When a Firefighter Dies

Monday August 31, 2009

WHEN A FIREFIGHTER DIES


Today I can't be funny, humorous, or even witty. Yesterday 2 firefighters lost their lives while fighting the California wildfires. My heart is heavy. Fire Capt. Telmund Hall, 47, of San Bernardino County, and Firefighter Specialist Arnaldo Quinones, 35, of Palmdale, died after their vehicle rolled down a mountainside. They were trying to escape the intense flames of the wildfire they had been battling.

I didn't know these men but still I mourn their loss because I have known men like them. I have seen them in action during many emergencies. They are at their best when conditions are at their worst. These are the type of people who run towards danger when everyone else is running away. We do not have enough of these individuals on this earth. When a firefighter dies it is a loss to us all. My condolences to the Hall and Quinones families.

Also my sincere sympathy to all the firefighters who were a different type of family to these men. I know you hurt and the day will come when you will need to grieve for your firefighter brothers. Today is not that day. There is still a massive wildfire blazing out of control and you have to go back into the heat, smoke, and danger to battle it. This is what we need for you to do to keep us safe. This is what your fallen brothers would want you to do.


I will end this blog by listing actions you can do to help firefighters during an actual fire emergency. I first posted these on the August 14, 2009 blog but they are worth reading again.

STAY INFORMED
Keep a battery powered radio turned on for the latest emergency information

DON'T FEED THE FIRE
Remove anything close to the outside of your house which could fuel the fire
(example: bring in outside furniture)

Remove or open your curtains

Push any upholstered furniture away from windows and glass doors

Turn off the air conditioning

TAKE ACTIONS WHICH WILL HELP IN FIGHTING THE FIRE
If you have a ladder which reaches the roof you should put it in place

fill up a bathtub and some other containers with water

since smoke reduces visibility you should keep a light turned on in each room

close your doors and windows but don't lock them

EVACUATE BEFORE CONDITIONS BECOME DANGEROUS
secure pets for easy transport

disable electric garage doors so they can be opened manually

back your car into your driveway and keep the car keys on your body

There is more evacuation information available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

Daughters

Sunday August 30, 2009

Daughters

My daughters live far away from me and I miss them. I am fortunate to able to talk with them frequently, but still I wish we were all closer and could be together more. However, I am very lucky to have a group of "girls" (young women from mid 20's to mid 30's) who I am friends with. I have decided that given my advanced age of 53 years I should be able to mother them whenever I am lonely, bored, or just want to. There was never a group vote that I would be allowed to assume this role. I just started getting into their business and so far they haven't kicked me out. Of course this might be somewhat influenced by the vast superiority of my wine to theirs.

Yesterday we celebrated four of the girls birthdays at my house. I had decided that we would pretend the girls were checking into a luxury hotel for the day. A real luxury hotel would have been nice; but, unfortunately, there was neither the money nor the means for a posh visit somewhere. Instead I dug out mementos from every great hotel I have visited and scattered them around my house. I tried to make the pool area look like the Beverly Hills Peninsula. I cleaned the area, put out wine and water, arranged and draped lounge chairs, and even placed small yellow flower arrangements on the tables.

Shortly before the party was to start I was considering the pool area. I was pleased with the results of my efforts (even though it honestly didn't look much like the Peninsula pool). Unexpectedly a huge black cloud floated directly over my neighborhood and I felt a few drops of rain. "Oh No!," was screaming inside my head as a ran around snatching up towels, flowers, and wine, "I wanted it to rain on the California daughter not here!"

My youngest daughter lives in Los Angeles and, because of the raging wildfires there, I have been concerned for her and many other Californians safety. I had been hoping and praying for rain to give this battered section of the country a much deserved break. If only it was that easy to change the course of a destructive weather system. No such luck!

The low humidity and record high temperatures of Southern California have supported the outbreak of multiple dangerous wildfires. One fire, which is being called the Station Fire, has already destroyed at least 7,000 acres, is threatening 2,000 homes, and is within miles of critically important communication towers. If these communication towers are lost things will become much worse in the fight to control the wildfires. TV and radio signals would lose the capacity to broadcast and update the public about current fire dangers. Also lost would be the ability to dispatch signals for emergency personnel and fire fighters in the field.

