American Red Cross Apps

March 2, 2013

There’s an app for that!

The American Red Cross has helpful emergency-specific apps that can be downloaded right to our mobile devices.  And they’re free!  They provides information to help us be better prepared for various types of emergency situations, as well as info to help us deal with the emergency, too.

shelter-finder

The following Red Cross Mobile Apps are available:

  • First Aid App
  • Shelter Finder App
  • Tornado App
  • Hurricane App
  • Earthquake App
  • Wildfire App

Check it out at http://www.redcross.org/prepare/mobile-apps.

I downloaded the First Aid and the Earthquake Apps.  Now, real-time U.S. Geological Survey alerts of earthquakes will be sent directly to my cell phone.  There are lots of information and tools to help get better prepared for earthquakes; what to do before, during, and after an earthquake.

Right in the app, you can quickly turn your mobile device into a handy flashlight, strobe light, or audible alarm.  Nice.

Another neat feature is the “I’m Safe” tool.  It helps you quickly use Facebook, Twitter, Message, and/or Email to send a message to let your loved ones, employer, friends, whoever you want, that you’re okay.

The app even has a section of helpful info and a checklist for post disaster steps for taking care of the emotional health of you and your family. Such an important consideration that is often not prepared for.

If you’re interested, you can join their Mobile User Group and help test new features, develop new ideas, and give your opinions about the various mobile products.  Awesome way to stay up on what’s on the horizon.

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Anchorage Emergency Preparedness Workshops

February 1, 2013

That 5.8 earthquake in south-central Alaska in December sure got my attention. You, too? Wonder how big the next one will be. Wonder when it will happen. We all want to stack the deck a bit, increase the odds that our families will get through the next big one more easily and with less stress, don’t we?

Have you thought about getting better prepared?  Maybe you’re just not sure if you’ve done enough.  Maybe you don’t know where to start.  Maybe it just feels so overwhelming.  Then a More Ready Today workshop could be just right for you.  After this informative, interactive, and interesting workshop, your household will be more resilient, more self-sufficient, and will recover more quickly.

Mark your calendar – More Ready Today workshops in Anchorage in February!

Workshop are facilitated by Jane Thomas, DTM.

For one registration fee, you get all this:

  • Workshop – up to two adult or teen members of your household (you and your spouse, significant other, housemate, or teen child).
  • Action plan – that you’ll customize to your family’s special needs.
  • Resources – workbook and thumb drive with links to loads of online resources.
  • Monthly email reminders for a year, each with a checklist of your planned preparedness actions for that month.
  • Half-off upcoming mini workshops – on topics such as preparedness with pets, water sources and treatment, and considerations as we age.

Pick one of the upcoming dates:

  • Saturday, February 23, 1 – 3 p.m.
  • Wednesday, February 27, 6 – 8 p.m.

Both workshops will be held at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, in Anchorage at the corner of Lake Otis and Tudor.

Registration fee is $77 at the door, or only $57 if you pre-register.

Seating is limited, so guarantee your spot by pre-registering by email to MoreReadyToday@yahoo.com.

You can be More Ready Today!

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Start the New Year with Some Peace of Mind

December 13, 2012

That 5.8 earthquake last week in south-central Alaska sure got my attention.  You, too?  Wonder how big the next one will be.  We all want to stack the deck a bit, increase the odds that our families will get through the next big one more easily and with less stress, don’t we?

Have you thought about getting better prepared?  Maybe you’re just not sure if you’ve done enough.  Maybe you don’t know where to start.  Maybe it just feels so overwhelming.  Then a More Ready Today workshop could be just right for you.  After this informative, interactive, and interesting workshop, your household will be more resilient, more self-sufficient, and will recover more quickly.

Mark your calendar – More Ready Today workshops to kick off 2013!

Workshop are facilitated by Jane Thomas, DTM.

For one registration fee, you get all this:

  • Workshop – up to two adult or teen members of your household (you and your spouse, significant other, or housemate).
  • Action plan – that you’ll customize to your family’s special needs.
  • Resources – workbook and thumb drive with links to loads of online resources.
  • Monthly email reminders for a year, each with a checklist of your planned preparedness actions for that month.
  • Half-off upcoming mini workshops – on topics such as preparedness with pets, water sources and treatment, and considerations as we age.

Pick one of the upcoming dates:

  • Saturday, January 26, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. – MatSu Valley
  • Wednesday, January 30, 6 – 8 p.m. – Anchorage
  • Saturday, February 23, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Anchorage

Locations have not yet been finalized.   Registration fee is $77 at the door, or only $57 if you pre-register.

