Ready Radio Days

Ready Radio Days is a program that is selling weather radios at a discounted price.

Here is a list of television stations involved in the Ready Radio Days campaign:

WEAU-Eau Claire
Wednesday April 13
3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Walgreens at 1819 South Hastings Way

WLUK-Green Bay
Thursday, April 14
9:00 am – 8:00 pm
Mills Fleet Farm at 2460 Main Street

WKBT-La Crosse, WSAW-Wausau, WISC-Madison and WISN-Milwaukee will also participate in the program but have not set a date for their events.

See the pdf press release here

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Tornado/Severe Weather Awareness Week

photo credit - American Red Cross

April 11-15 is Wisconsin's Tornado/Severe Weather Awareness Week.

In order to be prepared for this type of weather emergency you ought to have ready a disaster emergency kit - commonly called a 72-hour kit.

At minimum your kit should include:

- 3-day supply of water for your family (minimum subsistence level of 1 gallon per person per day)
- one change of clothing and footwear per person
- blanket or sleeping bag per person
- rain gear and appropriate outerwear to keep your family warm and dry
- tarp or shelter materials
- a first-aid kit, including prescription medications
- lightweight shelf-stable foods (and any dishes & cooking equipment that might be needed)
- battery or hand-crank powered NOAA weather radio
- flashlights and extra batteries or hand-crank flashlights
- fire starting materials (magnesium firestarter, flint and steel, waterproof matches, etc. in case you need to shelter outdoors)
- some cash
- extra set of car keys
- toys or simple games to keep children occupied
- any special items needed for infants or elderly family members

You should also prepare your family by having an emergency plan in place. Practice the plan by having regular drills with your family members. Know what county you live in and be aware of weather notices. Know what warning system is in place in your community. Keep tuned to radio, television, or Internet weather broadcasts.

Familiarize yourself with weather emergency terminology.

Tornado Watch: Conditions are favorable for the development of tornadoes in your area. Remain alert for approaching storms.

Tornado Warning: A tornado is imminent (based on weather radar information) or has been sighted by spotters. If a tornado warning is issued for your area - move to your pre-designated place of safety. Seek shelter immediately!

Severe Thunderstorm Watch: Conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms with damaging straight-line (downburst) winds and/or large hail.

Severe Thunderstorm Warning: Severe thunderstorms with damaging straight-line winds and/or large hail are imminent or are occurring.

In case of a tornado warning you need to take shelter:

• In a house with a basement: Avoid windows. Get in the basement and under some kind of sturdy protection (heavy table, work bench or stairs), or cover yourself with a mattress or sleeping bag.

• In a house with no basement, a dorm, or an apartment: Avoid windows. Go to the lowest floor, small center room (like a bathroom or closet), under a stair well or in an interior hallway with no windows. Crouch as low as possible to the floor, facing down; and cover your head with your hands. Even in an interior room, you should cover yourself with some sort of thick padding (mattress, blankets, etc.), to protect against flying or falling debris.

• In an office building: Go directly to an enclosed, windowless area in the center of the building -- away from glass. Then, crouch down and cover your head. Interior stairwells are usually good places to take shelter. Stay off elevators- you could become trapped in them if the power is lost.

• In a mobile home: Get out! Most tornadoes can destroy even tied-down mobile homes. If your community has a tornado shelter, go there fast. If there is a sturdy permanent building within close distance, seek shelter there. Otherwise, lie flat on low ground away from your home, protecting your head. If possible, use open ground away from trees and cars, which can be blown onto you.

• At school: Follow the drill! Go to the interior hall or room in an orderly way as you are told. Crouch low, head down, and protect the back of your head with your arms. Stay away from windows and large open rooms like gyms and auditoriums.

• In a car or truck: If tornado is in the distance, drive at right angles to the tornado movement. If there is time, get out of your vehicle and seek shelter in a permanent building. If there is no time, you have a choice – you can stay in your vehicle with your seat belt on, or you can get out and lie flat and face down, protecting the back of your head with your arms. Either way you run the risk of injuries or death.


Sources:
Ready Wisconsin
National Weather Service
American Red Cross

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Free water purification kit from PUR

photo credit - eyesore9 on flickr


As preppers we all know how very important water - especially properly purified water - is to us all.

