Delays on Westside Hwy

Drivers on Westside Highway will encounter intermittent delays starting Monday as crews clear landslide debris near Hazel Dell Road. For more information, check out The Daily News article here.

Emergency Kit Shopping List--Week 2

It's Wednesday, so you know what that means! Garbage day, American Idol and, of course, week 2 of our Preparedness Shopping List. As you are making your shopping list for your next jaunt to your local grocer, add these items to the list:

• Water (one gallon, per person, per day for at least 3 days, more if you have pets)


• Granola bars with a long shelf life (Nature Valley ones are good)


• Cereal


• Canned fruit (enough for each person in your family for 3 days)


• Canned vegetables (something that you and your family will eat, no need to torture yourself with lima beans if you know you'd rather starve than eat them)


• 4-5 cans of meat (doesn't have to be unidentifiable mystery meat, there are some very tasty varieties of canned white-meat chicken)

And that's it. Put all these new treasures into the large plastic tote that you bought last week and you're on your way. Now, you may be tempted to grab some cheap canned food at an outlet or liquidator. While I love shopping for bargains at places like Prospector Liquidator, I would caution using those canned food items for your kit. There is a reason they are discounted and it's generally because their "use-by" date is rapidly approaching, which is counter-productive for long-term storage. Take a minute to look at the date and make sure you can store it for 6-months to a year. Happy shopping!

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!

Preparedness Class Coming Up

There will be a "Cooking in the Dark" disaster preparedness class on March 31st at Abernathy Assembly of God, 702 Abernathy Creek Road in Longview from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. To register for this class, and to see a selection of other upcoming preparedness classes from Simple-Safety, click here http://simple-safety.com/news/events/.

This is a fantastic class, I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about long-term food and water storage, living without electricity and other crucial disaster survival skills.

Stock Your Kit--The Low Stress Way!

Recent earthquakes got you freaked out? Can't figure out how to make an emergency kit on a budget? We can help! This is a re-run of a previous series that I did in 2009. We have a lot of new readers and I wanted to make sure that everyone learned how easy it can be to put together a great emergency kit, without dropping a whole bunch of dough at once.

Putting together a well-stocked disaster supply kit doesn't have to be an overwhelming and costly task! If you just put a few extra items in your shopping cart over the next 12 weeks, you will find yourself with an amazing resource to help you withstand whatever disaster is thrown your way. It may be sunny today, but that dismal weather will return---it always does. Remember our motto--the only difference between adventure and disaster is preparedness! Example: the electricity is out for two days and you're stuck at home. Disaster would be if you had no emergency lighting, blankets, water or ready-to-eat food. Major catastrophe. Adventure would be to light some candles, eat some camping food and tell ghost stories. Wholesome fun for the whole family, right?! A day at Disneyland, it's not, but it's better than sitting in the dark, while hungry and cold. Make sure that dreary image stays with you on your next trip to the grocery store.

So, here is "Week 1" of your 12-week shopping guide. Just toss in these extra goodies each week, you'll barely notice the extra cost and one day you might be very glad to have them. You can thank me later, I accept cash.
WEEK 1
* 2 boxes of large plastic zip bags (to keep things organized and waterproof)
* 2 rolls aluminum foil (for emergency cooking)
* 2 boxes heavy duty garbage bags (for sanitation, garbage, shelter, whatever)
* Large portable plastic tote with lid (to store everything in)
See that wasn't so bad! Check us out next Wednesday to see your next mission...

On Water Storage

The single most important item in your disaster supply kit is water. The human body can generally survive for 30 days or more without food, granted those 30 days would suck big time. However, a body can only survive without water for about 3 days. I've heard people say that they don't need to store a bunch of water because they can drink out of their water heater or the tank of their toilet. In theory, yes, you can do this. In reality, do you really want to? Have you looked in your toilet tank? Do you know what kind of gnarly floaties live in your water heater? Do you really hate yourself and your family that much that you feel they need to drink out of the toilet? Maybe you do, and that's okay, I'm not here to judge. But--if you value yourself and your family, you'll set aside a few bucks to buy yourself some decent emergency water. Here are a few tips:


•Store at least one gallon of water per person, per day in a cool, dark place. The average individual must drink at least two quarts of water every day. Children, nursing mothers, the elderly and people in warmer climates need more. Additional water should be reserved for personal hygiene and food preparation. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security encourages individuals to store enough water to last a minimum of three days - bearing in mind that water is needed for drinking as well as for personal hygiene.

•Choose appropriate containers for water storage; disinfect before use. Personally, I wouldn't store water in any plastic containers that have ever stored juice, milk or soda (or antifreeze or lighter fluid). Seriously, there is nothing that will remove the taste of what has previously been in there. Also, milk jugs are very, very low quality plastic. Not only will they leach chemicals into your water, after about 3 months they'll start to seep and leak and eventually crumble altogether. Honestly, it's much less hassle to just buy water already sealed in a gallon size or more. Make sure to check the label and rotate it as needed. There's no need to waste it once it's beyond its date. Just use it to water flowers or to clean something. The reason that there is a "use by" date is not because the water itself expires, it's that after a year or so the plastic begins breaking down. Those chemicals that are leaching into the water are NOT GOOD FOR YOU. Trust me. Rotate it.

•Another good option is to buy three or five-gallon polycarbonate bottles (#7) and fill them with tap water. The #7 in the triangle on the bottom of the bottle means that it is a much higher quality plastic and will last longer without leaching. You can fill up these bad boys and not worry about rotating them for 5 years. Most municipal water is already treated with a variety of chlorine and fluoride, so there isn't a need add additional bleach. If you get your water from a well, you might consider adding a few drops of unscented bleach. The standard formula is about 10 drops per gallon of water. (Drops, like from an eye dropper, not 10 pours). Then seal the container and put a piece of tape on it with the date so you know when to rotate it. Also, you don't need to throw out the bottle after 5 years, just replace the water so it's fresh. The bottles are good for about 20 years.

Nuclear Power Presentation at LCC

There will be a presentation by the LCC Chemistry Club on March 23rd at 6:30 p.m. called "Understanding Recent Events in Nuclear Power." This will be a discussion of the science behind the nuclear reactor situation in Japan, followed by a chance to ask and discuss your questions about nuclear issues. They will address situations such as the disaster in Chernobyl, how to find credible information and much more. The presentation will be held at the LCC Wollenberg Auditorium. For more information email Chemistry Club co-advisor Armando Herbelin at aherbelin@lowercolumbia.edu.