Seating is limited, so guarantee your spot by pre-registering by email to MoreReadyToday@yahoo.com.

You can be More Ready Today!

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Basic and Topic-Focused Emergency Prep Workshops!

November 2, 2012

Here’s the latest schedule of More Ready Today emergency preparedness workshops:

  • Wednesday, Nov. 14, 6 – 8 pm, at Elim Cafe, Anchorage
    (561 W. Dimond Blvd, near Dimond and Arctic Blvds.)
  • Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, 6 – 8 pm, TBD in Anchorage — NEW!
  • Saturday, Feb. 23, 10 am – noon, TBD in Anchorage — NEW!

Be sure to attend one of these informative and interactive workshops.  After just 2 hours, you’ll have already taken steps that will help your family to be more comfortable and confident in dealing with “the next big one” of just about any description.  And with your family-specific action plan, as well as your new-found knowledge and inspiration, you’ll have a new attitude toward preparedness.

Full registration is $77, but only $57 if you pre-register!  You can also bring your spouse, significant other, or an additional adult/teen member of your household for no additional cost.

Guarantee your spot and get the discount price by pre-registering.  Send an email to MoreReadyToday@yahoo.com  to register for the workshop of your choice.

Soon I’ll be scheduling focused 1-hour workshops on the following topics:  — NEW!

  • First the Water – Emergency Sources and Treatment
  • Emergency Prep with Pets
  • Dealing with Documents (what important documents to have, in what form, and where)
  • Communication Planning

I need your help.  Tell me which of the above (or other) emergency preparedness topics you’d like to see in a focused workshop.  Your input will help me decide which to schedule first.  What are you most interested in or most concerned about?  Let me know.

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I Can Swim

October 22, 2012

I was five years old, playing in our local public swimming pool.  Being a pesky little sister, I was following my brother and his friend around.  Probably trying to ditch me, they went to the deep end.  I followed.  All of a sudden, I realized that it was too deep for me!  I panicked!  I couldn’t touch the bottom!  What was I going to do?!  I flailed around, calling for help!

Finally, a life guard jumped in, pulled me out of the 4 feet deep water, and took me over to my worried mom.  Then he sat down to talk with us to be sure I was okay.  I was fine, just a bit shaken up.  I asked him why he waited so long to come rescue me.

“I thought you were just playing, Jane.  I know that you know how to swim.”

That’s right, I knew how to swim, in fact, I had had a lesson that very morning.

“Why didn’t you swim to the side?” he asked me.

“I don’t know.  I was scared,” I answered.

I got scared and, well, forgot that I knew how to swim.  Have you ever freaked out about a situation that you were actually quite ready to deal with?  You know, a time when you were actually okay, set up to get through it okay, but for some reason didn’t realize it?   Maybe in a stressful situation at work.  Maybe in an emergency, like a car accident.  Maybe even in a large-scale natural disaster?  Sometimes a lot can come at you pretty fast, making it a challenge to recognize, let alone rally all your resources and all your  knowledge.

Whenever that freak-out factor starts sneaking up on me, I just remember one of my mantras, “I can swim.”  That helps me to ground myself, remember all that I’ve done to prepare for that situation, and deal with it more effectively.   Should you find yourself dealing with the next big one (or even a not-so-big-one emergency situation), you don’t have to worry and stress and flail around. Remember all of the preparation that you’ve done; remember your resources; remember your strength.  Remember that you can swim.

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Why I Do This

October 19, 2012

Several times I’ve been asked why I enjoy helping people to get better prepared for emergency situations.

One key reason is that it’s so satisfying to see people take steps and make changes that could actually make their lives less difficult in the event of a significant (or even a minor) emergency situation.  I can imagine that if a big one were to hit us, those people would be more comfortable, more confident, more resilient, more self-sufficient, and hopefully less stressed.  That’s a good thing.

Here are but a few examples:

  • Don volunteers for an organization that facilitates the hosting of foreign exchange students in Alaska.  After my presentation on developing family-specific communication plans, he realized that their organization would do well to add that element to their student briefings.  Imagine that you’re a teenager who has just arrived in an unfamiliar city, in a foreign country,  where you have a limited understand the language.  Getting around could be challenging enough.  But what if you were away from your host’s home during a big earthquake, with no power, no phones, no busses, and many roads and bridges out.  Having been briefed on what to do, where to go, and options for contacting your host family in such situations could make a huge difference!
  • In a workshop, Pam and (another) Don realized the additional challenges that their son (who experiences autism) might have if the smoke detector s in their home started blaring.  They began developing an evacuation plan specifically for him.  I bet they’ve completed that plan, talked about it with their son, practiced it, and tweaked it as needed. Hopefully, they’ll never have to implement it in a real emergency.  But if they do, their attention to his special needs could make all the difference in the world.
  • After several times hearing me preach one of the absolutely most important preparedness steps, Keith and Cindy began storing water to be used in the event of an emergency.  (For more info, see the Two Must-Do Actions page on this website.)  Now they’ll have that one key need readily available, no matter what.

