Resilient Resolutions
10 New Year’s resolutions to keep for 2017
As 2016 comes to a close and the New Year beckons, make 2017 the year you prepare yourself and your family for “The Big One”. Many resilient resolutions cost you absolutely nothing, and yet can make ALL THE DIFFERENCE in an emergency.
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Create a Family Communication Plan
- This costs you nothing to do, and is arguably the most important thing you can do to prepare yourself and your loved ones for ANY emergency. Knowing how to communicate with those you are about in an emergency, especially if cell service, internet, or phones are down is so very important for peace of mind. Click here to get started.
- There’s an extra step in making sure everyone has the contact information printed out and in an easily carried form on them. Click here for printable forms to fill out.
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Create an Emergency Plan for yourself and your loved ones
- Where will you meet? What do you do if separated? Who is responsible for what? In an emergency, especially the Big One, you can’t afford to be asking these questions. You need to know. Resolve to work out an Emergency Plan, discuss it with those you care about, and if feeling ambitious, actually practice an emergency drill to figure out what works for you, and what needs tweaking. Click here to get started.
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Build or buy a “Go Bag”
- Making goals achievable is the best way to accomplish a New Year’s Resolution. Everyone needs a “Go Bag”, an emergency kit that is accessible, easily carried, and contains enough supplies to get you through the first 24-72 hours of a major disaster. There are many vendors online selling simple “Go Bags”, or you can build your own.
- Making goals achievable is the best way to accomplish a New Year’s Resolution. Everyone needs a “Go Bag”, an emergency kit that is accessible, easily carried, and contains enough supplies to get you through the first 24-72 hours of a major disaster. There are many vendors online selling simple “Go Bags”, or you can build your own.
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Complete the Water Challenge
- This is the ambitious one, but is so very important and an excellent New Year’s Resolution! Experts say you need at a minimum One Gallon of clean water per person, per day. In the event of a major 9.0 mega quake, that’s t least 21 gallons of water just to keep you alive! And pets need water, too.
- PrepareLO has some great tips on water, join the Oregon 14 Gallon Challenge, or click here for preparednessmama’s tip to get started.
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Run an Earthquake Drill with your family/loved ones
- Resolve to test your communications plan and emergency plan in 2017. Being prepared makes being resilient much, much simpler. The fastest way to answer the question “What do I do?” is to practice before an emergency hits. There are many ways to prepare, from taking a weekend to live off your “Go Bag” supplies, to simply walking/biking/driving your evacuation routes, to playing a game of “communication” by trying to reach your loved ones without using direct communication via a phone or computer. This costs you nothing but time, and the peace of mind is priceless.
- Resolve to test your communications plan and emergency plan in 2017. Being prepared makes being resilient much, much simpler. The fastest way to answer the question “What do I do?” is to practice before an emergency hits. There are many ways to prepare, from taking a weekend to live off your “Go Bag” supplies, to simply walking/biking/driving your evacuation routes, to playing a game of “communication” by trying to reach your loved ones without using direct communication via a phone or computer. This costs you nothing but time, and the peace of mind is priceless.
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Take a CPR/First Aid Class
- This has so many benefits than just preparing for emergencies, knowing First Aid means that you are ready to help others in their time of need, as well as take care of yourself if injured (that first aid kit doesn’t help much if you don’t know how to use it). Click here to find the Red Cross class in your area. Canadians can click here.
- This has so many benefits than just preparing for emergencies, knowing First Aid means that you are ready to help others in their time of need, as well as take care of yourself if injured (that first aid kit doesn’t help much if you don’t know how to use it). Click here to find the Red Cross class in your area. Canadians can click here.
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Join a CERT/NET
- Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) educate individuals about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. In short, if you want to help others in a disaster, this is how you can. Click here to find a CERT program near you, or ask your local fire hall.
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Start building your Earthquake Survival Kit
- The tools and supplies needed to keep you alive, off grid and completely self-sufficient for 21 days would be expensive and a big deal if you were to do everything all at once. You need food, water, first aid supplies, radio, and more, enough to last 21 days. Resolve to get your kit built or completed this year, and there’s lost of one-step-at-a-time ways to do this so it is easy and not a big hit on your wallet. The Salem (OR) Statesman Journal has a fantastic 24 week plan to building your kit.
- The tools and supplies needed to keep you alive, off grid and completely self-sufficient for 21 days would be expensive and a big deal if you were to do everything all at once. You need food, water, first aid supplies, radio, and more, enough to last 21 days. Resolve to get your kit built or completed this year, and there’s lost of one-step-at-a-time ways to do this so it is easy and not a big hit on your wallet. The Salem (OR) Statesman Journal has a fantastic 24 week plan to building your kit.
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Get a HAM Radio license
- Amateur Radio (HAM) exists to create a communications network in emergencies. The best way to make sure you can communicate in your area if phones and internet are down is to have a HAM radio, and to use one you need a license. Getting one is really easy, doesn’t require any special technical know-how (mainly they want to make sure you know how to use a radio and the rules for transmitting) and your local radio clubs will be happy to get you started. Click here to learn more or click here to find a class in your area.
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