Emergency Preparedness--On Vacation

Many of us think about emergency preparedness in our homes--what to have on hand should there be a power outage, or a hurricane or flood. How do you prepare, though, if you are at a shore house or at a cabin in the mountains? An AirBnB? A recent experience had me scrambling, so I want to share what happened, how I 'made do,' and how I would prepare in the future. Hopefully, it will give you some things to consider for when you travel, and will help you avoid "MacGyvering it" the way I did.

‍

What Happened

During the first week of my two-week vacation in the Adirondacks, a storm blew in and knocked out power. If this were Bergen County, you could figure that maybe this would last for several hours--a day at most--and that your water system would be unaffected. Perhaps a "boil water' notice might be issued. And because a power outage for around 30,000 people might be one town in Bergen County, crews from PSE&G won't be stretched quite so thin in making repairs. In the sparsely-populated Adirondack Mountains, however, an outage for 30,000 people could easily be an entire county. We were also on a well-water system, which means that when there is no power to the pumps that bring the water out of the well, the water stops flowing.

‍

About two hours into the power outage, my husband, Larry, suggests going out to get water. I hadn't even realized that, at that point, we were without water service! Luckily, a grocery store in a nearby town was operating off a generator and was still open. When I wasn't coming out of the store right away, Larry--who had been waiting in the car--said, "Don't go overboard with stuff, because if the power stays out, we can just go home." I had seen others in the store getting things like candles, batteries, and paper plates so I was on my way toward doing the same. Larry hadn't dissuaded me from buying these things, he only said don't over-do it.

‍

Later that evening, we hear a crash. A large tree had fallen, blocking the road in and out of the property on which we were staying. It brought down additional power lines. Now the bad news starts trickling in; it could be at least another day--at the earliest--that the tree could be taken care of. There were many surrounding areas that had been hit much harder. Because we were essentially trapped, though, we were a priority.

‍

Making Do

‍

Being without power is an inconvenience. Being without running water is more than that. Think of how many times in a day you wash your hands, or flush a toilet. Bathing is not something we typically think of as a luxury, but now it was. How did we handle these situations? Here are a few ways, given what I had available to me:

‍

• Flushing with lake water
• Using a DIY hair product I had put together before I left for vacation(water and sea salt), make-up wipes, moist toilet paper, and/or rubbing alcohol to clean hands
• Sponge-bathing with a combination of lake water, purchased spring water, and water from a privately-owned cabin that had its own generator. The owner was allowing people to fill up containers when they had their generator running.

‍

Was any of this fun or pleasant? No. Was it good enough? It had to be, as I didn't have much choice in the matter. Thankfully, the tree was removed the following day, and power and water were restored a few hours later. In total, about 48 hours after the power initially went out. Could it have been worse? Yes, remember how long power had been out for some people during Hurricane Sandy?! Was it enough to send me into "never again" mode? Also, yes.

‍

How to Prepare for An Emergency While On Vacation in a House or Cabin

‍

These are some thoughts I had for "never again":

‍

‍

• Pack flashlights and batteries. For whatever reason, my Spidey-sense was telling me to bring this battery-operated lantern with me, so I did. We just happened to have a battery-operated radio/flashlight, so we were also lucky in that respect. Next time, I will put them on my packing list and make sure that I have extra batteries.
• Bring a case of water. This is one of those things that there is no downside to having. You can always drink it at some point in the future, should no disaster strike--or you can always take it back home with you to stay prepared there.
• Check the weather report, and fill up the bathtub. If you're fortunate enough to have a bathtub separate from a shower in your summer rental, fill it in advance of a storm. If you know a storm is coming, and that no power means no water--fill that tub. You'll have water then for washing, flushing, and if you had to--drinking.
• Bring containers for hauling water. If you do have to draw water from a lake, have something with which to get it, and in which you could potentially store it. Think pitchers, large food storage containers, a bucket.
• Bring paper plates and disposable cutlery. Although it is not eco-friendly, it will mean you can conserve water and not wash dishes.
• Pack the wipes. I'm a fan of any type of wipe. Sanitizing wipes for surfaces, make-up removal wipes, moist toilet paper, personal cleansing wipes. If it's a convenient, no-leak, no-spill way to to get something clean (relatively)--I'm all for it! There are many types of personal cleansing wipes, geared for when you can't shower; some require water to activate and are no-rinse, while others are pre-moistened. Remember Wet Ones? A reasonable way to get your hands somewhat clean.
• Don't skimp on the rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. When the wipes aren't cutting it, and even the sponge-bath doesn't feel effective, rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide can definitely do the job of killing those germs and bacteria.
• Utilize that camping gear. Although I'm not a camper (happy or otherwise), I know that there are products out there for purifying stream water. I'm sure that there are other types of equipment that could be utilized for a power outage--methods for washing dishes, dealing with waste, meals-ready-to-eat (MRE's).
• Pack a manual can opener. A manual can opener is the only kind I own, and I always pack it when we head to the mountains. If that isn't typically your habit, you may want to consider making it one.

‍

What the Experts Say

Have you been to www.ready.gov? It is definitely worth checking out for good information. Here are a few of the facts they share, along with some tips on how to build a readiness kit:

‍

• Six inches of moving water can knock you down, a foot of moving water can sweep away a vehicle.
• After a flood, be mindful of the risk of electrocution.
• Avoid wading in floodwater, as it can be contaminated or electrified by downed power lines.
• Use generators outdoors only, and avoid setting them up near windows.
• Include your pet when you create an emergency plan. Know which evacuation centers are pet-friendly.
• When creating your emergency kit, be sure to include your pet's items--food, waste-disposal bags, medications
• Your preparedness/emergency kit should have a gallon of water, per person, per day--for several days.
• Keep cash on hand.
• Put both prescription and non-prescription medications in your preparedness/emergency kit. Don't forget things like a pair of reading glasses, or your contact solution!

‍

The list above is just a small sampling of the information available on ready.gov. I can't stress enough the value in visiting the site, and in getting yourself prepared for any emergency--whether at home or away.

‍

If you need help in gathering the items for your preparedness/emergency kit, pulling together these and any other items you're taking with you on vacation, or someone to do house checks while you are away, ChoreVoyant is here to be of service! We support our clients through both actions and suggestions. Call (201)707-5813 if you would like to have a chat!