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The Family First
Newsletter
Promoting family unity one issue at a time
Vol. 9 Issue 34 - Week of September 18, 2006
ISSN: 1527-6201
©2006 - Joyce Pierce --All Rights Reserved
In
this issue:
Hurricane season- How to Survive
Be Prepared for Disasters
The Organized Parent: 8 Tips for Getting Your Family's Act Together
Household Items that Can Kill Your Dog
Good morning!
Last year this time we had already survived
Hurricane Rita. Since we've passed that
mark this year, it's easy to think that we've
somehow made it through the season without a
problem. Not true. Hurricane season is
not over with, and even if you don't live in
Hurricane Alley, it seems that almost every area has
it's own problem associated with nature.
Whether it's flood, fires, tornadoes or hurricanes,
we need to be prepared.
Please forward
this issue to someone who may benefit from it!
Joyce Pierce
Hurricane season- How to Survive
by Richard Stoyeck
Most researchers who study crisis will tell you that the reason people die in a crisis is because they PANIC. This is true of people lost in the woods, capsized from a boat or stuck in the middle of a hurricane. Your brain is your best asset in such a situation. Yes you want to be optimistic about the outcome. At the same time, you have to be deadly accurate in appraising the current minute by minute situation that you find yourself in.
Let’s take Hurricane Katrina as an example. I have read accounts of smart, sophisticated businessmen who were stuck in the city for the duration. Did they act any differently that many of those who perished in the crisis. You bet they did.
One businessman immediately went to one of those 24 hour places where there was still some items on the shelves. He was able to buy cans of beans, nuts, limes, a small bottle of bleach, several limes, and several liters of water. In a crisis situation, water is more important than food. Your body will last several times longer without food, than it will without water. Normally four days is about it for water.
People have been known to go for weeks, even more than a month without food. The body simply uses up the fat stores in your body. This is one of the few examples we know of where the fat guy wins. The reason for the bleach is that by adding two drops of bleach to a gallon of water, it begincomes drinkable. It won’t be the best tasting drink in the world, but it will allow you to survive. Put a slice of lime in it to make it more tasteful.
Wherever you find yourself stuck, you need to fill every object that can hold water with water. Fill bathtubs to the top, and sinks too. Open the refrigerator and you’ll find plastic drawers. Fill those drawers with water and put them in the highest location in the facility you are in. We are talking life and death; you have to start thinking to survive. While that gentleman was in the store looking for items to help him survive, other people who weren’t thinking were buying gum and cigarettes. You can guess who perished in the storm.
Start looking at anything, and everything that you can use to survive. Wood floats, find wood. You need rope, or some kind of object that can allow you to tie things together with. Strips of sheets will do, curtain ties, or bedding could work. A knife certainly comes in handy. Matches, flashlights, warm clothing, anything that you can wrap yourself in. Is there a can of paint around, and anything that can be used as a brush. You might need to paint the word “HELP” on a roof, in order to be rescued.
Warren Buffett, the best investor in the world, says that it’s even money that this country gets hit with a nuclear weapon in the next ten years. Since he owns one of the largest insurance companies in the world, it’s his responsibility to weigh out such risks.
If you have a car, never let the tank get down to empty. Keep it at least half full, and don’t be afraid to store 10 gallons of fuel on your property. If the electricity goes out for whatever reasons, the fuel pumps at most gas stations will NOT work, which means you can’t get gas.
While we are on the subject of cars, do you keep any emergency equipment in your trunk? Do you have a first aide kit,
and if not, why not? You need a flashlight, and some life saving clothing. I keep super thin rescue blankets in the trunk that will help you contain body heat if necessary, and act as reflectors of sunlight during daylight. They are no bigger than pack of cigarettes when folded up.
Now back to our Katrina victims. Our friend, who found himself alone and stuck in a hotel in New Orleans, decided to find another person who was in the same situation as he was. This allowed him to pool the resources of two people together. It gives you twice the brainpower, plus whatever the other person brings to the table. Do not pick someone who is going to be a drag, and a drain on you. This will only add to your own difficulties.
