Duck and Roll

"Duck and roll" is something my dad used to seldomly tell us during the end of the Cold War when we were stationed in Germany. He was a soldier and would sometimes go to work and tell us to escape to Mexico if he didn't come back. He would show my brother, mom and I the location of important documents in the "important box" and said that was all that we needed, not to take anything else because it would hold us back if we needed to escape. I was a little girl and but knew what he meant by "duck and roll", it meant to act quick and safe not stupid. He wasn't trying to scare us, just protect us by giving us the information we needed in case of a real life threatening emergency. Thankfully we never had to do that, but there have been occasions where I could have been more prepared for an emergency and wasn't: flat tire, ran out of gas at night, radiator overheated by the side of the road in icy-cold January with no cell phone reception, blizzard came and I had no back up food or flashlight.

This week there have been torrential rains here in Northern Italy. It is like sky is broken and the plumber can't fix it. These rains are heavy and dangerous.

Genova: google images

They have destroyed homes, historic places, taken lives and left thousands in desperate devastation. I hate watching the news because of this. They are filled with Hurricane Katrina like voices and images. Cars piled up after floating down the main avenues.

Genova: google images

People tired and desperate without family members, homes, power and asking the authorities for explanations for this mess. Mayor of Genova, Marta Vincenzi, has been highly criticized for not telling the people to stay inside, for not evacuating the  city that turned into a mix between Niagara Falls and sinking Venice. She has bags under her eyes from obvious lack of sleep. There is no president, governor, mayor or teacher that can take care of our families as well as we can. Code 1, 2, 3 and 4 might mean something to the National Guard but to us it could mean our lives are destroyed. I hate seeing these people loose everything, beautiful irreplicable areas of Italy destroyed and people in trauma. Emergency readiness kits are really vital to help in the awful case that we need them. I don't want to have a negative attitude like Eeyore, I just hate seeing people suffer and want anyone reading this to make sure they have their important box together in case they need to duck and roll.

So while it may sound depressing to think of bad weather or emergencies hitting, it is important to think of what would be needed if it did. Here are:

Four Types of Emergency Kits:

Perhaps there are more but these are the ones I could think of

1. The "Important Box" 

2. Home First Aid Kit

3. Home Emergency Kit, Plan and Food

4. Roadside Emergency Kit

1. The "Important Box": This is a small file box that can easily be taken. It stores the most important documents that are needed permanently. Suzze Orman, fiance guru, has a great webpage stating what to record keep and for how long. The most important items that should go in the "Important Box" are:

Marriage Licenses
Birth Certificates
Wills
Adoption Papers
Death Certificates
Records of Paid Mortgages

Medical Records

Pet Vaccination Records

Car Titles

This is the file box I purchased from Office Depot that is convenient because it is light weight, fits in a carry-on and easy to take if needed. 

When I bought it, I lived in an old building in Baltimore at the time where the fire alarm would occasionally go off hysterically at 3 in the morning. There was more than one night where I was the only person who fled the building in my pajamas with this file box in one hand and one pet bag stuffed with two angry fat cats in the other. Didn't anyone else hear the fire alarm? Apparently not...

2. Home First Aid Kit: Years ago I got a certification for First Aid where I learned basic things from stopping deep puncture wounds to giving babies CPR. It came in handy only once when a sweet little 6 year-old student of mine had an accident on the playground that opened his little head and bled gushingly. He got 4 stitches, learned that throwing stones was a bad idea and was ok. What I learned in this class helped me act fast while protecting myself from his blood with a plastic bag. It is important to know what to do "just in case". The Red Cross offers free First Aid and CPR training at their many US National Locations. Look them up here by your zip code. Purchase a good home first aid kit, not the little one that contains mostly an assortment of bandaids. Keep disinfectants close to this kit, such as alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Keep this kit separate from daily used toiletries and vitamins. 

3. Home Emergency Kit, Plan and Food: Everyone on planet Earth is susceptible to Mother Earth having a temper tantrum. Two blizzards hit Baltimore shutting it down for days in 2009 when my mom was visiting. Here the rain is inhaling Liguria. Appropriate footwear will keep feet warm and dry. I spent some time in Alaska and know that my boots were vital on days we had to shovel out the car. My pair was called Joan of Arctic and they are cute, sturdy and will keep your toes dry as you walk in the snow. Unfortunately they are not dog proof and my golden retriever disassembled one. For rain shoes I would recommend Hunter Boots for sure or Sperry duck shoes. My husband would not be caught dead in any of the above mentioned, but he has a good pair of waterproof boots that will do the job.

       The Red Cross has a complete comprehensive checklist of what to have ready, how to plan and what kind of food to store. Check it out here.  They also have a store where they sell kits. I would add three things to their emergency checklist: snow shovels, a few bottles of wine and a camp stove. 

4. Roadside Emergency Kit: Hopefully you will never have to use an emergency roadside kit. But in case you do, AAA sells a good package including a first aid kit. You can find it at Costco here or buy it from Amazon here. The only things I would add to this are: a reflective vest for you so cars can see you, water and a blanket. People in shock, despite summer or winter, get cold and blankets are necessary. Oh, I would also keep an old pair of comfy shoes in the trunk. One of the only days I wore pretty heels I got a flat tire. Awesome. I was so happy to have forgotten to drop off my Goodwill donations bag because there were some old sneakers in there that made changing the tire much easier.

Ahhh...I feel much better, like Captain America, now that I saved the world. But seriously, I hope some of this was useful. There are several things I need to do for emergency preparedness, like putting a blanket in the car, making a plan and stocking up on dried food. I think I will schedule that for tomorrow when the rain is supposed to be lighter and I can go to the store. Now I am off to work on minimizing my Rainy Day to-do list, which deserves its own blog (Garages, and Scrapbooks and Organizing, oh my!). Just remember: in case you need to duck and roll take only the important box, family members and pets. Move fast and be safe.