4 A
❘
SATURDAY EDITION
❘ MAY 21, 2016
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
DISASTER PREP
B Y D AVE R OBINSON
Special to the Siuslaw News
T
his is parts three and four in a seven-
part series on building your kit. It
seems that lots of folks don’t know
where to start or what items to include in
their kit. How about sitting down with your
family and make a list of what you would
need if you couldn’t go to the store or get to
the bank for several days? Then go to work
and bit by bit, build your kit. It can be a fun
family project that has an added benefit of
offering a greater piece of mind when a dis-
aster does strike. Besides, everyone is
invested in the project.
Building a kit following this seven-part,
step-by-step plan will give you the basics.
You will have a 72-hour kit. It is my experi-
ence that most kits expand over time and
eventually you will want to have a 14-day
kit on hand, but this is a good beginning.
Things to buy for Week 3:
1. Dust filter masks. Look for the ones
rated “N95,” they are designed to keep out
airborne dust, pollen and possibly protec-
tion from disease.
2. Whistle to signal for help.
3. Finish buying water, at least one gallon
per person per day.
4. Cash. Set aside as much as you can
reasonably afford. Small bills are best.
During a widespread power outage your
debit card is of no value. Neither is the
money you have stashed in a savings
account.
5. Make copies of your important family
documents. You can scan them to a flash
drive and store in either a “go bag” or other
safe location away from your home. These
documents may include copies of insurance
policies, deeds, passports, birth certificates
and titles to your vehicles.
6. Regular, unscented, household bleach
for purifying water. Also pick up an eye-
RYAN CRONK , EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
Opinion
Kit building: Weeks 3 & 4
dropper. Experts recommend 16 drops of
bleach to purify one gallon of water.
7. Juice. Get the single-servings as refrig-
eration may not be available.
8. Nutrition/high energy bars.
Tips for Week 3:
Plan and discuss how you would evacu-
ate your home in the event of a sudden
emergency.
Tap water may need to be purified with
bleach in the event of a disaster. Consider
purchasing or building a stand-alone water
filter. (Email me for a free set of plans to
build an effective, low-cost filter.)
Plan to have at least one can of meat or
meat entree for each family member per
day.
Select two places to meet with your fami-
ly after an emergency or disaster — one
near your home and one outside of your
neighborhood in case it’s not safe to return.
***
By way of review, nearly everyone
agrees that we should be prepared to ride
out a disaster. Some folks are unsure how to
go about being prepared, what to do, what
to buy and how to proceed.
I actually encourage having a 14-day kit,
because some disasters don’t know they’re
only supposed to last for 72 hours. In the
case of our area, some experts predict a
massive earthquake. When an earthquake of
that magnitude occurs, it may be weeks
before stores can be restocked as roads
leading to and from our region may be
closed.
Things to buy for Week 4:
1. Disposable camera with flash for doc-
umenting damage. While I’m on the topic
of photographic documentation, now would
be a good time to get a video inventory of
your home and its contents. If you have a
video camera, simply walk through your
house and give a running commentary on
your possessions, value and when pur-
chased.
2. Utility knife and/or scissors. This is
separate from the scissors in your first-aid
kit. These are for heavy-duty cutting. There
are hundreds of uses for sharp cutting
instruments.
3. Heavy duty trash bags.
4. Matches in waterproof container. Be
sure to get the “strike anywhere” style.
Matches are like duct tape, batteries and
zip-ties, you can never have too many.
5. Sanitizing wipes. Good for cleaning
things other than the baby’s bottom; like
your hands, face and elsewhere.
6. Extra set of car and house keys. Store
them in a secure location away from your
primary residence.
7. Fruit, canned or snack-pack.
Tips for Week 4:
Begin thinking about packing a “go bag”
with a condensed version of your home
emergency kit in case you need to relocate
temporarily.
Stay in the habit of keeping your gas tank
at least half full and keeping your cell
phone charged.
If you need to evacuate, be sure to
remember your car phone charger. Better
yet, get an extra and carry it in your glove
box.
______________________
Dave Robinson is the postmaster in
Bandon, Ore., and author of “Disaster Prep
for the Rest of Us.” He may be contacted at
disasterprep.dave@gmail.com. Visit his
website for more disaster preparedness tips,
www.disasterprepdave.blogspot.com.
LETTERS
Thanks, coach
I’m a football fan, all levels.
Since moving to Florence after
retirement, I have attended every
possible Viking home game and
many away from home. This pro-
gram has been so competitive and
successful under the leadership of
Coach Dodson.
I’m sure that parents, players
and just plain fans (like me) want
to thank Coach for the years of
wonderful high school football in
Florence.
Enjoy your retirement, Coach
Dodson.