There were at last count 8 major blazes in California. Evacuation orders for La Canada Flintridge, Altadena, Glendale, and some areas of Big Tujunga Canyon have been issued. Still there is great reluctance among the public to make concrete plans for an evacuation. I am pleading with you to please wake up and realize that yes it could happen to you. I urge you to choose 10 things you would try to evacuate from your house before going to bed tonight. If you make this decision now you will know what to grab should you have to evacuate quickly.

Additional evacuation information available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

P.S. The rain cloud at my home in Florida went away and we had a lovely time.

Where Is Safe?

Friday August29,2009

Where Is Safe?

My 5 year old granddaughter didn't get off the bus yesterday afternoon and, for a short period of time, the world suddenly became a scary, dangerous place. There were frantic phone calls made to the school. The school then called transportation and the appropriate bus driver was contacted. It was discovered that our little chatterbox was still on the bus happily talking with her friends. She had no idea that she had missed her bus stop and caused her parents to go crazy with worry. Everything was resolved quickly and the bus returned to deposit her (still talking) at her destination.

As I consider this episode, I can only think how lucky we all are to live in a time of almost instant communication and rapid transportation. These modern conveniences were valuable in the tracking down of a missing 5 year old. They are also useful tools in identifying a approaching disaster and alerting the public of the need to evacuate.

It wasn't that long ago that people did not get the option of whether or not to evacuate. There was no sophisticated weather equipment to detect an oncoming dangerous weather system. Certainly there was not any quick way to broadcast the news of danger to the general public. By the time people were aware of the storm it was already upon them. There only choice was to hunker down and try to survive.

I don't know where safe is anymore. If you look at our recent weather systems almost ever part of the country has had to face some type of emergency. Out west the extreme heat and winds have whipped up the wildfires. The central and southeastern United States have been pounded by violent thunderstorms, tornadoes, and rain. The poor people along the entire eastern seaboard have been battered by the Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms.

What to do? You should be grateful for the modern tools we have at our disposal and use them to stay informed. Then at the first sign of danger, you will be prepared to put your individual evacuation plan into force.

Additional evacuation information is available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

Tornadoes Everywhere!

TORNADOES EVERYWHERE!

I am watching two tornadoes make their erratic destructive progress through my home. Disassembled electronic devices, piles of clothing exploded out of a drawer, and food spilled on the floor are all evidence that some sort of a frantic encounter has occurred. Tonight is "date night" for my son and daughter-in-law and grandma is watching the girls. How can two sweet and adorable little girls possible cause such havoc? I don't know, but trust me, they can.

Of course, the good news is that most of the mess can be picked up and repaired. This is a very different scenario from a real tornado. Tornadoes are terrible things which will attack with very little warning. I have often been asked if there is anything a person can do to evacuate related to a tornado. Truthfully there isn't a lot but I'll share what information I have.

My best piece of advice is to remain aware of the current weather conditions and be prepared to take shelter immediately should a tornado threaten your location. It is critical that you and all of your family members know which area of the house everyone needs to run to. Of course, you have heard this advice numerous times so maybe you are completely prepared. If you are great! If you are not, quit messing around and get prepared before it is too late.

I do have some personal advice to offer related to tornadoes which I have never seen in any official instructions. If you are getting ready for bed and there is a tornado watch or warning in the area, please put on some decent sleepwear and your best jewelery. If the tornado hits in the middle of the night, as this heartless disaster often does, you will not have the time to change your clothes. You certainly don't want to be huddled in your safe room or interviewed by the local news in a skimpy nightgown or ragged p.j.'s. As for the jewelery, I figure if it is on your body and you manage to save yourself, your jewelery will also be saved.

Additional evacuation information in available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

Do You Really Evacuate The Wine?

Wednesday August 26, 2009

DO YOU REALLY EVACUATE THE WINE?

