Are you prepared?
So here in St. Louis, an ice storm is on its way. It will be followed by a snow storm. Everybody’s talking about it.
Since I’m such a nervous bad-weather driver, I am delighted that my one in-person meeting today, at ICD headquarters was changed to a phone meeting, so I won’t have to go outside today. And if the weather is as bad tomorrow as anticipated, the talk I’m slated to give will be canceled.
So I’m hunkering in. And that’s good. But this ice storm has the National Weather Service warning that there may be downed power lines and resulting power outages. If there’s no electricity, hunkering in won’t be nearly as pleasant.
That got me thinking about how prepared we are (or aren’t) for a power outage. I have to admit, that I’m not as prepared as a smart person should be. My colleague, Margaret Lukens is all about being prepared. She’s started a business, Preparation Nation, to help clients get prepared for disaster. If you live in the San Francisco area and you’re concerned about disaster preparedness, you’ll want to check her services, which I think are really reasonably priced for the value.
If you’re not in the San Francisco area but, like me, have disaster prep on your mind, Margaret’s Preparation Nation blog has some great info.
I’m off to get my candles out and make my flashlights handy in case the power goes out after dark.
Tagged with: disaster preparedness, margaret lukens, preparation nation
Comments
Margaret, thanks so much for that information! I plan to keep iPad and iPod Touch, cell phone and computer charged up. I don’t have a solar charger for my cell phone, but that’s a really good idea. It’s supposed to get down to zero or below on Wednesday night, so thanks for the reminder about running water to keep the pipes from freezing.
Janine Adams January 31, 2011 09:44 AM
Happy hunkering, Janine! But candles aren’t always the best idea:
http://jdorganizer.blogspot.com/2009/08/dont-save-those-candles-to-use-in-power.html
And I agree that reading Preparation Nation – and getting Margaret’s services – are both excellent ideas.
Jeri Dansky January 31, 2011 07:58 PM
Jeri, you’re amazing. Thank you so much for that warning about candles!
So far, our power has held steady and the storm has moved from the ice storm phase to the sleet phase, to be followed by the snow phase. I just saw that power outages have been very limited so far with this storm, which is great.
Janine Adams February 1, 2011 07:37 AM
About Janine
Hello! I’m Janine Adams — a certified professional organizer based in St. Louis, and the creator of Peace of Mind Organizing®.
I love order, harmony + beauty, but I believe that the way that you feel about yourself and your home is what truly matters.
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Janine, thank you so much for your compliments to the Preparation Nation website. The blog has a lot of information that I hope helps people everywhere get just a little more prepared for emergencies. Some preparations I’d want for an ice storm might include a solar charger for cell phone and e-reader and a land line in case of electricity loss. If you experience extreme low temperatures and there are water pipes in exterior walls, open the tap to create a very slow drip – the movement of the water will help keep pipes from freezing and bursting. And enjoy your knitting! I hope everyone comes through this storm safely, with nothing more than a few pictures of “the Amazing Ice Storm of 2011.”
Margaret Lukens January 31, 2011 09:20 AM