This link will allow you to obtain a free water purification kit from PUR. It's designed as a learning aid for kids, but might also work to help you teach your neighbors, friends, and family about safe water purification.


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Flooding along Rock, Fox, and Mississippi Rivers

According to the State of Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs Division of Emergency Management, "Currently, the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued flood warnings for the Rock, Fox and Mississippi Rivers in Wisconsin. Minor flooding is occurring along these rivers, mainly impacting parks, agriculture or other lowland areas. The NWS anticipates the Mississippi River will remain high for most of April as much of northern Wisconsin and Minnesota still have heavy snow that will melt and will eventually run into the Mississippi River. In addition, they are concerned that any additional heavy precipitation this spring could result in major flooding."

To read the press release click here
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how to convince your significant other to prepare

photo credit - automaton_be on flickr

One of the most vexing problems that face preppers is having an unsupportive spouse or significant other. How do you cope with it and what can you do to convince him/her to come on board and get ready with you?

Here are some ideas that have worked for folks in the past:

- remind your SO of weather emergencies in your area and convince him/her to at least help your family prepare for those

- some folks find it helpful to show their SO government sites like Ready.gov and show the SO what FEMA recommends people do to be prepared

- another tactic is to use your local Red Cross or similar aid agency to demonstrate how a family ought to be prepared for emergencies

- try using economic conditions as a reason to prepare. Unemployment is up and so many people have lost their jobs. Having food stored and other items prepared can be a safety nest if there is a loss of income.

- it's tragic, but sometimes world events like earthquakes or tsunamis can provide incentive for people to get prepared. You might use news reports as a conversation starter to help your SO understand how prudent it can be to be prepared.

- explain to your SO how prepping can be a hedge against inflation. You can take advantage of low prices now to save money in advance of price increases.

- if you SO likes to shop sales, use that to your advantage. Encourage him/her to buy in bulk when items are on sale.

- you might talk about history or your own family history and how beneficial it was for people to have a preparedness mindset. Some historical times/events that are helpful in this conversation are the Great Depression, World War II rationing, and the Dust Bowl.

- use your SO's interests or hobbies as a way to help your family get prepared. Hobbies like gardening, woodworking, sewing, quilting, hunting, shooting, fishing, camping, etc. can all provide ways to help your family increase its preparedness levels.

- take a look at the distinct emergency preparedness conditions your family might face in your community. Do you have chemical plants nearby? If so, your family might be compelled to evacuate in case of a spill. This possible threat can be a great way to introduce having 72-hour kits or BOBs ready.

- remember that skills are as important as gear. If your SO isn't interested in setting aside the funds to gather the gear perhaps he/she is ready to build up skills. Don't discourage any interest he/she might have in becoming better prepared.

- if finances are the main concern, discuss with your SO ways to trim the family budget to free up some money for prepping or ways that you might be able to increase your family income in order to have the funds available for prepping.

What other strategies have worked for you? How have you been able to persuade someone reluctant to prepare to actually start preparing?



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emergency or camping shower

When our family went on our week-long camping trip this past summer we enjoyed using our camping shower that we purchased from Cabela's. We have a nylon shower "tent", a cedar "floor", and a cool stainless steel tank that can be pressurized along with a sprayer.

While we were camping I was thinking we really ought to have a back-up shower, but they're pricey and it really doesn't fit into our family's budget right now.

While reading an update post at Adventures in Self Reliance they linked back to their post on constructing an emergency or camping shower. This is the perfect back-up system for us and I just had to share it with you.

It has a number of uses - even if you don't camp.

Have you ever have your city work on water pipes and were unable to shower because the water was turned off? If you store water you can heat some up and put it in your emergency shower and have a nice warm shower!

For those of you with electric hot water heaters - have you ever had a power outage and found that you only had cold water? With this emergency shower you can warm up some water (outside on your camping stove or inside if you have a natural gas stove) and have a nice warm shower using your emergency shower.

Anyway, you get the idea. I think every family ought to have an emergency shower - even if they don't camp!


(disclaimer - the links out to Cabela's are NOT associate links and I receive no compensation for using them. All links used in this post are just informational to assist the reader in understanding the topic.)
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