Yes, I really evacuate my best bottle (or perhaps two) of wine along with some emergency chocolate and a good book. You don't have to take my word for it I can supply you with witnesses to vouch for me.


I have been through too many storms and disasters to not know the pattern of activity. First, it is the apprehension of deciding if you will need to evacuate or not. Then you have the frantic activity of packing up and securing your house. Next comes a tense drive through difficult weather conditions to your destination. When you finally arrive at the destination you are stressed out and exhausted. You think, "I just want to go to bed and sleep," but you can't go to sleep. Instead you listen to the TV or radio reporting the same news over and over again until the power fails and the batteries die.


It is only when I am in the silence and darkness of a complete power failure with only the glow of an emergency flashlight or a camping lantern that I finally open the evacuated wine. I take my time and give the wine a chance to breath (usually about 10 pages of my book). I then pour myself a glass of wine, open the chocolate, and proceed to read, drink, and nibble my way through the anxious night. Since I am not going to be able to sleep anyway I believe fine wine and chocolate accompanied by a good book are just the companions needed for dark and stormy nights.


The ritual of the wine and the rhythm of the reading serves to calm me down. I have seen first hand the power and destruction Mother Nature can visit on a place. I would hate to leave a prized bottle of my wine behind and have her destroy it. Although I deeply respect Mother Nature, this doesn't mean I have to share a bottle of wine with her.

There is more evacuation information at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

Are Pets More Trouble Than Children?

Tuesday August 29, 2009

Are Pets More Trouble Than Children?

Well, I guess the answer would depend on your personal experience with both groups. The vast majority of my friends have voted for the children being way more trouble than the pets. However, I actually know a minority parent population with children who seem to cause no problems. Ever! I have kept these children under close observation for several years now just to see if they might be some kind of hybrid child/robot species which can be programed. I have so far found no evidence to support my theory. In fact, the evidence seems to be mounting in support of actual human children. I saw one of the "perfects" fall and scrape a knee. The child bleed real blood (I am sure of this because I am a nurse and therefore an expert on blood, poop, and vomit).

However, there is one situation where pets are definitely more trouble than children for all of us. That situation is during an evacuation. I know it seems like it would be an easy task. People just assume they would put the animal in the car and go. Okay, but now where are you going to go? Have you checked to be certain the animals will be welcomed at the destination?

Emergency shelters will rarely allow animals in. The few shelters that do will accept only a certain number of animals and only if they have the correct paperwork. These animals are then sent to another location away from the shelter. Hotels rooms are hard to book during large scale evacuations. Hotels which permit animals are even harder to find. If you do find one be sure to ask for all the requirements necessary for your pet to be admitted. Most hotels have strict rules regarding what type, breed, and weight of animal is allowed. In addition, you are required to supply the animal's license and up-to-date immunization record. Should you plan to shelter with a friend or family member it would be wise to discuss your plans to bring your pets. For a wide variety of reasons not all households allow pets inside. It is much better to know this before an evacuation so you can make alternate plans.

Even though our pets can be a lot of trouble during an evacuation you must take them with you. If you own a pet you have assumed a moral responsibility to care for it. Often pets become beloved members of our family. I urge you to make appropriate plans now to safe guard your animals during disasters and evacuations.

Additional evacuation information is available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

Disasters Get Dark!

Monday August 24, 2009

DISASTERS GET DARK!

Today is the first day of school in the area where I live. The bright yellow school buses are rolling through the neighborhoods picking up nervous and excited children and leaving behind grateful and apprehensive parents. This morning I went outside to pick up the newspaper and watched one of these buses pass by my house. I received a variety of greetings from the occupants of the bus. There were smiles, frowns, waves, tongues stuck out, and one rude gesture.

I was only paying minimal attention to the various salutations from the passing students. Instead, I was lost in admiration of the radiant yellow color the school bus was painted. At some distant point in school history someone made a really good decision in picking out the color for the school buses. Why? The buses need to be highly visible so other drivers can be especially cautious when driving near them. The vivid color makes school buses stand out from the rest of the traffic. You have to first be aware of a vehicle with precious cargo before you can take care around it.

