Monster Mash!

Good afternoon, y'all!

First, I would like to extend a HUGE thank you to Meg Tizzano, my Community Emergency Preparedness Corps colleague at Jersey Cares in Newark, New Jersey, for passing this super nifty tool along. Meg alerted me this morning to "Monster Guard," a game from the American Red Cross to use as an educational component for emergency preparedness with kids. I haven't gotten a chance to play it yet, although I am very much a kid at heart, so I am quite excited to sit down and see how it all works. I would certainly like to pass this along to y'all, though, and please enjoy and share with all the little rascals in your life!

Click here: Monster Guard | American Red Cross

Stay safe, y'all!

Kiss from a Rose(anne)!

Good morning, Charlotte!

I'm back! Whether you celebrate Festivus, Hanukkah, Christmas, something different entirely or nothing at all, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with whomever you chose to share your time.

For some reason, over this break from the office I decided to give in to my Netflix desires and started binge watching episodes of Roseanne when I was getting ready to go to sleep. Sometimes, like this morning, I even caught an episode with my cup (okay, three cups) of coffee. And while normally a good episode of Roseanne wouldn't have much if any relevance to my work, this particular one addresses issues of family emergency preparedness. For example, Darlene sold the contents of the family first aid kit to the baseball team and is using the case as a lunch box. In the episode, the Conner family has to react to a sudden tornado warning in Lanford, and it's a good reminder that many times, emergency strikes without much of a warning at all. Since I know not everyone has Netflix, I have the episode from YouTube below!

To help you begin your journey to tornado preparedness nirvana, here's a nifty infographic from the CDC as well:

If you are also returning to work today, welcome back, and as always, stay safe, Charlotte!

(Don't Leave Your) Candle in the Wind!

Happy Hanukkah, y'all!

I know I'm a little behind with its being the fourth night of Hanukkah already, but I did want to make a post about preparedness and safety during the Festival of Lights. These tips, from this page of Israel Fire and Rescue Services' page, outline some ways to make sure you don't start a fire on more than just the menorah this holiday season!

1. Most "arts and crafts" Hanukkah lamps ("Hanukkiya") made by children are not suitable for lighting and may burn down when used.
2. Place the Hanukkah lamp on a sturdy surface made of nonflammable material such as marble, glass or metal. 
3. Place the Hanukkah candles ONLY inside the Hanukkah lamp or candlesticks made of nonflammable material.
4. Do not place the Hanukkah lamp near or under any flammable material such as curtains or books.
5. Do not walk around while holding a lit candle.
6. Do not place the Hanukkah lamp in a location where it can be knocked over - either by a passing person or the wind, or where something can fall on it.
7. Keep matches and lit object away from children.
8. Make sure your pet cannot reach the Hanukkah lamp.
9. Never leave a lit Hanukkah lamp unattended!

Hanukkah Sameach, stay safe, and since I am who I am and the title contains an Elton John song, enjoy this between your Hanukkah festivities:

Thank You for Being a Friend!

Good morning, all!

I would like to extend a grand thanks to all those in the local Charlotte community who were able to participate in our disaster response trainings this past Saturday and Wednesday, and are now becoming a part of CM-VEST, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Volunteer Emergency Support Team. I have a picture of all of us from the Wednesday training below, and I have to say I've never seen such a wonderful group of people excited to help out when an emergency may strike.

Would you like to join this beautiful wonderful happy group of people and be a part of CM-VEST later this winter? We will be hosting another training on January 24 and January 28, 2015, to add to our coalition of smiling faces, and you can sign up through the Hands On Charlotte calendar at this page. Please note, you will need to attend both the Saturday and Wednesday trainings to complete your education for CM-VEST. Please feel free to e-mail me at rob@handsoncharlotte.org or call me at 704-333-7471 during business hours with any questions you may have!

Again, I would like to extend a huge thank you to all of you who have already participated, as well as those who presented if you are reading this, as you are giving a great gift, your training and service, to the Charlotte community, and your service is incredibly valuable and appreciated. Y'all are the best!

Of course, no post is complete without a cheesy song title, and this is just one of those I have to post with a video. Now go eat some cheesecake for the girls, hope we don't have any major disasters any time soon, and stay safe, Charlotte!

Ring the Alarm!

Good afternoon, Charlotte!

May I just say that today is a wonderful day. The sky is blue, my walk from my office to the grocery store for pita supplies (kale, celery, and hummus are a trio made in heaven) was absolute perfection, and for December, even in Charlotte, it is quite warm outside.