A bank card allows you to withdraw cash at an ATM machine. There are always limits on bankcards. You need cash to survive in a crisis. Call your bank, the number is on the back of the credit card and have them increase the amount you can withdraw. This is an emergency and the bank will accommodate you.
Phones that need electricity will not operate in a crisis. Forget portable phones, they will be dead. The electricity will be out. All analog phones will continue to operate. The phone company does not depend on electricity from the local utility to operate their phone lines. You are not going to believe this, but in the master plan for nuclear war drafted by our armed forces during the cold war, the plan called for AT & T to remain operational during a conflict. Orders would continue to go out over the nation’s phone lines.
Finally during a crisis like Katrina, you need a plan, and you need to constantly be re-evaluating that plan. Keep calm, don’t make life and death decisions while fatigued, that will get you in trouble or worse. Just keep revising the plan for what is happening in real time. Try to have contingent plans in your mind for possible changes taking place. Stay CALM, keep a CLEAR HEAD, and you just might have some story to tell your grandchildren.
In my own work running money in my firm, and picking stocks, I am constantly getting hit with unplanned events happening. Pipelines going offline. Oil supplies collapsing, weapons of mass destruction that aren’t there, CEO’s having heart attacks. You need a diversified portfolio to even out the risks, and you need to stay calm to figure out if the investment is still worth keeping. It’s just like being in a hurricane. Richard Stoyeck’s background includes being a limited partner at Bear Stearns, Senior VP at Lehman Brothers, Kuhn Loeb, Arthur Andersen, and KPMG. Educated at Pace University, NYU, and Harvard University, today he runs Rockefeller Capital Partners
Richard Stoyeck may be contacted at
mlongo99@hotmail.com
Be Prepared for Disasters
by Joyce Moseley Pierce
Disasters are like accidents. They can happen any time, anywhere. You don't often have much time to respond. In the event of a hurricane, the authorities will tell you to evacuate, but if you have to leave your home in a hurry, what will you do? Where will you go?
If you're thinking that this doesn't apply to you, think again. A disaster can be anything from an earthquake, flood, tornado, or even an tanker spill on the freeway. Any of these things may cause you to lose your gas, water, electricity or ability to communicate with others.
In 2000, we had flooding in Houston. I ventured across town to attend a friend's wedding, confident that if I got into trouble I could use my cell phone. What I didn't realize, until much later, was that the storm had knocked out all of the cell phone towers and there was no service.
Everyone should have an emergency kit. If there are five of you in the house, then you need five kits. Each kit should have the basics. Don't rely on dad to carry the bulk of the load. You never know when you might be separated from one another. Here are a few things to think about:
1. Have a plan. If you were to have to evacuate, where would you go? You may not all be at home when you get word. Spend some time with your family discussing where you would meet.
2. You may not have to actually leave your home. Maybe you just have loss of power. It's still important to have enough to survive. What will you eat? If you don't have power, how will you prepare it? Good idea to have food you can eat right out of the bag or can.
3. Remember that if you have lost power, it's likely that your entire area is out. Don't depend on the grocery stores to have enough to supply all of you. Be sure to always have water, food, first aid supplies, clothing and bedding, tools and emergency supplies in your home. Make sure you have the medication you need. Get in the habit of refilling things before you're completely out.
3. Anticipate having to leave your home. Prepare an emergency kit. Place the items you need in something that's easy to carry. You might use a backpack or duffle bag. You might use a rolling carry-on suitcase for little children, but remember that you may not even have the option of rolling it. Better to have something you can carry.
4. Keep some cash at home. I save my change, and when I turn it in for dollars, I put that money in my emergency kit. This week, during the aftermath of Katrina, Wal-Mart is allowing those who have cash to buy off the shelf. With no electricity or phone lines, they can't process credit cards.