The same rule applies to children during an evacuation. We need to be able to see our kids to keep them safe from any approaching disaster. Not only kids but all family members should put on their brightest clothing before evacuating. Disasters get dark. Visibility can be obscured by dark skies, falling rain, heavy smoke, settling debris, or crowded conditions. During the possible chaos of an evacuation a bright t-shirt on yourself and your child is an important safety factor. In an emergency it is vital that you be able to see your child and they see you.

I am now intrigued by the color of the school bus. Should anyone out there know who originally chose the bright yellow color I would appreciate you writing me.

There is additional evacuation information at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

What do my fat jeans and Hurricane Bill have in common?

Saturday August 22, 2009

WHAT DO MY FAT JEANS AND HURRICANE BILL HAVE IN COMMON?

This morning I got up and started the day with my normal routine. First I go to the bathroom, then I take all of my clothes off, and only then do I step on the scales to weigh myself. Perhaps this system might not be a totally accurate reflection of my true weight. Well actually I know it is not a correct measurement because when I have a doctor's visit the nurse refuses to let me give a urine sample or take off my clothes before being weighed. I have always rationalized, "What does it really hurt to falsely believe I am a few pounds lighter if it makes me happy?"

Today I got up as usual and did the routine. As soon as I saw the strange large number on the scales I quickly jumped off horrified. I immediately thought there was some error in the scales. I was sure the traitorous scales were not leveled and were therefore reporting inaccurately. After examining the scales for any observable physical damage and finding none, I weighed myself again three more times in different locations within my home. (I did this just in case the house had shifted during the night and was throwing the scales off.) I was haunted by the same large number at each and every weighing!

Why did this make such a difference this morning? I had an important meeting and I was already reconciled to having to wear my fat jeans. If I couldn't get my butt into the fat jeans what was I going to wear? As I started trying to wedge myself into the fat jeans which were suddenly feeling like skinny jeans I bargained with myself, "I promise to start exercising more and give up some of my bread and dessert if I can just make it through the day without splitting a seam."

Well I guess I have short term memory loss as well as a large scale number. I know this is true because late this afternoon I took my granddaughter to the movies and without even realizing it started stuffing my mouth full of popcorn. I was sitting there shoveling in the popcorn when I felt a stitch give way. I froze and remembered my morning pledge of dietary restraint.

How quickly we can forget when the imminent danger has been narrowly avoided. I spent the rest of the movie (behind my 3D glasses) considering this quality in myself and many others. If we get lucky and the hurricane passes us by we often just give a sigh of relief and go back to life as usual. We would be much wiser to use a narrow miss by a hurricane like Bill as a wake up call to become bettered prepared.

If anyone is interested I quit eating the popcorn at the movie and had no dessert tonight.

More evacuation information is available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

Firefighters Friday

Friday August 21, 2009

FIREFIGHTERS FRIDAY

Have you every noticed that when you talk of a person you haven't seen in awhile they will often call or appear a short time later? I wonder if our words or thoughts have the ability to send them a "call me" message? Perhaps it is just a coincidence. Whatever the answer may be I experienced the phenomena a few days ago.

Last Saturday, the day after my blog on firefighters and fire safety, I was in a store talking with a group of young women about the blog, fire safety, and firemen. (I'm sure you can guess on which subject the majority of the conversation was focused.) When I walked out there they were! A whole flock of firemen! I was sure this was some sort of sign so I hurried up to them saying, "Hello, Hello, Do You Remember Me? I Just Wrote About You Yesterday!"

To their credit not a single one of them took a step backwards in the face of my enthusiastic greeting. (There are so many ways disaster training can come in handy.) One of them actually vaguely remembered me interviewing him and this served to reassure the others that I wasn't completely crazy.

We talked for a few minutes about some of the fire safety tips I had written in the blog. One of the firefighters reminded me that every family should have a safe meeting place outside the home. Great advice. If your family hasn't decided on a location, please choose one right away and make sure everyone in the family knows where it is.