However, as many if not all of you reading this know, this could theoretically change at any second. Many of us have seen those yellow-sky days when all of a sudden a funnel cloud drops from the sky and potentially wreaks havoc on the ground below. Growing up in Gaston County (South Point Red Raiders, whoo!), I have survived a few local tornadoes, some of which came in the middle of the night and about which I did not even know until the following morning.

It is for times like these that a wonderful alert system was created for all of us here in Mecklenburg County. For those of you reading this outside of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area, please look into resources in your local area. However, for those of you included in the million people who now inhabit this wonderful county, myself included, please register for CharMeck Alerts today. It takes all of about two minutes, and you will be sent alerts customized to your specific registered spot on a map. No worries, if you're in Matthews, you won't receive an alert about rising waters in Davidson. I have alerts set up for my home, and both of my jobs. You can register multiple locations, so if you work a fair distance from your home, you can receive alerts for both locations. And for those of you out there who are reading this and commute into the county every day, while you won't be able to receive alerts for your home outside of Mecklenburg County, please take a moment and consider registering your workplace. I don't know about you, but I personally spend much more time at work than I do in my home.

Click here to learn more about and register for CharMeck Alerts!

And, because I believe we all know how I feel about a fun and catchy song to go with the theme, here is some Beyonce to make your day that much better. It's beautiful outside, and if you're anything like me, a day like today with some Beyonce in my ears is pretty difficult to beat.

Enjoy this beautiful day, Charlotte, and stay safe!

Get Ready!

Good afternoon, Charlotte!

I did want to make sure that you all were aware of the Charlotte Emergency Management office's hazard mitigation survey. As glamorous as I know that sounds, it really is a great resource for them to get information from you that will help them focus their efforts in the coming year. Your input is incredibly valuable, so please, if you have a free moment, the survey takes only five minutes. (I just went through it myself.) Please click this link and take the quick survey!

Also, because you're helping the Emergency Management office to GET READY, I had to toss The Temptations' song on this post with the survey. Enjoy, and if you're like me, listen to it twenty times at your desk to help power through the day. (I'm on repeat #3 right now.)

Stay safe, y'all!

When the Levee Breaks (Or Whenever You May Find Yourself in a Flood Zone)

Good morning, Charlotte!

On this fine rainy day, and with the excessive rains that have pummeled the Pacific Northwest over the past week, I thought it would only be appropriate to share this fun catchy song and video published by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Wastewater Services. Awesome work by a local department! Don't forget that it only takes a mere few inches of water to sweep you and even your car away (even in a large vehicle like a Jeep or truck), so be safe, and turn around, don't drown!

Stay safe and dry today, Charlotte!

With A Little Help from My Friends

Good afternoon, Queen City!

As a Community Emergency Preparedness AmeriCorps Member here at Hands On Charlotte, I along with our office and the city's Emergency Management office have coordinated a series of disaster response volunteer trainings. The idea here is that in the event of an emergency or disaster here in Charlotte, we will have a team of volunteers ready and willing to help supplement the city's emergency services division.

The first of these trainings began last Saturday, December 13, at the Emergency Management office. We had a wonderful group, including our office's own Mission Continues fellow, Sara, with sessions led by Stacie and Christina from the Emergency Management office, as well as representatives from the Homeless Resource Center, Urban Ministries, and the Women's Commission. We are looking forward to a session facilitated by the Red Cross on Wednesday evening, too. Should you so desire to join this amazing group of people and become a part of EMVEST (Emergency Management Volunteer Emergency Support Team), here is a link to the Hands On Charlotte training sign up page. I am unbelievably excited for the great efforts we are going to be able to accomplish here in the local community, and am so happy to have such a great team to start with as we grow into an even larger support service for the city.

Here is a picture of the group from Saturday, and if you are in this picture and reading this post now, thank you so much for joining us. I know there are many other things you could be doing at nine in the morning on a Saturday, but this is amazing work with which you are becoming involved, and certainly needed and useful. Thank you all so much.

As always, stay safe, Charlotte, and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about involvement with this amazing project. I can be most easily reached at the Hands On Charlotte office via e-mail (rob@handsoncharlotte.org) or phone (704-333-7471). 

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!

Good morning, all!

I do hope you have had a wonderful weekend. Since I walked into the office this morning and realized that Christmas is next week (and Hanukkah begins tomorrow!), I did want to pass along an admittedly shocking video that was sent to me by Eraina Perrin, my wonderful Community Emergency Preparedness Corps point of contact at the Atlanta Points of Light office! In this video, published by the Fire Kills Campaign and publicized by the government of the United Kingdom in this article, one can see just how quickly a fire can spread. The entire living room is destroyed in under a minute by a fire that starts at just the base of the tree. 