5. Store your kit in a convenient place that is known by all family members so you can grab it and run. Keep a smaller version of supplies in your car.
6. Remember to review your kit once a year. Update water, food, and batteries.
7. Keep your cars full of gas for emergency evacuations.
8. Consider scanning old photos to your computer and putting them on a disk. If you're faced with flooding, the original may be destroyed, but you've got a better chance of the disk surviving, and it will also take up less space. Better yet, use a program that allows you to upload your photos to the internet. That way you can access them from any computer.
9. Have a change of clothes and put the items in Ziploc bags or seal them with a Food Saver. I have a pair of knit workout pants, a clean shirt, socks, and a change of underwear in my kit.
10. Include scriptures, paper and pen. Put them in bags to keep them dry (Ziploc or Food Saver)
11. Be sure to have a first aid kit with the basics.
12. Carry three bottles of water. One for each day.
13. Include MREs (meal replacement bars) or packable food. Think about what you'd take if you were going hiking. Include foods for energy. You're going to need it.
14. Include toiletries. Tooth brush, tooth paste,soap, toilet paper.
15. Small radio with batteries. Check often to make sure batteries are still good. It will be important to know what's going on if you have no way of communicating with others.
16. Flashlight. There are some available that you can wind up and use. No batteries needed.
If you've got a lot of money you can buy a pre-packaged emergency kit, but I prefer to pack my own and put those things that I know I will use. This kit works on the same principle as insurance. You hope you never need it, but just in case you do, you have it.
Make it a fun family night project. Talk to the family about the importance of putting the kits together, and set a budget, if necessary, for purchasing the things you need. Add a few things each time you go to the grocery store, and in no time you'll have your kit ready to go!
Joyce Moseley Pierce is the owner of Emerson Publications and publishes the Family First Newsletter each week. She's a contributing author to the Chicken Soup for the Latter-day Saint Soul, which will be in the stores in September. Visit her website for more information on how to promote family unity.
www.emersonpublications.com Copyright 2005.
Copyright 2005 by Joyce Moseley Pierce. Visit
www.emersonpublications.com to read more of Joyce's stories, to subscribe to the Family First newsletter, or to request information about working at home. This site is dedicated to helping others create family unity.
Did you know the mortality rate for
women who stay home is 85% higher than for women who
work outside the home? Do you think the
increase in disease might have something to do with
the chemicals we bring into our homes?
www.familyfirst.fourpointwellness.com
The Organized Parent: 8 Tips for Getting Your Family's Act Together
by Jennifer Bingham Hull
One child is a relationship. Raising two or more is a small business. To stay sane as the family grows, you need to organize and plan effectively.
What follows are 8 tips for keeping family life on track as school events, pediatrician appointments and errands multiply.
*Keep a "Waiting For" file. My file currently contains: birthday invitations responded to, information on my girls' upcoming dance recital, and receipts for uniforms on order. Without this file, these papers would be on my desk.
*Read the school newsletter. Skip the newsletter and the school gods will get you. Your kid will arrive in uniform on costume day. You'll find out about the big pilgrim event after the turkey's been roasted. Note newsletter events - then look for them to change in the next newsletter.
*Get an electronic organizer. As the family grows, so do the number of regularly scheduled events. Kids' activities, PTA meetings - why record these by hand each week when you can program them to repeat? The best gift I got preparing for my second child was a Palm organizer.
*Keep spring open. Once the kids start school, May and June are as busy as December. Schedule a business trip during the last month of school and you risk missing an important event. Keep your calendar as clear as possible during this time.
*Create an inbox for your mate. You swear you left it on the counter for him. He hasn't seen it. Avoid conflict by giving your spouse an inbox. Put the roofing estimate job in the box and place flowers on the counter.
*Meet with your spouse. Plans made in passing don't always register. Men are lousy at multitasking. Women get overwhelmed at home. Sit down and compare calendars. Start by scheduling date night.