I would also like to invite any other firefighters or other emergency workers with evacuation and safety tips to contact me at wineandchocolateplan@gmail.com or www.wineandchocolateplan.com

A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY

A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY

My weather-crazed friend, Liz, sent me this dark cloudy photo of Destin, Florida yesterday. At first I thought someone had sent me a picture from somewhere along the northeastern coastline. Someplace with gray skies and colder weather. Truthfully this is not how my home usually looks. I am lucky to live in a place of bright sunshine and the most beautiful beaches in the world. The picture was simply a case of mistaken identity.

This past week I have had another encounter with a case of mistaken identity. I was helping a friend by taking a huge garbage bag of trash from her store to the dumpster. The bag was so heavy that I started dragging it half-way to the dumpster. Of course, the bottom of the bag broke and the garbage spilled all over the grass. I am not happy as I bend over to start picking up the trash. Two young men walk by, whistle, and yell, "Nice butt!" My mood lifts and I turn around smiling to greet my admirers. However, when they see my face they mumble, "Sorry Mam" and run away. I sigh, go back to being unhappy and pick up the rest of the trash.

This meeting helped me remember how important it is to have your identity established so there are no misunderstandings. In yesterday's blog post I told everyone to gather their important papers in preparation for evacuations. Let me urge everyone to make the papers which establish your identity the first documents you gather. You should make copies of your birth certificate, your passport, your drivers licenses, and any other picture I.D.'s. The first step necessary to conduct much of the business required after disasters is proving your identity. This is difficult to do if all the essential documents have been lost.

So go ahead and take a little time now to copy and store these documents. It could save you a great deal of trouble if you are impacted by a disaster. A case of mistaken identity is bad but a case of unknown identity would be awful.

If this blog was helpful to you please pass it on.
Additional evacuation information at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

Big Bad Bill

BIG BAD BILL

If someone asks me, "I have some good news and some bad news to tell you. Which do you want to hear first?" I always say, "Tell me the bad news first." There are plenty of people who choose the opposite and have the good news delivered first. Some of these good news first people have told me that their motivation is to delay the arrival of bad news for as long as possible. I can't help but wonder about them. Do they think by stalling that the bad news will improve or disappear? If there is bad news coming I want to hear it first. I would never even be able to enjoy the good news while worrying about how bad the next news was going to be. So it would be the same as just getting bad news because the good news would have been ruined by my worry.

So I have some bad news and some good news and you are getting the bad news first. There is a major hurricane out there. The National Hurricane Center reports that Hurricane Bill is now a category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 135 mph. Bill is also big. At present he has hurricane force winds extending out 85 miles from his center and tropical storm force winds extending outward for up to 230 miles. Yes indeed Hurricane Bill is big and bad. Worse yet, most people along the eastern coastline are reporting that they are no where near ready for a hurricane.

Now here are two pieces of good news. The first is that so far Hurricane Bill has been antisocial. He has kept to himself on a northern tract in the Atlantic. The second piece of good news is we know he is out there and have some time to prepare.
If you live in Bermuda, Nova Scotia, or along the northeastern U.S. sea coast you have time to make some important decisions and preparations. You should start by collecting all your important paperwork and placing it in a waterproof container. The completion of this first step will give you some much needed piece of mind and that is the real good news.

If you know anyone in the threatened areas please forward them this information. Additional evacuation information available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

DOES ANYONE UNDERSTAND?

Does anyone out there besides me have trouble understanding what people are actually talking about? I hope so because I don't want to feel all alone. I speak words to people and they speak words back to me but the words often do not make sense! It all comes down to not having the proper vocabulary list for the specific age and/or interest group you are hanging out with.

I'll give you an example. I had a 17 year old stay the weekend with me recently. After much confusion I learned that jam was not something she wanted on her toast or a situation I was not to tell her mother about. Instead it was (to the best of my ability to understand) a creative effort among dancers. Also, please note that if your child says they are sick it could mean illness or greatness. You will have to observe the child closely to figure out which word definition applies to the present situation.

After I thought about it I realized that this talking in code has been going on for a long time. When I was a young child I had an older aunt who was always saying "the bee's knees". In an attempt to observe if bees really did have knees I was stung. This proved an early lesson on the importance of understanding word meanings.