Please, definitely take a minute to check off this holiday preparedness list:

• Do I have working smoke alarms on every level of my home? 
• Have I tested my smoke alarms within the past month?
• Are the electrical sockets in my home overloaded with extra plugs for Christmas?
• You will want to have no more than one plug per socket. This is an easy way to prevent electrical fires.
• When I light candles, am I making sure to supervise them constantly and extinguish the flame before leaving the room?
• When cooking, am I making sure I am always in the room and turning off any heat sources when finished?
• If I am a smoker, am I making sure to put out my cigarette immediately and not smoke in bed?

I also would like to note that if you read the article, it mentions to call 999 in case of an emergency. This is the U.K.'s emergency hotline. As long as you are in the United States, please make sure you are getting to safety and calling 911!

And without further ado, please do check out this video. It is alarming (pardon my pun) to see just how quickly fire can spread and how little time you may have to escape. Don't forget to keep your smoke alarms working and test them monthly, and avoid the hazards bulleted above.

Stay safe, y'all!

Rockin' Robin! (Tweet Tweet!)

Good morning, all!

In the interest of helping as many people as possible and getting the word out to the masses about emergency and disaster preparedness, we Community Emergency Preparedness AmeriCorps members here at the Hands On Charlotte office have made a Twitter account. If you are one of the tweeting (twitter-ing? twitting?) masses, please do give us and Hands On Charlotte a follow! We are looking forward to sharing information with you via as many platforms as we can!

Link to our emergency/disaster preparedness Twitter (@HOCDisasterPrep)

Link to the official Hands On Charlotte Twitter (@HandsOnCLT)

And, since sometimes I like to think of our sharing in a grand metaphor of a mama bird chewing up delicious knowledge and sharing it with her home nest, here's a fun picture with our resident Mission Continues fellow, Sara. Thanks for helping out with the Twitter launch, booboo! (And a huge thanks as always to our cubicle buddy, Beth, for being an amazing and talented photographer!)

Live To Tell (With Health Emergency Preparedness and Madonna, We Hope You Will)

Good afternoon, Charlotte!

The National Health Security Preparedness Index for 2014 was released recently. As this article shows, our northern neighbor, Virginia, was one of two top scoring states (the other being Utah), attaining an 8.2 out of a possible 10.0. North Carolina, on the other hand, was perfectly aligned with the national average, garnering a score of 7.4. The composite score was based on the following series of factors:

• Health Security Surveillance
• Community Planning and Engagement
• Incident and Information Management
• Healthcare Delivery
• Countermeasure Management
• Environmental and Occupational Health

There are further factors within these as well, and if you're a data nut like me, you can certainly check them all out at this link to the full study, complete with all the interactive graphics and other fun things. It's quite interesting to see the state of our state (see what I did there), and maybe here in North Carolina we can find some ways to catch up or even surpass Virginia and Utah. 

And since I'm clearly running a Madonna marathon here at work, here's a link to listen to the Goddess of All sing her sweet melodies into our ears. 

Stay safe, Charlotte!

Georgia On My Mind: Tips from the Cobb County Emergency Management Agency

Good morning, y'all!

A huge thank you to our point of contact and Team Lead Eraina at the Atlanta Points of Light office for sending along these great tips for the holiday season from the Cobb County Emergency Management Agency! While the tips may have been sent out from Marietta, Georgia, I assure you that they apply just as well here in Charlotte. Please enjoy and stay safe this winter, y'all!

Preparedness Tips from Cobb EMA

As we enter into the winter and holiday season, it is important to think first and start making good habits to keep your family safe! Here are a few tips that can help make your holiday a more prepared one:

Secured Shopping

Last month marked the 11th Annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to raise awareness about cyber risks and online safety. As the holiday season approaches, many customers who want to avoid long lines and crowds in stores may prefer online shopping to complete their gift lists. While the Internet offers convenience, it also provides opportunities for hackers to access personal and financial information of unsuspecting shoppers. Hackers use three common techniques to take advantage of online shoppers.

These methods are:

• Targeting vulnerable computers;
• Creating fraudulent sites and email messages; and
• Intercepting insecure transactions.

Don’t let holiday hackers ruin your Cyber shopping activities. Here are a few tips to stay safe while shopping online:

• Keep personal information private and passwords secure; 
• Use secure websites for purchases. Look for the locked padlock icon at the bottom of the screen or “https” in the URL address;
• Shop with companies you know; and
• Use anti-virus software, a firewall, and anti-spyware software.

Cyber security is a shared responsibility. Visit the DHS website for more ideas on how to make using the Internet a safer experience this gift-giving season and throughout the year!

