can be used to power your RV’s, cabins, boats, backup power generation, remote power needs, or around the home such as sheds, barns, and outbuildings.

Hydro Energy Systems

Hydro energy is water energy generated by the movement of water, whether it is falling or flowing down a river. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the term hydropower has referred to generating electricity using water.

Flowing water was used in ancient water mills to power various machines, from saws to cranes and lifts. Today you can get a portable micro-hydro generator kit like the WaterLily 12V to generate power from rivers and charge day or night in any weather.

This water turbine kit is perfect for RVers, boaters, campers, hunters, cabin owners and ideal for base camps, emergency prepping and off-grid living.

Hydropower is an efficient and renewable source of power. However, the building of a dam and reservoir can flood catchment areas, resulting in harmful effects on the environment and displacing thousands of people who live there.

Careful consideration is often given to this before a reservoir system is actually built. Micro-hydro power systems don’t have the disadvantages of mega hydropower dams. You can find a micro-hydro generator for sale online.

Portable water turbine kits like the Pelton Water Wheel or the WaterLily 12V can be used in hilly or mountainous areas to generate energy from small rivers and streams.


Biofuels & Biomass Energy

As one of the primary types of renewable energy used all around the world, biofuels are a sustainable energy resource. They are made from biomass, which is biological material from living or once-living organisms. This includes traditional “fossil fuels” such as gasoline.

However, more readily available biological materials, such as wood, corn, hemp and a wide variety of different species of trees can be used to create biofuels. These biomass energy sources can be grown and harvested, making them a sustainable energy resource.

But, burning biomass for energy does have disadvantages as some of them can release toxic fumes when burned, contributing to air pollution. Also, burning biofuels is not a zero-carbon activity and contributes to global warming because of the CO2 released.

If you do plan to use biofuels, like ethanol, in your off-grid home, you can get the eco-friendly Ignis Ventless Bio Ethanol Fireplace Burner. It doesn’t produce any smoke, soot or dangerous gases, has no chimney, no gas or electric lines and is easy to maintain.


Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is generated by tapping into the thermal energy or heat at the Earth’s core. This energy is harvested by drilling deep into the ground, then pumping in a heat transfer fluid such as water or steam.

The energy that is transferred up to the surface is converted into usable power. Water-based systems are the most effective, but also have the potential to cause contamination in the nearby water table. This means that great care must be taken to not damage the local water supply.

In the book, DIY: How to Make Cheap Air Conditioning Earth Tubes: Do It Yourself Homemade Air Conditioner, you’ll learn how to use earth tubes (or earth-air tubes) – underground tubes that use geothermal energy – to cool or heat temper the air for your home.

It works like cheap air conditioning because you can build it yourself for several hundred dollars and it is free to run (no electricity needed). Being completely passive, this is a sustainable technology based on designs that are 3,000 years old and still used today around the world to cool homes.

If you live in an area where a volcanic activity or geothermal springs are present, you should get these books on using Geothermal Energy for the home.

The continuous growth in sustainable energy technology has made energy source alternatives increasingly viable options.


With such positive results and far less impact on the environment, sustainable energy sources are our best energy option when it comes to a long-term energy supply.

How much do renewable energy sources cost? 

Are renewable energy sources expensive? In the past, installing solar energy systems used to be extremely expensive because of the cost of photovoltaic cells and also complicated because consumers couldn’t figure out the solar energy marketplace.

Over the last decade, the cost of installing solar energy systems has fallen by 70% and solar energy companies are educating and guiding consumers through the process, making solar energy an incredibly lucrative long-term investment.

For budget-conscious consumers, used solar panels are a great way to save money.

But if spending tens of thousands of dollars on a standard solar panel system is not for you and if you want to be “energy independent” and have the fridge, oven and AC on for just a fraction of your usual monthly spend, check out this simple 3D solar array.

This disaster-proof, recession-proof, drought-proof “backyard power plant” is so simple that you don’t have to be an electrician to build it and it requires no maintenance.

Even better, it doesn’t take up a lot of space because its ingenious vertical design means that it needs only 5% of the surface used in conventional solar panel systems.

This device is the cheapest, easiest way to effortlessly make your own personal power plant and have a perpetual source of cheap green electricity for anything heading your way. And the best part: you won’t need to rely on the power grid anymore.

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