http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9402086
'It's Psychologically Healthy to Prepare'
Experts explain what you need - and what you don't—to stay alive
during a catastrophe

By Karen Springen, Newsweek, Updated: 8:25 a.m. ET Sept. 20, 2005

Sept. 20, 2005 - For many Americans, Hurricane Katrina has served as a
wake-up call. After viewing the devastation and displacement that
followed the hurricane, residents across the country are asking what
they need to do—and not do - to prepare for the worst (even while
hoping for the best). "It's psychologically healthy to prepare. A
resilient mindset is a mindset that allows you to think logically, to
communicate, to problem-solve, to confront the challenges that face
you rather than hiding and avoiding them," says University of Utah
psychologist Sam Goldstein, coauthor of "The Power of Resilience"
(McGraw-Hill). "Accept that the world is a place in which things are
going to happen that are beyond my control, for which it pays for me
to be prepared."

In each of his family's cars, Goldsteing keeps a pillowcase-size bag
with a reasonable number of supplies—water, food, a flashlight and a
radio. What would be overboard? "Filling my entire trunk with enough
food to survive six months," he says.
Ideally, as was evident in the Gulf Coast, you should have enough
provisions to be self-sufficient for at least 48 to 72 hours. Experts
also stress the need to talk to kids about how to handle themselves in
emergencies, including gas leaks and fires, not just hurricanes and
tornadoes. That means talking about where flashlights are kept and
about where to meet in case of an emergency. Here are other important
steps you can take to be prepared for any emergency:

IDENTIFY SAFE PLACES: Consider what type of disaster is possible where
you live. "If you're in coastal Florida, you're not prone to
earthquakes," says Dr. Michael Van Rooyen, an attending physician at
Harvard's Brigham & Women's Hospital who has set up medical and relief
operations in many natural and war-related disaster zones. "In a
flood, you're not going to want to store stuff in a basement."
Regardless, at least every six months, practice getting to appropriate
safe places: a strong structure on high ground for hurricanes, a
basement for tornadoes, under tables for earthquakes. Stay away from
windows. Families that live near areas prone to forest fires or
hurricanes need to know how to get away from their homes by car or
public transportation. Keep bus route information or a map and a plan
for where you would drive. Before a disaster strikes, consider talking
to friends or family in other cities about whether you could stay with
them if you had to evacuate, and make sure to establish a meeting
place for all family members in case you're separated. If possible,
take classes in first aid and CPR.

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS: Store copies of passports, driver's licenses,
birth certificates and other essential documents in a special plastic
box in your house, and also at a relative's house.

MEDICAL INFORMATION: Make sure an emergency responder can find basic
information about medical problems and prescriptions—either by
carrying it on a card (preferably laminated) in a wallet or purse or
keeping it electronically through MedicAlert bracelets. Dr. Alfred
Sacchetti, a member of the pediatrics committee for the American
College of Emergency Physicians, also recommends storing vital medical
information in a jar in the refrigerator. In disasters, "refrigerators
tend to survive," he says. "The house gets blown up, the refrigerator
tends to withstand it." Send an extra copy to a relative in a
different city. The nonprofit MedicAlert Foundation (medicalert.org or
888-ALERT-90), based in Turlock, Calif., makes bracelets, sports bands
and pendants that give responders the information they need to call a
24-hour emergency response center and get electronic medical
information about your prescriptions and health conditions. Signing up
for the service, which includes a basic stainless steel bracelet or
dog tag, costs $35 for the first year and $20 for subsequent annual
renewals. MedicAlert also sells an E-HealthKey, which can contain
extensive personal medical information and plugs into a computer. For
extra fees, you can get jewelry in sterling silver, 14-karat gold and
titanium. The bracelets, which clasp on and do not easily fall off,
have helped reunite missing children with their parents and confused
Alzheimer's patients with their families. "It's unlikely that a
disaster is going to wipe out both your house and the MedicAlert
repository," says Sacchetti. Make sure family members know what
medication they're taking—not just that they pop a green pill every
morning—and know to take it with them. "You don't want to be trying to
get a prescription on the road," says psychiatrist Thomas Insel,
director of the National Institute of Mental Health.

