Archive for Misc
Tornado Alert and Preparation
With three tornadoes in the St. Louis area yesterday and one tornado just 600 meters from my house, here are some lessons learned.
- Have a Weather Alert radio. You may not hear the outside sirens. Our friend Karen had no idea that bad weather was in the area. Make sure you have one with a backup battery in case your electricity goes out.
- Turn on your TV to see how close the bad weather is and get ready to go to the basement.
- Gather everything you may need ahead of time when you go to the basement – wallet/purse, checkbook, keys, flashlight and extra batteries, charged cell phones, appropriate clothes to wear, laptop and power cord(not strictly needed, but in case of the worst it would be nice to have.)
- Go the basement early. Don’t wait until the last moment. Some people couldn’t open the basement door when the tornado struck. Being macho and watching the storm is STUPID.
- I also like having a TV in the basement to monitor the storm. You’ll know when the storm has passed.
- Just because it looks like the worst part of the storm is away from you – don’t count on it. It appeared to me that our area was not going to get hit very hard after watching TV, but boy was I wrong.
- Here is a more complete list below from government sources.
- Eye glasses
- Battery powered radio/tv
- Can opener for food.
- Cash – extra
- Cell phone and electric charger + car charger
- Change of clothes + jacket and hat
- Chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – - – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
- Duct tape
- Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and
- Emergency reference material such as a first aid book
- Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
- Fire Extinguisher
- First aid kit
- Flashlights and extra batteries
- Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
- Garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation – 5 gal bucket
- Generator with new gas and oil
- Gloves – heavy
- Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
- Infant formula and diapers
- Laptop – charger and mouse
- Matches in a waterproof container
- Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
- Paper and pencil
- Pet food and extra water for your pet
- Picture log of entire house belongings
- Plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
- Pocket knife – leatherman
- Prescription medications and
- Rain gear
- Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person.
- Tent
- Towels
- Wallet – Keys – camera – Checkbooks
- Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days,
- Whistle to signal for help
- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
Stopping an Accelerating Car
Consumer Reports has a nice video on how to stop a car which is accelerating out of control. Watch it – it might save your life some day. (video)
Any Catan Fans Out There?
We just bought this game and it looks intriguing. Any other Catan players out there?
744 FREE Magazines
Once a week I electronically pick and choose certain magazines from our local library. What I didn’t realize is that they have 744 magazines to choose from. After a bit of searching I found a listing which shows all the magazine available in the St. Louis County library system. All you have to do is reserve them online nd pick them up at your nearest library. This is the best deal in town. Here’s the list.
Bad Weather – Be Prepared
Consumer Reports has a list of things to have in the car for emergencies.
I’d also advise to always keep half a tank of gas in your car in case your stuck somewhere.
Doing the Basics in Business
I’m always amazed at companies and how they seem to forget the basics of business.
I’m in market to buy fireplace doors and I found a company online which seemed like it might have what I was looking for. On their website, they had all sorts of pretty pictures, but they didn’t list:
1. A phone number to call
2. Their address.
3. Their days and hours of operations.
All they had was form to fill out with a basic map of their location.
I filled out the form and decided to drive out and try to find their store.
When we got to the store, this is what we saw.
Needless to say, we won’t go back, won’t do business with them and certainly
won’t recommend them to anyone else.
How can they stay in business without doing the basics?
Protecting Your House from Lock Bumping
I received a notice from my insurance company about “lock bumping.” It’s a technique which makes it very easy to open almost any home lock and other traditional locks.
I have found a solution at Home Depot – model# 99800-090. It’s bump resistant and rated ANSI 1-which the highest security rating.
Here’s just one video from YouTube:
How Many People Will Speak at Your Funeral?
I recently attended a funeral which had approximately 300 people in the audience. At one point in the service the minister asked if anyone would like to tell a story about the deceased? All they’d have to do is raise their hand and a microphone would be brought to them. It was if you were back in school and the teacher had asked a question where no one knew the answer. It was very quiet. Finally, someone raised his hand and in the end five people were willing to say something. I know why the other 295 were quiet – they had that fear which haunts so many of us when we are asked to speak in front of a large group.
I’d encourage you to take a class, join Toastmasters or do whatever it takes to get over that fear. I’d like you to say something nice about me when it’s my time to die.