Another reason I do this is that in every single workshop and in many follow-up support sessions, the participants give me preparedness ideas.  They are added to the examples I can provide in future workshops.  Plus, implementing those ideas myself can help me to be more ready, too.  Here are two examples:

  • After a workshop, Leon and Nancy went shopping for bins to put their emergency supplies in .  They wanted bins that could be easily discerned from normal storage in their garage, something that would stand out.  This happened to be around Halloween time, and Voila! they were inspired by the tall stack of bright orange storage bins.  Perfect!  And during the never-ending Christmas shopping season, beautiful bright red storage bins are available.
  • In a workshop Brian, a pharmacist, shared an idea for building up an emergency supply of prescription medications.  He reminded us that normally we can order our next refill a week or two before our current supply runs out.  If we do that a couple of times, before long we’ll have about an emergency supply to last a month.

Thanks to all my workshop participants.  You continue to inspire me and add to my preparedness training arsenal.  I’m so glad that you’ve taken the time to plan, to get more ready.  And I hope that you never have to implement your plans.

2 Comments | General Planning, Gratitude | Permalink
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Anchorage – Get Better Prepared for the Next Big One

October 18, 2012

Workshops in Anchorage!

We all want to stack the deck a bit, increase the odds that our families will get through the next big one more easily and with less stress, don’t we?  After this informative, interactive, and interesting workshop, your household will be more resilient, more self sufficient, and will recover more quickly.

Workshop are facilitated by Jane Thomas, DTM.

For one registration fee, you get all this:

  • Workshop – up to two adult or teen members of your household (you and your spouse, significant other, or housemate).
  • Action plan – that you’ll customize to your family and its special needs.
  • Resources – workbook and CD have links to loads of online resources.
  • Monthly email reminders for a year, each with a checklist of your planned preparedness actions for that month.
  • Half-off upcoming mini workshops – on topics such as preparedness with pets, water sources and treatment, and considerations as we age.

Pick one of the upcoming dates:Wednesday, October 24, 6 – 8 p.m.

  • Saturday, October 27, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
  • Wednesday, November 14, 6 – 8 p.m.

At Elim Cafe,  561 W. Dimond Blvd., near the corner of Dimond Blvd. and Arctic Blvd., Anchorage, Alaska

$77 at the door, or only $57 if you preregister.

Seating is limited, so guarantee your spot by preregistering by email to MoreReadyToday@yahoo.com.

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Preparedness Tips at the Alaska Speakers Showcase

September 24, 2012

This Saturday, I’ll be speaking on emergency preparedness at the  Alaska Speakers Showcase!

CONTEST! – Post a comment here with your guess of the three super-easy, super-important preparedness tips that I’ll be sharing at the Alaska Speakers Showcase.  Anyone who guesses all three correctly will get a free copy of my upcoming book, More Ready Today!, which is due out this winter.  If lots of you provide the correct answers, you’ll ALL get free books.

If you’re in Anchorage, come watch some of Alaska’s Top Speakers.  Here are the specifics:

Alaska Speakers Showcase
Alaska Wild Berry Theater
Saturday, September 29, 2012
9:00 a.m. – 4:15 p.m.

http://www.alaska-speakers.com/showcase
$19.95 to register

Some of the speakers will be:

Sherrie Simmonds
Keith Baldwin
Eden Lovejoy
Celcilia “Pudge” Kleinkauf
Deborah Faithrose Coatney
Jane Showalter Thomas

With Greg Porter as Emcee

You don’t want to  miss this event.

http://www.alaska-speakers.com

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If It Happens

March 28, 2012

If “the big one” does happen, stay calm. Keeping a clear head will help you make better decisions. Know that you’ve planned well, and bravely work your plan. And through it all, have hope. You will get through this.  That sense of normalcy is likely to return sooner than if you hadn’t taken steps to be more ready.

      —  Stay calm
      —  Be brave
      —  Have hope

(Note:  This mantra is paraphrased from a sermon given by Episcopal priest, Connie Jones.  Thanks, Connie!)

2 Comments | General Planning, Gratitude | Permalink
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