SICA and the Sauvies Island Grange are working with the Sauvie Island Fire District and the Multnomah County Office of Emergency Management to help you and your neighbors identify resources to share and special needs to be aware of in an emergency. We also encourage you to organize your own Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET). For more information visit Multnomah County,Office of Emergency Management website.
Family Emergency Kit
Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene during an emergency, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. In addition, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, and telephones may be cut off for days or even longer. We may need to survive on our own after an emergency. Putting together an emergency kit will help you do just that.
Family Emergency Supplies List
Preparing Beyond 72 Hours
It’s a general rule to plan for at least three days after a disaster, but you should still think through your needs for up to at least three weeks without services. The aftermath of the earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan is one example of how some residents had to provide for themselves for much longer, even with assistance from their local Red Cross and other disaster relief agencies. Here is some more information to help you prepare for beyond the first 72 hours:
Water: The standard recommendation is storing one gallon of water per person per day. But this doesn’t take care of all of the possible water needs – washing, showering, flushing toilets, washing dishes and clothes. Here are some sources for non-drinking water:
- Water heater tank
- Rainwater barrels
- Swimming pools
- Hot tubs
- Bath tubs (if you know that a possible power or water outage is imminent, filling your bathtub ahead of time will provide water for non-drinking needs.)
Another good idea is to have a water filter that can filter out bacteria or have water purification tablets in your emergency kit. These can be found at many local outdoor or camping supply stores.
Food: Refrigerated and frozen foods will spoil within a few days if power is lost. If you don’t have a camp stove or barbecue to cook it on, find out who in your neighborhood does. Store extra fuel for camp stoves and barbecues if you do have them. Keep at least a week’s supply of non-perishable, ready-to-eat food with a high calorie content. And make sure that the foods you store are foods that you like to eat.
Power: Be prepared to be without a refrigerator/freezer, hot water, computers, stoves, and devices requiring recharging. Consider purchasing a generator and extra fuel for heating and lighting. Be careful using candles or any type of fuel-based lamp that requires ventilation.
Human Waste: Stored water can be used to flush toilets but may not be an option when the water supply is limited. Store several boxes of small and large plastic bags and two to three bags of cat litter to use as an alternative to a flushing toilet. Place a plastic bag with cat litter in the toilet or in a 5 gallon bucket to collect waste (toilet seats that fit a standard 5 gallon bucket can be purchased at some outdoor or camping supply stores).
Shelter: If your house is uninhabitable and shelter services are not available, a tent may be the next best option. Even if your home is inhabitable but not heated, a tent can be set up inside. It will retain more body heat and help you to keep warm.
Don’t forget: Your pets! Prepare to provide for them as well as any livestock you may own.
Entertainment! Disasters can be very stressful. Keep games, toys and treats available to keep your family entertained and to provide some escape from the stress.
NETS!
Every “neighborhood” (a group of nearby—no more than a quarter-of-mile from each other—homes, farms, businesses) on Sauvie Island should begin creating a NEIGHBORHOOD EMERGENCY TEAM (NET). We should have 15-20 NETs on the Island.
The City of Portland’s Bureau of Emergency Management and Multnomah County’s Office of Emergency Management are encouraging the residents of Sauvie Island to prepare for a regional emergency such as a severe winter storm, flood, wildfire, or major earthquake by creating NETs island-wide.
Our 2017 picnic was held at the neighborhood gathering place of one Sauvie Island NET (the homes near the intersection of Sauvie Island Road and Reeder Road). We are beginning to stock our “neighborhood emergency cellar” with enough supplies to last up to two weeks, if necessary.
For more information on organizing your own NET for your part of the island, contact Fire Chief Chris Lake or Michael Rubenstein.
PLUS, watch NEWSLINKS for details on upcoming information and training sessions at the Fire Station.