Of course a bee sting was a misunderstanding I quickly recovered from. However when you have to understand weather warnings the consequences of a misunderstanding can be much more serious. So to stay safe you must improve your weather vocabulary. Please learn the following terms.

Flood-an overflowing of water onto land that is normally dry

Flash Flood-a sudden local flood of great volume and short duration

Flood or Flash Flood WATCH-means flooding or flash flooding is possible

Flood or Flash Flood WARNING-means that flooding or flash flooding is occurring or will occur soon; go to higher ground immediately!


Okay, the vocabulary lesson is over. I want to wish my more mature readers a day that is the cat's meow. I also want to wish my younger audience a day that's all that.

If this information was helpful to you please pass it on.
Additional evacuation information at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

Who You Gonna Call?

It is time for everyone living in a floodplain or a low area to call their family and friends. I suggest you start with any members of the friend or family group who live on high and dry ground. I'm sure you have intended to call and visit with them anyway. Right? The family and friendship bonds need to be strengthened now. Then if you have to call in the next few days and ask if you can evacuate to their house (along with a dog, a toddler, and a crying baby) they are more likely to say yes.

Don't fool yourself about the possibility of evacuation. Most of the United States is wet today. The Midwest is getting pounded by severe thunderstorms which have moved across the nation to include the Northeastern United States. Tropical Storm Claudette arrived with heavy rain which is drenching the Southeastern United States. It is raining hard and the rain is just going to keep coming. This will result in flooding.

So do the right thing. If you have been fussing with any friends now is the time to call and make up. You should not wait another day to call and tell Mom and Grandma how much you love them.

(The photo at the top of this entry was taken by Liz Empson)
Additional evacuation information at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

Mother Nature Makes Her Own Rules

August 16,2009 Sunday

MOTHER NATURE MAKES HER OWN RULES

Mother Nature can fool you. She sure gave me a surprise this morning when I woke up to discover that a tropical storm was lurking off the coastline near my home. What? How did this happen? After all I pride myself in remaining informed and vigilant about the approach of any dangerous systems. Some (okay maybe many) people have even classified me as obsessive in my quest to get everyone prepared to evacuate from disasters.

Last night I diligently checked the weather conditions before going to bed. I have been closely watching the tropics and the pipeline of named tropical storms (Ana and Bill) making their way towards the United States. Then I went to bed and slept.

Apparently while I slept Mother Nature changed all the rules. Maybe I just didn't understand the rules. I thought when you counted 1 came first, then 2, then 3, etc.
Mistakenly I also believed the same sequence was followed related to the alphabet. Well I guess not. The first weather system to hit from the tropics will be tropical depression #4 otherwise known as Tropical Storm Claudette. So number 4 and letter C will be first. I know it is confusing.

What does it actual mean to you? It means the gulf coast area will get a great deal of rain. This rain will saturate the ground and fill up or overflow our lakes and ponds. When the big storms in the pipeline actually make landfall sneaky little Claudette will have already weakened our defenses.

What it really means is Mother Nature does what she wants to no matter what we think the rules might be. We all must remember this and prepare accordingly.

Additional evacuation information available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

Stuff Your Bra!

STUFF YOUR BRA!

Every evacuation requires two vital things--cash and gas. Today we are going to talk about the cash. Cash is an item which seems to be on the endangered list among a great many people under 40 years of age. Perhaps they think the green stuff is dirty or old fashioned or something. I don't really know what their problem is with cash but they sure don't want to carry it. Instead young people have faith in the debit card, the credit card, the check book, or the ATM machine.

All these wonderful technologies are notorious for failing during disasters. Even most checks now rely on technology since they are automatically processed. Now is the time to start sticking away some cash so it is available should you have to evacuate. I want you to think back to your last visit to a bank or ATM before an evacuation. Do you remember the long lines and the concern over how long your evacuation trip was being delayed by the bank visit? I want you to avoid this situation.

