Cool Thing of the Week!

It's not really a thing, it's an idea and it's mostly for the ladies in the house. The cool thing to do this week is to make sure you have a pair of sturdy, sensible shoes in your car. During the week I wear shoes such as the ones pictured. Yes, I just took that picture this morning. I like wearing heels when I'm working because they make me feel like a Fancy Business Lady Who Knows Things (FBLWKT™) as opposed to what I generally look like which is a Tired Mommy Whose Shirt is Inside Out (TMWSIO™).

It's all well and good to sport fabulous and not remotely sensible footwear, but you should always have a backup in case your car breaks down and you have to walk, you have to evacuate and might be away from comfortable shoes for a long-time or if you find that you have to outrun zombies when the zombie apocalypse dawns. So, find those old Reeboks that you keep in the back of your closet and throw them in your car's emergency kit.

Sure, a real lady can run in heels, but a really smart lady doesn't have to.

Cool Thing of the Week!

Ahhh...Friday! The end of the week is here and the Royal Wedding is over, so we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. This week I wanted to highlight Quake Hold Putty. This putty, according to the website is:
*Ideal for securing antiques, collectibles, and other breakable items from falling
*Works on almost any surface
*Easy to apply with its pliable texture
*Non-toxic and non-damaging to your walls, surfaces, or furniture
*Easy to remove and reuse without leaving behind unsightly residue

I agree that it is all those things because I purchased some last year to secure my great-great-grandmother's lead crystal pitcher which means the world to me. The putty is basically really high quality Silly-Putty that you put under any breakables that you wouldn't want crashing down in an earthquake. Even if you hate all the breakable trinkets on your shelf and wouldn't shed a tear if they all broke, think of the time and energy you would save if you didn't have to clean up all that broken porcelain! I hate cleaning, especially when I have to exert effort like sweeping and making sure there aren't shards of glass anywhere. That's worth the $3.99 I paid for the package of Quake Hold at Home Depot.

I put the putty under the pitcher, as I previously mentioned, plus under a bunch of pictures, a vase and a terra-cotta pot I painted (poorly) while in Mexico. Plus, I still have half the package left. $3.99 well spent, my friends. Check out their website here and maybe next time you're at Lowe's or Home Depot, pick up a package. You can also get it pretty cheap at Amazon.com, so when you're picking up another copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (no, really, it's a book!), add some Quake Hold to your virtual shopping cart!

Cool Thing of the Week

My cool thing of the week isn't actually a thing, it's more of a concept. This week I think renter's insurance is cool. If you rent a home or apartment, getting renter's insurance may not be anything you've considered. Sure, your landlord has insurance on your dwelling, but guess what..that doesn't help you any!

Your landlord's policy does not cover your personal property at all. You could lose your personal property in a fire, burglary or a severe storm. Without renter's insurance, your personal property wouldn't be replaced and you'd be liable for anyone who is injured inside your home.

I know, you're probably thinking "But I don't have any Picasso's or fur coats or a porcelain clown collection valuable enough to worry about." Still, make a list of everything in your house that you like, use, need and wouldn't want destroyed. You'll be surprised at what would be costly to replace: Clothing, furniture, a TV, computer, iPod, sports equipment or jewelry.

You might think that your furniture and TV are so lousy that you wouldn't care if they got destroyed, but if you had no insurance, you still have to pay out of pocket if you ever want to sit on something other than the floor and have a TV on which to watch Antiques Roadshow or Jersey Shore again.

The cost of renter's insurance is so low it just doesn't make sense not to have it, especially given the natural disasters that plague this area. When my husband and I rented a home about 8 years ago the cost of the renter's policy was about $15 a month, but our auto insurance was so thrilled that we had a renter's policy that we got a deduction on our premium which equaled to the renter's insurance not costing us a thing. Sweet!

When shopping for renter's insurance, be sure you're covered for these "named perils," as they're called in the insurance world: Fire or lightning, windstorm, smoke, vandalism or malicious mischief, theft, and accidental discharge of water, among other common loss types.

Earthquake protection costs extra, but in my opinion, is a cost worth incurring. Flood coverage may also be an additional expense, but that's a question an insurance agent would have to answer.

There are several options in what you want to cover, what liability limits you need and what you want your deductible to be. Why not give an insurance agent a call today to learn more?

It helps to take photos and keep a list of your belongings so they can be easily replaced after a disaster. Just be sure to store them someplace else!

Cool Thing of the Week!