MEDICINE: Keep an emergency supply of medicine, such as insulin for
diabetics, and check to make sure it has not expired. "It would be
nice if we had a month's supply of everything," says Dr. David
Schonfeld, director of the division of Developmental and Behavioral
Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and a
spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics. But he likes to see
enough to last at least 48 to 72 hours, usually enough time for help
to arrive. "You don't want somebody going into withdrawal on an
antidepressant in the middle of a depressing event," says Dr. Zach
Rosen, medical director of the Montefiore Family Health Center in the
Bronx and chair of the Montefiore Medical Group's
emergency-preparedness committee.
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FIRST-AID KIT: A basic kit with Band-Aids, a cold pack, tweezers,
scissors, antibiotic cream, gauze and acetaminophen or other
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories is a good idea. Make your own kit, or
buy a premade, basic, all-purpose one at a pharmacy. (The American
College of Emergency Physicians endorses one by Johnson & Johnson.)
"You don't want medications that you're not really qualified to figure
out how to give, you don't really want tourniquets," says Schonfeld.
But if a child has allergies, keep an EpiPen (which is used to
administer epinephrine, an emergency treatment for severe allergic
reactions). "What not to have in the "go bag" are old antibiotics,
which some people are still carrying around from anthrax. They expire.
And don't carry around borrowed medications from other people," says
Rosen. Also include spare eyeglasses, contacts and contact lens
solution.

OTHER DISASTER SUPPLIES: Prepare a kit with flashlights, extra
batteries (AA or AAA and D are good), spare car keys, money, a credit
card and one change of clothing per person, recommends the American
College of Emergency Physicians (acep.org). Duct tape (developed
during World War II to provide a waterproof seal for ammunition
casings) can often come in handy. "It's useful because it's got so
many different uses," says 3M spokesman Ron Wenaas. "But we don't
recommend trying to seal a house with it. It's not safe." Check
insurance company Web sites for good information, too. Statefarm.com,
for example, advises that if you live in hurricane country, you should
stock plywood and other materials to board up windows before you
leave. And check FEMA's fema.gov or AreYouReady.gov for supply
checklists and extensive directions on how to prepare for disasters
from fires to storms. FEMA's site also lets you print out a disaster
coloring book to help kids understand what to do. And consider making
a special kid-friendly kit with paper, waterproof markers, a favorite
toy or doll, a deck of cards and a treasure box. You also need to pack
trash bags, bar soap, antibacterial wipes, toilet paper, toothbrushes
and toothpaste and shampoo.

RADIOS AND PHONES: Keep a battery-powered radio (and extra batteries)
for news and threat information. "Communication is everything," says
Rosen. Invest in a plain telephone that doesn't require a power cord.
If the electricity goes out, the phone company may still be able to
supply enough power through the phone cord to allow you to make and
receive calls, says Rosen. With cell phones, program in important
numbers for relatives and doctors. It's voluntary and free for the
nation's 195 million wireless-phone subscribers to enter "ICE"
emergency numbers into their cell phones. Some caveats: in an
emergency, you may become separated from your phone. And an emergency
responder may not know how to get access to your phone (particularly
if you password-protect it)—and may not have time to try.

FOOD AND WATER: Keep enough water to last three days—a gallon per
person per day. And store nonperishable food in a cool, dry place.
"Canned food would be an excellent emergency-preparedness food because
you can eat it right out of the can without warming it," says
registered dietitian and spokeswoman Ruth Frechman of the American
Dietetic Association (eatright.org). Don't forget to store a
nonelectric can opener and to check expiration dates on food.
Typically, canned goods last about a year. "Most of that stuff you
have to recycle every year," says Frechman. Consider canned tuna (a
good source of protein), granola bars, shelf-stable milk, crackers (in
waterproof bags or containers) and peanut butter and jelly. Remember
that a full freezer will remain at freezing temperature for two days
after the power goes off if the doors remain closed. Don't forget
special supplies, such as formula for babies. Also stow paper plates
and plastic utensils. (See aap.org for complete information on a
Family Readiness Kit.) And remember to pack for pets: dry and canned
food, extra water, litter-box supplies and a traveling cage.

It is important to be prepared, but resist going overboard. (At
FrugalSquirrels.com, a British Berkefeld Crown Berkey eight-filter
system for water is $477. At SurvivorDepot.com, an "inflatable safe
room" starts at $3,100.) But disaster experts recommend sticking to
the basics suggested by groups like FEMA and the Red Cross. Happy
packing.

© 2005 Newsweek, Inc.

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire.
Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us)
off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give
them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the **** out of you
for torturing the cat." Gunner