Yes, I know money is tight these days. The easiest way I have found to collect my "evacuation money" is to write my grocery check for an extra $20 every week. I start doing this at the beginning of hurricane season. I then put the extra$20 in a separate white envelope which I can't touch till November 30th (end of hurricane season). If there is no evacuation that year I have a good start on my Christmas shopping money.

Now some advice about how to transport this evacuation cash. The cash should be divided in half. Next you should place half in your wallet and stick the other half in your bra. During emergencies purses are often lost, stolen, forgotten, burned up, washed away, etc. However if you have been wise and stuffed your bra, you will still have emergency funds.

When you stop and consider your bra is really a very safe depository for this vital cash. After all, there won't be any unauthorized withdrawals.

Additional evacuation information at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

THE BEST RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT EVER! (or my time interviewing firefighters)

August 14,2009 Friday

Some areas of evacuation
Wildfires-People living in the California areas of Swantoon and Bonny Doon have been ordered to evacuate due to the Lockheed fire

Some areas of potential evacuation
Wildfires-any California residents living close to the numerous wildfires blazing in the state
Flooding-coastal east coast residents (especially South and North Carolina) still need to be prepared for possible flooding

IF YOU KNOW ANYONE IN THESE AREAS PLEASE FORWARD THIS INFORMATION.


THE BEST RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT EVER! (or my time interviewing firefighters)

While I was researching and writing my book (The Wine and Chocolate Evacuation Plan), I had to spend a great deal time alone. Just me and the struggle to find the correct sequence of words to express the ideas in my head. It was difficult. My friends would call and try to lure me into their fun activities (the beach, shopping, every exercise class imaginable). Even worse was when these friends would just go on their fun outings without trying to lure me away from work! I would feel sorry for myself and go to the kitchen to find something to eat. In my defense I really do think and write better while I'm chewing.

When I let it be known I intended to start interviewing firefighters my friends suddenly reappeared. Imagine that. There were subtle and not-so-subtle hints about the possibility of them accompanying me "to help". Perhaps I was petty but I decided this was a job I needed to do alone. I had information to gather, questions to ask, and facts to check. I also had a good 5 pounds of extra weight gained while I was writing and they were exercising. So sorry tan, thin, and toned friends you have to let me win occasionally.

Of course, I really did gather some important information about fires. If you live in an area under a fire threat this is some of the advice I received from firefighters.

STAY INFORMED
Keep a battery powered radio turned on for the latest emergency information

DON'T FEED THE FIRE
Remove anything close to the outside of your house which could fuel the fire
(example: bring in outside furniture)

Remove or open your curtains

Push any upholstered furniture away from windows and glass doors

Turn off the air conditioning

TAKE ACTIONS WHICH WILL HELP IN FIGHTING THE FIRE
If you have a ladder which reaches the roof you should put it in place

fill up a bathtub and some other containers with water

since smoke reduces visibility you should keep a light turned on in each room

close your doors and windows but don't lock them

EVACUATE BEFORE CONDITIONS BECOME DANGEROUS
secure pets for easy transport

disable electric garage doors so they can be opened manually

back your car into your driveway and keep the car keys on your body


I realize I probably have forgotten to include some vital piece of advice. All of you cute firefighters are encouraged to write me so we can arrange interviews. I have also decided to allow any of my friends willing to gain 5 pounds the chance to accompany me on the next round of interviews.

Additional evacuation information at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

Hat Up!

August 13,2009 Thursday

Areas of evacuation or high potential for evacuation
Flash flooding-Eastern Kentucky
Norfolk, Virgina
North and South Carolina
Wildfires-California
Typhoon-Taiwan (Thousands of families have lost their homes and many people are still missing. Please send prayers and good energy to the impacted people.)
IF YOU KNOW ANYONE LIVING IN THE ABOVE AREAS AND THINK THIS BLOG CAN HELP THEM PLEASE FORWARD IT TO THEM. THANK YOU.)

Good News of the Day.
Tropical Depression #2 has weakened
The good people of Hawaii dodged the Hurricane Felicia bullet and received some much needed rain. Love to my Molokai friends.


HAT UP!

