Emergency Home Preparation

EHP Discussion Site-Emergency Backup-Member Communication
This area is where you will find messages regarding our sister-site for Emergency Home Preparation Discussion ( http://EmergencyHomePrep.forumotion.com ). If that forum goes down, look here for messages or updates about EHP-D.

Welcome!

Where Has the ReadyMoms Alliance Team Been?
ReadyMoms.org was proud to be a participant in the 2007 American Public Health Association (APHA) conference in Washington, DC November 3-7, 2007. We promoted Community Awareness of Pandemic Flu and the ability for Household Preparation for this and all emergencies individual households may face.

Prepping-Getting Started

Quotes Worth Noting!
Gems we can't let slip by ....

How to Prepare in 24 Hours!
If You Only Have 24 Hours To Prepare for H5N1 Quarantine use this guide

Apartments & Other Small Living Areas
Including Campers and RV's. How do you store the necessary food, water & medical supplies needed for a lengthy Emergency Sitting In Place situation? Some tips can be found here ...

Babies & Pregnancy
Babies may be small ... but they come with large demands. There's a lot to consider to care for them, in an emergency situation. Before their birth, pregnant moms have a lot to consider in advanced preparations.

Bags-'Bug Out Bags', '72 Hour Bags' & Other Emergency Bags
Look here to find out about bags that are pre-packed and ready to grab in an emergency or emergency items you carry with you on a daily basis.

Batteries
Lots of things to consider when using batteries. What Size do you need? How can you recharge them? What is a 'Solar' or 'Marine' battery and much more.

Beverages
You don't have to drink just water. There are recipes for juices, teas, wines and other libations found here!

Caches-Hidey Holes & Secret Stashes
Do you keep all your emergency supplies in one place? Or do you hide some? This is where you can find discussion on WHAT a cache is, WHAT to put in your cache, Why you should consider having one (or several), HOW to make one.

Children
Prepping with children has it's special concerns: Items to stock, foods they will eat, putting easy-to-follow plans in place, having emergency supplies within their reach, self reliance. Could your children help themselves, if needed?

Cleaning Up Without Water & Cleaning & Cleaners
A clean home is a happy home. Can't get to a store? Need a cleaning product? Try some of these homemade versions.

College Students & Students Away From Home
Knowing that your college student is prepared to handle an emergency, when they are not able to get home will give them and their family peace of mind.

Communications-Phones-Mail-Internet
Telecommunications systems could be overwhelmed and we could loose use of telephones and internet. If Power goes down for extended periods of time, cordless phones would be useless. And just what do you do with any mail that might come through? Can you touch it? Is it safe? How do you work around internet concerns? Look here for help.

Community & Family
Family, Friends & Community members will either be key in your preparedness & survial OR they may become a foe who drains all your resources. Small networks? Larger networks? Or Lone Wolf? Do you talk about your preparedness or do you keep quiet? This is the place to discuss your options.

Cool Air (when there's NO air conditioning)
So, the electricity is OFF, and you are HOT! How do you stay cool? Some inventive ideas can be found here.

Earthquakes
Earthquakes don't just rumble through the ground and shake your wall, they can rattle your nerves if you hare not sufficiently prepared. Some tips are included here.

Elderly & Disabled-Populations: Require Special Concerns
Medications, special equipment, emotional concerns are concerns that are somewhat unique in nature for these individuals in times of stress. There are guides and help available to corrdinate emergency pre-planning for those households.

Electronics-Misc Topics
Additional ideas for everything electric in our life. Does NOT include generators & solar ... they have their own forum.

Evacuation aka 'Bugging Out'
There may be times when you need to be prepared to leave home. Would you be ready? What would you take? What about Pets? Can you gather it all quickly? How much do you need? What do you need to do to your home to leave it for an indefinite amount of time?

Fire Safety
The threat of fire safety can be of real concern, if you do not have access to your local fire department during a community emergency. Some idea that may help can be found here.

Floods
Floods can affect a single room or an entire community. It will help to have some supplies in place before one affects you. Even just a a Flooded basement can be a hazard to your family in several ways. Find some helpful tips here.