Be Cautious About Winter Travel

• Listen for radio or television reports of travel advisories issued by the National Weather Service.
• Do not travel in low visibility conditions.
• Avoid traveling on ice-covered roads, overpasses, and bridges if at all possible.
• If you must travel by car, use tire chains and take a mobile phone with you.
• If you must travel, let someone know your destination and when you expect to arrive. Ask them to notify authorities if you are late.
• Check and restock the winter emergency supplies in your car before you leave.
• Never pour water on your windshield to remove ice or snow; shattering may occur.
• Don’t rely on a car to provide sufficient heat; the car may break down.
• Always carry additional warm clothing appropriate for the winter conditions.

What to Do if You Get Stranded

Staying in your vehicle when stranded is often the safest choice if winter storms create poor visibility or if roadways are ice covered. These steps will increase your safety when stranded:

• Tie a brightly colored cloth to the antenna as a signal to rescuers and raise the hood of the car (if it is not snowing).
• Move anything you need from the trunk into the passenger area.
• Wrap your entire body, including your head, in extra clothing, blankets, or newspapers.
• Stay awake. You will be less vulnerable to cold-related health problems.
• Run the motor (and heater) for about 10 minutes per hour, opening one window slightly to let in air. Make sure that snow is not blocking the exhaust pipe—this will reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
• As you sit, keep moving your arms and legs to improve your circulation and stay warmer.
• Do not eat un-melted snow because it will lower your body temperature.
• Huddle with other people for warmth.

Winter Care for Older Adults

The winter months can bring exciting events such as holiday decorating, travel, and snow. But it can also bring slips, falls, and other health emergencies. For older adults, being prepared for these winter events is important and can save lives. With parts of the country experiencing an arctic blast of winter weather, now is the time to check in with older adult family members, friends and neighbors. Here are a few considerations when helping older adults prepare for winter weather:

• The immune system weakens with age. Once flu season ramps up and the cold air blows in, it’s much more important for older adults to visit their doctor if they become sick;
• Have back-ups for medical equipment. Make sure they have extra hearing aid batteries, glasses, and other medical supplies, such as oxygen;
• Be sure they have enough medicine to last for a week. Keep medications, copies of prescriptions, and treatment information in an emergency supply kit;
• Falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults in the U.S. Non-slip shoes are a great way to help them navigate slippery conditions; and
• Shoveling can put too much strain on the heart and be dangerous if individuals have problems with balance or osteoporosis. Older adults, especially those with heart disease or high blood pressure, should leave snow shoveling to others. 

It’s always a good idea to have a communications plan.  If you do not live near your older adult family members, make arrangements for neighbors to check in with them. Also, ask the neighbors if it’s ok for older family members to contact them in an emergency. With your help, older adults can enjoy the winter months safely.

Holiday gift / Stocking Stuffers Ideas for the Emergency Prepper in your Life

5 in 1 Whistle	Fire Starter
Mylar Survival blanket	Tea Light/Emergency Candles
Swiss Army Pocket Knife	Waterproof Matches
Emergency Poncho	Water Purification Tablets/ Water purifier
Compass	Multi-tool
First Aid Kit	Camping Silverware/Mess Kit
Mini Flashlight	Camp Cook Stove
Solar Charger	Survival Can Opener
Hand Warmers/Foot Warmers	Emergency/Industrial Glow Sticks
Rite in Rain Notebooks	Para-cord Survival Bracelets

These are some of the items you can find at local retailers such as:
Prepper’s Vault, Army/Navy Discount Store, Tru-Prep, or Goin’ Gear all offer those CERT trained discounts on your purchases. Most items mentioned are also available at retailers such as Cablea’s, Academy Sports, REI, Dick’s, Bass Pro Shop, Adventure Outdoors, and other sporting goods stores. Looking in Target, Wall-mart, Sears, Northern Tool, Tractor Supply and your local auto parts stores can yield so good finds, too.

Many of these ideas as well as some do it yourself gifts came from:
http://preparednessmama.com/prepared-for-christmas-stocking-stuffers/
Another stocking stuffer idea source:
http://urbansurvivalsite.com/100-stocking-stuffers-for-preppers/   

I Don't Need No Doctor (Funny Story, Without a Flu Shot You Might)

Good afternoon, Queen City!