*Consider birthday parties optional. The more kids you have, the more invitations you get. Pass on those that don't fit your schedule. But RSVP so the busy birthday parent can plan.
*Preserve free time. My favorite days with my girls are the unscheduled ones. Set aside time to just hang out together. It's as important as anything else you'll do.
(c) 2006 Jennifer Bingham Hull. Reprint rights granted as long as entire article is published, including resource box and its live links.
Jennifer Bingham Hull is an award-winning author and mother of two. Her book, Beyond One: Growing a Family and Getting a Life, looks at life after having the second child. Jennifer's articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Parenting, Working Mother and many other publications. To learn more visit www.growingafamily.com, where you can contact her to receive this "Life Beyond One" column regularly and sign up for her free newsletter. Jennifer Bingham Hull may be contacted at http://www.growingafamily.com
Turn an ordinary
expense into an income.
http://www.emersonpublications.com/wahm.htm
Household Items that Can Kill Your Dog
by Carol Stack
Copyright 2006 Carol Stack
According to the web site of The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the number of pets ingesting household and backyard poisons is increasing. In some cases, such as with polyurethane glue, the increase is dramatic. Since 2002 the number of dogs ingesting this glue has risen 740%.
For some reason dogs and cats are ingesting more poisons than in the past. Perhaps there are more products around that are made with poisonous ingredients, or perhaps with our busy lives we forget to put things away in a safe place. Whatever the reason, there is a significant increase in the number of pets dying each year from poisonous substances.
People love their pets and don’t want to see them suffer. There are precautions everyone can take to protect their dog, cat, bird, ferret or whatever from ingesting poisons found inside the home, in the garage, and in the yard.
With the coming of cold weather the number of dogs and cats dying from ingesting antifreeze and ice melts increases. Antifreeze is very toxic and even small amounts can cause kidney damage that is life-threatening.
Most cases of antifreeze poisoning occur right at the animal’s own home because the proper storage containers were not used or the antifreeze was not disposed of properly. Keep these things in mind when working with antifreeze:
• Clean up spills immediately • Check for leaks under your car regularly • Store antifreeze in clearly marked containers that are sealed and out of reach of your pets • Never allow your pet into the area where you are draining radiator fluid from your vehicle • Consider using products containing propylene glycol, which is a less toxic form of antifreeze instead of those containing ethylene glycol
If you think your pet has ingested antifreeze contact your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 1-888-426-4435 immediately.
Ice melts (used in areas where it snows to melt ice) are another cold weather problem for pets. Walking on ice melts that contain ingredients such as calcium chloride and sodium chloride (table salt) can cause skin irritation. If your pet licks their paws and ingests the ice melt they can experience many side affects including drooling, vomiting, decreased muscle function, and in severe cases, seizures, coma and even death.
Again, if you think your pet has come in contact with an ice melt product it is important you contact your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center right away. There are different treatments for different types of ice melts so it will help if you know the type your pet was exposed to.
To help protect your pet memorize the list of poisonous items found on the ASPCA web site at:
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc_poisonsafe . Keep these things out of reach of your pet. Included in this list are things as common as:
• Coffee • Onions • Garlic • Salt • Yeast dough • Avocado • Alcoholic beverages • Chocolate • Raisons and grapes • Citronella candles • Vitamins • Diet pills • Pain killers • Cold medicines • Moth balls • Fabric softener sheets • Liquid potpourri • Rat and mouse bait • Products sweetened with xylitol (includes some sugar-free gum and candy)
The list is long, but it could save the life of your dog or cat if you memorize it and then keep these things out of your pet’s reach. Carol Stack lives in California with her husband, three kids, four dogs, and six cats. The family keeps busy with homeschooling, home business, taking care of animals, gardening and various other activities. Her other work can be viewed at:
http://www.christysdogportal.com Carol Stack may be contacted at http://www.christysdogportal.com
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