Barry Henry
Florence
Mapleton school
bond passes
The Mapleton School District
Board of Directors wants to thank
the Mapleton community for their
support to our school in passing the
bond measure, providing the much
needed funding to make repairs to
our aging facilities.
The school is the heart of the
community and our students will
benefit immensely in the days to
come as we move forward with
the renovation project.
The board will scrutinize proj-
ect costs closely. We feel there
are opportunities to save dollars
EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
throughout the project, which
will be added back into the con-
struction budget for addressing
other priority maintenance items
on the list of improvements.
Mapleton School District is a
wonderful place to live and raise
a family. We believe that “Strong
Schools
Make
Strong
Communities.” Thank you for
being a part of the community
and school district.
Carl West, Michelle Holman,
Mizu Kinney, John Simington
and Marilyn Fox
Mapleton School Board
Protect ourselves
Health care — there is nothing
affordable about it. Our homes
are full of Wi-Fi. We have phones
that will let us talk to anyone any-
where we happen to be. Seems
like a new class action suit comes
along every month.
We have drugs to treat some
ailment, then we get more drugs
to counter the effects of some
other drug that we have been tak-
ing sometimes for years.
There are some who are find-
ing other alternative methods of
treating their health.
One of those methods is pro-
viding nutrition that lets our bod-
ies repair themselves. One of
those methods is nutrition that
stimulates
our
biological
machines to do their own repairs.
Nutrition that helps produce
stem cells.
When we were young, those
little rascals are out and about
finding the broken bones, the
abrasions and even the disrup-
tions inside.
As we get older, those tiny ras-
cals would rather stay at home in
our bones than to venture out into
the world that we have done to it.
All the crud that the feds allow
manufactures to go into it.
Though no one wants to admit
it, electro magnetic frequency
(EMF) probably contributes to
our poor health. Our homes are
full of them.
Ever heard of Wi-Fi? How
about cell phones? Well duh,
nearly everyone uses them.
Each individual is responsible
for their health. We have to do it.
We have to have proper nutrition
and protect ourselves from the
ever-growing EMFs that sur-
round us because the feds are not
going to do it.
Jim Selby
Florence
Mature campaign
You can’t expect to make
America great again until you
learn to conduct an election cam-
paign with maturity. One way
would be to discuss issues instead
of personalities.
Charles Walker
Florence
YESTERDAY’S NEWS
MOMENTS IN TIME
The History Channel
On May 24, 1883, after 14 years and 27
deaths during construction, the Brooklyn
Bridge over the East River in New York is
opened, connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn. It
was the largest suspension bridge ever built to
that date.
On May 26, 1897, the first copies of the
classic vampire novel “Dracula,” by Irish
writer Bram Stoker, appear in London book-
shops. Stoker published 17 novels in all, but it
was “Dracula” that brought him literary fame.
On May 23, 1900, Sgt. William Harvey
Carney is awarded the Medal of Honor for his
bravery on July 18, 1863, while fighting for the
Union as a member of the 54th Massachusetts
Colored Infantry. Carney was the first black
soldier to receive the Medal of Honor.
On May 29, 1932, at the height of the
Great Depression, the so-called Bonus
Expeditionary Force, a group of 1,000 unem-
ployed World War I veterans seeking early cash
payments for their bonus certificates, arrive in
Washington, D.C., eventually reaching 20,000
strong. President Herbert Hoover ordered the
army to forcibly evict them after the Senate
voted down a bill to pay the bonus.
On May 28, 1961, The London Observer
publishes lawyer Peter Benenson’s article “The
Forgotten Prisoners” on its front page, launch-
ing the Appeal for Amnesty 1961. The move-
ment would become the human-rights organi-
zation Amnesty International.
On May 27, 1971, during the Vietnam War,
Sweden reveals that it has been providing assis-
tance to the Viet Cong, including some
$550,000 worth of medical supplies. The sup-
port was primarily humanitarian and included
no military aid.
On May 25, 1994, the ashes of 71-year-old
George Swanson are buried in the driver’s seat
of his 1984 Corvette in Pennsylvania. Swanson
had bought 12 burial plots to ensure that his
beloved white Corvette would fit in his grave
with him.
(c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.
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Pres. Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
Gov. Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
Governor’s Citizens’ Rep.
Message Line 503-378-4582
www.oregon.gov/gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
541-431-0229
www.wyden.senate.gov
FAX: 503-986-1080
Email:
Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997
541-465-6750
State Rep. Caddy McKeown
(Dist. 9)
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1409
Email:
rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416/ 800-944-9603
541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732
www.defazio.house.gov
State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5)
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
West Lane County Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
FAX: 541-682-4616
Email:
Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us