Everyone who lives along the Eastern coastline of the U.S. needs to wear a cute ball hat today. It's raining hard and there is no way your hair will be able to hold up against the moisture. You will be much better off to just go ahead and "hat up" before leaving home.

Should you have to evacuate from a flood zone please remember to drive around any flooded area. If you are unable to see the bottom of the road it could be washed away. Even if the road is not washed away you will not be able to determine how high the water is. Six inches of water is all it takes to reach the bottom of most cars.
When the vehicle gets in this much water you can lose control of the car and it will probably stall.Only a few inches of water can make a car's tires lose traction with the ground. Then you are at the mercy of the water. A foot of water will float most cars.

Everyone needs to remember what emergency workers are always telling us,
"TURN AROUND AND DON'T DROWN."

Additional evacuation information available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

Evacuation Necklace

August 12, 2009 Wednesday

Areas of evacuation or high potential for an evacuation.
California Wildfires-Santa Barbara County and Shasta County
Flooding-Parts of Michigan
Typhoon-Taiwan (hundreds of people still missing)


Okay, I'm watching the Atlantic's second tropical depression grow in size and strength. This area has a good chance of becoming the first named hurricane (Ana) of the 2009 season. I don't like any hurricane whose name begins with an A. I was on the ground in Miami after Hurricane Andrew and still remember the destruction. I also remember Hurricane Alicia who was a nasty, tricky storm. Hurricane Alicia waited until she was just 3 days from landfall before deciding to blow up into a category 3 hurricane. Alicia did not play by the rules and left the public very little time to evacuate.

Speaking of evacuation....

One of the first tools to buy for a smart evacuation is an evacuation necklace. Everyone (even men) need to buy one. Don't panic! It will be less than $10 and you can buy it at Target, Wal-Mart, or any similar type store. An evacuation necklace is a whistle on a lanyard with a mini flashlight and a clip key ring attached. The moment you start preparing for an evacuation attach your car keys to the large hook.

This is why you need these items.

The whistle is an international distress signal. A whistle will call people to you in a time of crisis. The loud sound of a whistle can also drive unwanted people away from you in a time of danger.

The mini flashlight is to give you an immediate light source so you are able to go and find the big flashlight. (The power always seems to fail when I am three rooms away from my emergency flashlight. I end up crashing through dark rooms fumbling around trying to locate it.)

The car keys are so easy to misplace during the chaos of packing for an evacuation. I have actually met women who have completely packed their car for evacuation and then couldn't take the car because the car keys are lost. I completely understand since I constantly loose my car keys in my purse in the Target parking lot during a completely stress free normal day.
www.win
Put the evacuation necklace on the moment you start to prepare for an evacuation!

Additional evacuation information available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

Wine and Chocolate Evacuation Blog

Tuesday 8/11/09

I want you to start preparing to evacuate now! Yes, I know that the first named Atlantic basin hurricane of the 2009 season (Ana) has not even formed. Things are calm. Please don't be fooled because we are now going into the dangerous season.

My name is Brenda Barnes. I am a retired nurse living on the gulf coast of Florida and the author of The Wine and Chocolate Evacuation Plan. I have experienced disasters and evacuations both professionally and personally. I am here to help you get ready for whatever evacuation might come your way. It could be a wildfire, a flood, a hurricane, or an abusive spouse. Life is unpredictable. There are a lot of reasons people have to evacuate. (I grew up in Memphis, Tennessee and my family's first evacuation was due to a wrecked gas truck.)

In the months ahead I will give you helpful directions and common sense solutions on how to successfully handle the evacuation process. Let's face it, you need me. All the authorities ever tell you is TO EVACUATE not HOW TO EVACUATE. Even though we haven't met I care about your safety-passionately.

I feel I have finally found the missionary work I am suited for. Okay, I will go ahead and make full disclosure before we go any further (and before my friends read the missionary part and start harassing me). I drink wine, have a pretty smart mouth, sometimes cuss, and seem unable to limit my chocolate intake. This is all true but I still care and want to help you prepare for evacuations.

For more information go to www.wineandchocolateplan.com