Food: Family Food Storage-Assorted Topic
Detailed lists from various sources with notes, ideas and hints on all aspects of starting, organizing and using your food storage. Including Buckets, mylar bags, oxy absorbers, shelf life, packaging codes, storage solutions & MORE!

Food: Recipes
Recipes from various sources like discussion forums and food-related websites

Food: Taste Tests
Summaries of Taste Tests made on Freeze Dried, Dehydrated or other store-bought long-term foods. Many thanks to all the folks who dipped into their long-term food storage to try these foods and post the results!

Foraging
No Food? Hungry? Plants growing in the wild may save you. Learn what is safe to collect and eat. Berries. Green leaves. Trees and more.

General Items
Lots of Lists to choose from in here including items such as paper goods, cleaners, emergency lighting, cooking, tools and much much more! Read them over, combine items from the various lists to make it just right for your particular family or group. There are a lot of good ideas here from a variety of sources.

Generators
Essential services, including electric may be down, now just during a pandemic but during plenty of other emergency or weather situations. Generators come in all shapes & sizes. Learn more here!

Heat & Winter
Information to help when your home heating system is inoperative for hours or days. Plus other helpful Winter topics.

Home Repair & Maintenance
Like other services, home repair can become a challenge, if you don't have access to the folks in the handy yellow pages! You may have to rely on tools you have at home and a little bit of knowledge to get you through. Find some tips on keeping your house running smoothly and what you need to do so here.

Hurricanes & Tornadoes
Each and every year there are news reports of families that have been devastated by the wrath of wind that has torn through a community. There are preparations you can put in place. Read here to find out more.

Hygiene-Personal Hygiene
Trying to continue regular hygiene habits when supplies are limited my get difficult. Suggestions found here include: Toilet Paper, Showers, Shaving, Bathing, Hand Sanitizer, Hair Care, Soaps and much more!

Laundry
How can you get this done, when there is no electric? Plus recipes for home-made laundry detergent.

Lights/Lighting
LED's,Flashlights,Solar Lighting,Propane Camping Lanterns ... the alternate options to electricity are varied and discussions & information can be found here.

Livestock
Animals will be a necessary for survival, when there are no stores to go to. Chickens, goats, rabbits are common 'small' animals for suburban families. Any livestock can be discussed here.

Masks-Non Medical Use
Look here for information on masks that are NOT for medical use. Masks for medical use can be found in the Medical Forum.

Money
Money matters. Especially during a time of emergency, when you may not be able to get to banking facilities to get some. Find out how to prepare here.

Music
Silence may be golden, but music is so uplifting. Recorded music or musical instruments. Look for it here.

Pets
H5N1 has been found in Dogs, Cats & Birds. How do we protect and care for our faithful friends? Some of the answers can be found here.

Quarantine
Isolation of households ... 'SIP' (Sheltering In Place) ... Quarentine ... they all mean the same thing: STAY PUT.

Recycle & Reuse
Look here to see ideas to give a new life to old & discarded items.

Rodents, Rats, Mice, Bugs and other annoying critters
The decline in the number of cats and dogs might result in an explosion of rats and mice and other small animal pests. The increase in trash not properly disposed of may increase those pests AND other creepy crawlers. How do we prepare for that possiblity?

Sanitation
Trash, alternate 'Pottie' ideas and Waste Management ideas

Scavaging

Security & Safety
Ideas on keeping your home safe. The possibiity of 'civil unrest' is always there, in extreme situations. Some ideas to help you through this are found here.

Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting
Basic skills that you might need, if you cannot get to a store. How to fix a pair of socks (have you EVER done that before or did you just toss them out and buy a new pair?). Crochet & Knitting skills for blankets, footwear, household items. Lots of uses for an old skill that many don't have anymore.

Shelter in Place (AKA: SIP, AKA: Bugging In)
You've decided that you are not leaving home. Now what? What to consider if you stay home for a long time without your normal daily routine & ability to get supplies & travel around.

Shelters
If you can't be in the comfort of your own home, need to bug out or travel you'll need shelter. Find out how to make them, here.

Solar Power
The grid is down and affects a significant number of communities. You've lost electricity and don't know how long till it comes back on. Solar power is an alternate energy source that is becoming more and more popular. For emergency situations, solar power can be a life-saver.

