@Oahu_DEM Hey #HI! The last time I popped over for a visit was....Olivia? Was that the last hurricane that came to visit you? I know I threw a lot at you last time, but I'll go thru it again step by step....
@Oahu_DEM Remember, you don't need to buy water. Your tap water is just fine. Go buy ziplock bags, fill some to freeze to keep things cold in a cooler, the rest you can use to drink.
@Oahu_DEM
If you have a dishwasher... you can store small treasures in there. Baby pics, insurance policies, mementos that have been handed down. Dishwashers are designed to keep water in, which means it'll also keep water out.
Cell phones. Make sure they're all charged. Notify a friend, family member etc of your location so someone knows where you all are. But! Always text. Never call. Calls quickly drain the cell batteries.
Pets.
Whether your dog or cat eats wet food, buy some. Soft can pet foods contain a lot of water so your fur baby will require less water to drink. I'd suggest puppy potty pads to since there won't be any dog walks.. [& don't forget the litter pan]
For Insurance:
Take some time tomorrow and do quick vid shots of every room in your home. Open all drawers - closets etc & vid whats inside those too. Pay close attention to home upgrades. Crown molding, art work, french doors etc.
@Oahu_DEM
Then move to the outside. Vid everything. BBQ grill, patio furniture. Sup/surf boards, jet ski's, bikes etc. Then do the landscaping & the final shots? Every side of your home.
If it's damaged, insurance will want proof of everything you want to claim...that's what the vid is for. Proof. After it's filmed, make multiple copies to flash drives & give one to a trusted friend or family member.
On the off chance your cell is damaged ...you have copies.
Ok....someone please tell me the islands still have sandbags? In the first blow there weren't any, but Gov Ige made certain bags etc was available for the last one.
With that in mind, I'm going to walk you thru step by step in how to keep your home or business as water proof as possible. All you need is strong duct tape & heavy black plastic sheeting. [like for landscaping].
@Oahu_DEM
Step one. Roll out the plastic and duct tape it across all your outside doors. Patio, backdoor, garage doors. Tape it across the doors at least 3 ft up [or more] & leave at leasr a ft or so laying on the ground.
Here's a pic to show you what it should look like as you prepare it for the sandbags. To give you an idea of how much should be left on the ground...look at the pic.
@Oahu_DEM
Now you start laying the sandbags. As you go along, keep flattening them down & pushing them back against the doors as tightly as possible. [you're creating the water seal]
@Oahu_DEM
Next, don't pile them up. Lay them flat, side by side, staggering the rows as you go while while continuing to push them down into one another & back against the doors as your stacking.
@Oahu_DEM
The last step? Once you have them all aligned, take your feet...or hands and press/pound the bags down into one another. This will create a tight seal between the bags making it harder for water to seep through.
@Oahu_DEM
The sandbags? Fill them only to half full, fold the top over & tuck it under the filled bag. As you're doing this, continue to press down & push back against the doors until you've done each bag. The result should be a good tight seal.
Prep to go...
Charge cell phones, pack chargers
Include power pack/solar charger [if you have 1]
Pets! Take your pets
Gather meds, insurance papers, passport, vax cards... #RadfordFire#SnowSummit#BigBearLake#SanBernardinoCounty
If car is in garage, back it out & turn it around so you're heading out. Know how to open garage door manually. [power goes out when poles/lines go down] So know how to open it yourself. Throw in "to go" gear. #RadfordFire#SnowSummit#BigBearLake#SanBernardinoCounty
I hope the nets stays on awhile, b/cuz something interesting came out of it. I was looking at the Radford Fire on the web cam, & captured the screen. Over the next 2 hrs, when it came bk on I'd capture the images. #RadfordFire#SnowSummit#BigBearLake
Since there's currently 14 fires burning in CA, I think it's time we go over a reminder of defensible space. Once the heatwave eases, isn't it better to do it now, then to wish you had...later? #FairviewFire#Hemet#Riverside#RadfordFire
Plus, I'm always mindful that there are always people who are new to #California and have no idea what defensible space is. Here's what you need to know, and do to keep your property as safe as possible.
For those who'll be told to evac soon, here's some help of what to take.
Prep to go...
Charge cell phones, pack chargers
Include power pack/solar charger [if you have 1]
Pets! Take your pets
Gather meds, insurance papers, passport, vax cards...
If car is in garage, back it out & turn it around so you're heading out. Know how to open garage door manually. [power goes out when poles/lines go down] So know how to open it yourself. Throw in "to go" gear.
Have your pets ready to go. ALWAYS put them in a carrier/crate if you have'm never carry. Even the most placid pet will bolt when they smell smoke. Take food, leash/halter, bed/bankie, comfort toy & their meds. #FairviewFire#Hemet#Riverside
#EvacingAnimals
This is what'cha do in a fast moving fire. You grab whatever you can, load livestock in & get them out of there. THAT is the important thing...not how they're delivered to the evac location. #FairviewFire#Hemet
Whether it's chicks/ducks, sheep, calves to evac but all rescue groups are busy? If you have a pickup, van or even a car you can get them to safety this way... I swear! #Usewhatyouhave
But I can't say it's been a dull weekend. I pupper sat most of the day since the girls were at the state fair. Imagine my surprise when I got a text at 3 [something] a.m. asking if I could come help catch Holley. Errr...what? So off I went.
Show of hands - who's chased a dog who's chasing a opossum in the middle of the night? Especially since the opossum ran into the neighbors garage b/c he'd left the back door open? So now we have a barking dog, & a snarling, hissing opossum who's parked up on a cabinet. 🙄
And of course Holley is beside herself so she's running around knocking things over, she even crawled under the car to avoid being caught. In the midst of this the neighbor came out and said, what'cha doing? We explained, he saw the opossum said, oh ok, & went back to bed.