My cool thing of the week is the “Dog Gone It Emergency Pet Kit” and the “Cat-astrophe Kit.” I think they’re cool, not just because of their fantastic names, but because it’s everything you need in one bucket to help keep your pets prepared. I have purchased these from PrepareSmart.com, click here for the exact link.

These buckets include food and water with a 5-year shelf life, a pet first-aid kit, collapsible food and water dishes, a leash, a harness, nylon rope, an emergency blanket, light sticks, bio-hazard bags, toys, a can opener and a pet-emergency plan template. With the exception of a crate or kennel, this is pretty much everything you need in one bucket! The costs range from $45-59, but it's well worth it for the peace of mind. These would work great both for sheltering in place and something to easily grab in the event of an evacuation. If you have a high-maintenance pet that has to eat special food, I'd throw some of that in there as well as a toy that they have played with. If it's a previously-loved toy it will have their scent on it and make them feel more at ease.

Things that are Cool, Vol. 3

The preparedness plans found at http://www.ready.gov/ are my cool thing of the week. This website makes family emergency planning so easy! They have templates you can print and fill out or forms you can complete online. If the thought of sitting down and figuring out what information you need to put in a plan makes you crazy, these forms will calm you right down. There’s no excuse NOT to fill them out! The ready.gov website has tons of great features about putting together a kit, emergency resources, as well as a fun and interactive section just for kids. All of their information can be easily translated into 12 different languages, so if you prefer to get your preparedness info in French or Tagalog, this is the website for you. There is also a separate section for business owners to help with disaster preparedness planning. Take a minute and check it out!

Things that are Cool, part 2

You’ll be a fool every day of the year, if you don’t invest in this $1.50’s worth of safety. (Get it, cuz it’s April Fool’s Day, yes?) Anyway, this 5-in-1 survival whistle from Emergency Essentials is a great buy for your emergency kit, camping gear or to keep in your car. It is not only a shrill whistle, but also has a compass, a signal mirror, flint firestarter and the top comes off so you can keep matches in it. Instead of matches, I’d keep some Valium in it in case I had to stay at an emergency shelter with a bunch of strangers, knowwhatimean? I’m kidding. Mostly.

A whistle is one of the BEST things you can keep with you for several reasons. You use a lot less air blowing a whistle than screaming your head off, plus it’s way louder. I keep one in my desk drawer in case I’m trapped under rubble after an earthquake. The likelihood of the entire Sheriff’s Office collapsing on my head in an earthquake is pretty much a foregone conclusion, so a whistle makes me feel a smidgen better. Well, half a smidgen anyway. I don’t know how to use a compass, but I’m sure it could come in handy in some emergency situation. Obviously, I’d be the last one picked for the hiking team.

I’m sure you could also pick up something similar locally at Bob’s, Survival Bunker or at REI. Check back next week for another cool thing.

Things that are Cool

Lots of things are cool--cucumbers, Marlon Brando circa 1954, etc. I'm thinking more along the lines of things that are cool for your emergency kit. Every Friday I'm going to attempt to feature some cool product or gadget for your kit. Today's cool item is Datrex Emergency Drinking Water. These are 4 oz pouches of water in mylar packaging with a 5 year shelf life. There are several benefits to storing water in this fashion. With mylar, there is no leaching of plastic (BPA) into your water. This is better for you and makes the water taste better.

Also, these are a lot easier and more durable to carry around in an evacuation kit than a gallon jug of water. I keep these things everywhere--a dozen in my freezer as ice packs, plus they could help keep freezer food cold longer following a power outage. I keep a bunch in my car, in my evacuation pack, in my shelter-in-place kit and in my desk drawer in my office. I have also taken about 6 straws from Capri-Sun juice pouches and taped them to the pouches in my 4-year old's emergency kit because then he could just stab the straw in and drink the water like a juice pouch. I can't imagine him attempting to drink from a bag, it would probably result in a secondary disaster....

These are also great because they have a 5-year shelf life. I bought a few boxes last December and they are good until May of 2015. It's nice not to have to worry about rotating water until 2015, by which time I will have been elected intergalactic supreme ruler and will have minions to take care of my preparedness needs.

So, where do you get these cool things? You can order them from Simple-Safety, on Amazon, from PrepareSmart or you could try The Survival Bunker in Kalama. I don't know if they carry the pouches in their store at 447 N. First Street in Kalama, but I bet if you called 830-822-1210, they could help you out. Also, an instructor from Simple-Safety will be leading a preparedness class on April 21st in Kalama and you can purchase a box at that time and not pay shipping. If you are interested in this option, send us an email at DEM@co.cowlitz.wa.us and we'll talk.

Cool stuff!