Storage Ideas
Storage solutions for small & large spaces. Apartments, homes, farms ... where ever you live. Cabinets, bookshelves, under beds, storage units and more.

Time, Telling Time & Timepieces

Transportation-Getting Around or NO cars!
Gas is at a minimum or not available. You need to 'get around', get water, wood, other supplies. How do you do it? How do you maintain 'alternate transporation'?

Utilities
Do you know how to turn off your gas or water, if you need to?? Find out here!

Water: General Information & Guidelines
Just why do we need to store water? How much should we store? What else do we need to know?

Water Storage Options
Bottles,buckets,barrels,wells and lots of other choices here!

Websites for Preparation Items
Sites where you can order Bulk Food (dried goods, 10# cans, long term storage goods, Storage options, etc.) can be found here

General Overview of Concerns
A general guide of necessary and respectful management of those that have died in a disaster of significant size.

Household Concerns
A challenging, uncomfortable topic for most, but something that may need to be considered, when health care and mortuary facilities are overwhelmed. What do you do, when in quarantine/sheltering-in-place?

Mortuary/Funeral Home Concerns
What you should know that these services are considering to help you prepare for how you may respond should you loose someone close while in quarantine/sheltering-in-place

The Fear Factor

Government: State & Local
Governors get ready, including quarantines, close schools and keep utilities and transport running in case of a bird flu pandemic.

Government: National
What does our Federal Government have to say about Pandemic Influenza?

Avian Flu/H5N1/Pandemic Flu: Learn More
Learn more about H5N1 and H1N1 (1918 Flu/Spanish Flu)

Churches, Synagogues & Other Faith Organizations
In times of Emergency, many people turn to their House of Worship or Faith Organization. Many have laid out Emergency Pandemic Plans. Find these plans here.

Movies

Publications: TipLetters
We have designed a series of 'TipLetters' that are a gradual set of one-page Informative Home Preparation Guides. Each TipLetter focuses on an individual area of preparation. Great to share with others!

Publications-Large Publications
Books & Large Publications (other than pamphlets & Brochures)

Publications: Small Items-Brochures, Handouts, Pamphlets, etc.
Small pubications made for individual distribution through various organizations, communities, etc.

Videos
Watch these and you will learn so much more!

Other Websites with Helpful Info: Discussion Forums
There's a lot of chatter out there! Check out these forums where there are discussions on Avain Influenzia Education, Preparation of Homes, Current Events, Medical Concerns, Financial Concerns, Food Safety and MUCH MUCH More!

Other Websites with Helpful Info: General
There's a lot out there ... take a look and see what they have to offer ...

Other Websites with Helpful Info: Government
Websites by various Governemnt agencies that have important information from Preparation to Current events.

Dr. Grattan Woodson, MD,FACP-(Publications)

United Nations
What is the United Nations adivse to prepare? What scenario are they putting contingency plans in place for? And ... a lot more.

John Barry, author
Author of The Great Influenza

Dr. Anthony Fauci
Director of the Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health

Dr. David Fedson
Medical Director, Vaccines Division, Sanofi-Aventis (retired)
Fellow, American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America

Michael O. Leavitt
Health and Human Services Secretary

Dr. Michael T. Osterholm
Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) ...

Dr. John Oxford
Scientific Director, Retroscreen Virology Ltd.
Professor, St. Bartholomew’s and Royal London Hospital
London, England

Dr. Jeffrey Taubenberger
Dr. Jeffrey Taubenberger is a pathologist at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C., and heads the institute's division of molecular pathology.

Dr. Robert Webster
Member, St. Jude Faculty -Rose Marie Thomas Chair -Departments:Infectious Diseases
Education: PhD

Grattan Woodson, MD, FACP
Dr. Woodson is the attending physician in Internal Medicine at the Druid Oaks Health Center and the Medical Director of the Atlanta Research Center both in Decatur, GA.

DIY (Do It Yourself)
Handy with tools & supplies? A 'Weekend Warrior' or just thrifty and want to make your own? Then this is the place for you! Look here for ideas on DIY projects and share your own, too!