"Prepositioned Assets" and ICE

No one said being prepared had to be a fashion show but being able to protect and find your emergency equipment when it is needed is a must.

Now you will never find this level of preparedness information in one of those fluff newspaper articles written by the new intern coughing up an old story link about those "preparedness boxes" of junk some other intern assumed covers all emergencies. They don't. You have to take responsibility for these things yourself - relying on that crap is a big mistake.

That said, if you have a serious groundwater issue or experience occasional flooding in your basement - or want to be prepared for this possibility here is at least one idea for you. If you have a heavy duty cast iron oil-filled sump or rough duty (dirty water) pump you should store it ready to go in something clearly marked and placed in a logical spot where it can be deployed immediately. Maybe right near where you are likely to hook it up and discharge the effluent.

Also you should store whatever tools and connecting devices such as clamps, adapters, one way valves, flex hoses, tools, laminated instructions, tie wraps, extension cords, GFCI's and whatever you have predetermined will be required to get your pump in action. This item here happens to be a tested and ready back up sump, hose, fittings kit ready if need be. If using a PVC pipe make sure all the connections are aailable or if flex pipe that it is long enough to move the water far enough away.

Always assume that you may not be the one having to use it but someone else in your family or a neighbor(s) who may be helping you out when you are away. For emergencies like a pump failure, water pipe burst, water heater leak you may also need some personal PPE like boots, gloves, masks, (sewage) sponges and assorted cleaning tools not to mention disinfectants (clorox, lysol etc). Granted most people will not have a heavy duty sewage pump on standby unless they are experiencing some regular problems. It is not however unusual for people to have a standby power backup for their pumps because of heavy drain activity.

Having all of this - or at least the pump kit ready and sealed up may make a rapid and effective first response a success. Knowing when to evacuate your area if the source of flooding is a river overflowing is critical as well.

We previously discussed having your main water shutoff (if you are on public water) identified and having the tools to shut it off yourself in lieu of waiting for the utility company truck to show. Still a good idea for when resources are spread thin and there is a long wait.....

The kit you see here in the plastic 5 gallon pail could just as easily have been a sanitation kit or portable stove and cooking supplies....hey no one says you have to be stylin' to be prepared.

Using an ICE Sticker makes this item easy to identify - which is what they were designed to do.

Bucket - Home Depot

ICE Stickers - www.ice4safety.com

Fargo North Dakota Works Together - 3-09

This week's flooding of the Red River in North Dakota illustrates the effectiveness of planning and emergency response to incidents.

Here volunteers and National Guard Troops coordinate efforts to fill sand bags at the Fargo, North Dakota Dome to be placed out in the freezing cold blizzard conditions in the hopes of preventing even more damage to homes destroyed by the ice dam causing massive flooding.

This is a lesson to us all that you can be impacted by these events at times when you would least expect them. Time to take stock of our community and the kinds of disasters that could conceivably occur and consider what our response might be. We may not have many options in certain circumstances but to evacuate and hope you live in a community that still cares enough to work together for the common good.

Photos courtesy of US Coast Guard and Scott Olson/Getty Images.