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The Brian Lehrer Show
Are You Ready?
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Preparedness expert John Soloman who writes In Case of Emergency, Read Blog, joins us again for our ongoing series on how to deal with emergencies.
Add a picture of your Go Bag's comfort item to the WNYC Flickr Pool!
Listen to part 1 of Are You Ready?
Listen to part 2 of Are You Ready?
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Comments
Ok, Ok Brian. I will post a picture of my comfort item over the weekend.
So glad there arent may pics of go bags, so glad new yorkers are a more easy going crowd than the paranoid go baggers some sugest we should be.
whats the point you're going to die anyway!
Some of us don't have go-bags because we live in tiny New York apartments and have no place to put them.
I don't have room in my apt for a go bag. I would need to remove my kitchen.
I have playing cards and I am going to put chocolate in. And a book.
should there be a weapon in a go-bag?
All of this only works if the disaster strikes in an orderly way, when you're at home, near your go bag, and able to pick everything up. For those of us around on 9/11, for example, we were on our way to work, in the subway, or at work. And as for the comfort item -- if it's perishable you'll need to renew it periodically or you'll be eating a stale chocolate bar in whatever shelter you're lucky enough to find. Basically, I'm a skeptic on this whole thing.
My friends would probably disown me.
I used to be much better about this when I lived in California. The probability of an earthquake (even a minor one) disrupting life urged me to be pretty diligent about it. I never needed to use it - but I used to keep 9 gallons of fresh water in the trunk of my car, along with a large first aid kit, non-perishable food. The food actually got eaten, since I included comfort foods - chocolatey granola bars, etc.
I would steal yours.
How to get the 20-somethings to pack a "go bag"...? DON'T call it a "go bag". Call it the "spur-of-the-moment travel bag" and suggest items that would be needed if a sudden camping or "staying at a youth hostel" trip springs up. In essence, they would be "go bags," but a "ready to trip anywhere" bag may sound more savvy...
Some of my friends living in commercial lofts keep these, since they never know if they will be locked out by the housing police.
You can be a sceptic on this thing and when the s**t hits the fan I am going to be smiling, eating my chocolate bar and drinking my water wearing warm clothing (if it is cold out) and fending you off with my commando knife and expanding baton. Haha
Dubya 11
good plan everyman for himself. i'll meet everyone in the pocanos
Chicken little never wore a steel helmet . So New yorkers are supposed to make a go bag ??
the best preperation I can think of is being a boy scout. ten mile river camp, sleeping in the woods and the ability to survive for three days. We were equiped trained and prepared.
To bad scouting has gone out of style. There was nore to scouting than helping old peole cross the street. We learned self sufficiency.
I am starting a company to teach women to protect their children in emergencies and I hope to be listing and eventually selling key items so people can find them all in one place. I have a Go Bag in my car (only since I have an office in Weehawken), one Gatemouth in my closet at home, and a small make-up pouch-sized kit I put in whichever bag I carry with me during the day. Without going into detail here, I suggest people get themselves some version of QuickClot, a clotting agent for major bleeding. I keep it with me always since I had my baby. Morose, I know, but a small price to pay, like a seatbelt. I also keep prescription meds around for the family, extra canned food and water, warm clothing, water purification tabs, etc. It is a chore, but the beauty of it is that once you are done, you only have to replace items once in a while. The relaxation and satisfaction is palpable!
www.DeviProtectiveOffense.com
regarding space for a go-bag - I live in a 2300 sq. ft. loft but my "go-bag" is a list of what I need on a piece of paper. a few things are kept together, a little first aid kit, small things like matches, water, tiny cork screw... but I know I don't have to dwell on what I'd need because the essentials are all written down.
Yes, inform the kids. Leave the kids out of this whimpy anxious planning bs. I walked down and volunteered at geound Zero, was on the pile for two weeks. be adult, not a nervous twit...
I think it is more important to have a plan instead of having a bag. Think of possible scenarios and what you would do. My husband and I have talked about where we would meet if disaster struck while he was at work and I am at home, how to stay in touch and who would take care of kids. I can not imagine carrying a go bag everywhere I go, but I feel prepared knowing we have a plan.
condoms...for perfect strangers...
Mr. Solomon's enthusiasm for cell phones, the web, and such as keys to communications in disasters and attacks is premature and historically misleading. On 9/11, antennae and switches were destroyed disrupting the system. The volume of calls overloaded the remaining capacity and rendered work arounds useless. At many institutions such as Bellevue, the volume of calls put the whole system on hold for hours. As a matter of policy, dependence on such neat techie solutions discriminates against the poor, illiterate and especially those elderly who are web or visually impaired.
I am a member of WNYC because of your show. Thanks.
My town was the eye of the hurricanes twice in 2004. I was without electricity for 3 weeks. The major lesson is that everything operates with electricity. Have cash around because ATM's do not operate. Gas stations can not pump. With the demand for batteries at it height, I suggest that everyone have a self generating radio. I think the Red Cross sells them. They operate by a crank and have radio and flash light abilities. You can also find a similar item which will charge cellphones Finally, everyone should have bleach around. If the water supply is a problem, adding a few drops of bleach to a gallon can make it drinkable.
Consider that if it’s an event like a hurrican which you guys kept mentioning, there’s plenty of time to pack a go bag rather than grabbing the one with the stale chocolate bar in it. If it’s an event like 9-11, you probably won’t be near your go bag. And if it’s a (oh I don’t know, say) a dirty bomb or something like that, the real problem will be getting out of the city. It won’t much matter if you’ve got a “go bag” when you have nowhere to go.
I'm surprised that the you haven't addressed the recent article in the Times on April 6th, about the "new survivalism." It's not all paranoid apocalypse fans any more.
This thread is closed.
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