With the onset of this cool moist day, it has reminded me that it is indeed flu season, and as many of my friends, acquaintances, and colleagues start to drop like flies falling victim to that winter monster influenza, I would absolutely love to take this moment as a reminder that if nothing else, a few days with the flu can be borderline unbearable, and we are lucky here in our corner of the developed world to have a miracle of modern medicine: easily accessible flu vaccines. My affinity for run-on sentences aside, I would like to bring your attention to this article from the Red Cross/Red Crescent about their partners in Southeast Asia and the preparations there for flu season. After all, that part of the world has seen some nasty flu epidemics, and while the flu for many of us here means a couple days out of the office miserably lying in bed and wishing for nothing but to feel better and the ability to move more than five feet without feeling like death, many people, especially young children and the elderly, not only in Southeast Asia but in the United States and across the world, do face grave risk every flu season.

Here, volunteers from Red Cross of Timor-Leste canvass as part of an outreach education program:

Great news here in Charlotte: the accessibility of flu shots at clinics across the city creates an easy way to prevent yourself from becoming ill later this season. In fact, here is an article about the many locations one can obtain a flu shot here in Charlotte, some without an appointment. For those in and outside of the Charlotte metropolitan area, CVS offers no-cost flu shots with most insurance plans, and will even give you a 20% shopping pass with your flu shot. Here's a link to their website to find the closest CVS offering flu shots near you.

And, as if you needed any more convincing, here is an article from the International Business Times detailing the need for proactive flu prevention. It is from October at the start of the Ebola epidemic, but has some pretty useful information. According to this article, "the CDC estimates that between 1976 and 2007, influenza-related deaths were as high as 49,000." That's in the United States. Yes, here at home, not a lesser medically developed nation.

Further, I know some of you may be a lot like me. While needles don't bother me, I'm the type who avoids taking so much as ibuprofen for a headache because I don't like the reliance on medicine. Please, don't follow in my footsteps in this regard; the flu is very much a matter of life and death in some cases, even for a healthy young male like myself. No one is invincible, and a flu shot is an easy way to prevent yourself from getting sick, even if for no other reason than to avoid those couple miserable days out of the office. As far as a natural means of prevention to supplement your flu shot is concerned, a clementine (as Beth models below) or other source of Vitamin C can never hurt!

And lastly, because it is my hope that some of you are as into the wacky songs we use for titles as I am, here's a pretty tasty video of Humble Pie performing I Don't Need No Doctor. Hopefully, prepared with a flu shot, you won't either.

Stay healthy, and as always, stay safe, Charlotte!

Mona Lisa (She's Unforgettable)

Howdy there, Charlotte!

In our increasingly wide breadth of projects, Tiara and I, along with Sara, our Mission Continues fellow here at Hands On Charlotte, have taken on a mural painting with the Mecklenburg County Women's Center! Tiara is actually quite the skilled artist, so I am excited to see how everything turns out and what all we are able to accomplish between Tiara's very developed and my and Sara's slightly more limited artistic abilities. So far, all we have done is prime the wall, but enjoy the pictures from the worksite yesterday, and we will be sure to keep you posted as the project continues! Further, since yesterday, December 2, was the almighty and powerful Britney Spears' 33rd birthday, I have added her wonderful song "Mona Lisa" to the bottom of this post. Enjoy, and join us as we pay homage to a goddess and queen of the pop music realm.

And without further ado, here is the Queen herself, Ms. Britney Spears, ladies and gentlemen:

Stay safe, y'all!

Get Ur [FEMA] On! (Is You with Me Now? 'Cause These Courses Are the Hottest 'Round.)

Good morning, Charlotte!

It is on this dank foggy morning here in Plaza-Midwood that I find myself hugging a hot cup of coffee and desiring nothing more than to curl up in my office chair and go absolutely nowhere. Clearly, I'm also blasting Missy Elliott through my headphones, but I have digressed. On days like today, in the interest of furthering my education and knowledge of emergency preparedness, I will on occasion decide to lose myself in one of the many courses offered for independent study by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Please note, all of these classes I'm about to mention are completely free of charge. That's right -- these courses are offered at no cost at all to you. All you need is a little bit of time to sit down and enjoy the power of education. Many of these courses offer an interactive web course, which gives a multimedia presentation including short knowledge-checking quizzes, and all are followed up with a final exam, after which if you pass, you will receive an electronic certificate of completion from FEMA. While there is quite the variety of classes offered on FEMA's website, many are incredibly tailored and specific. For ease of navigation, I would like to offer several recommendations from my little corner of the office so that perhaps you can join me on my emergency knowledge enrichment journey. (And thank you, Beth, for being such a wonderful sport and indulging my antics.)

IS-100.B: Introduction to Incident Command System, ICS-100

• This course details the history, structure, and versatility of the Incident Command System (ICS). It's a pretty nifty course, as the Incident Command System does not have to be used solely in emergencies. Have a parade to throw? Use ICS. Have a children's birthday party? Even here, one could use ICS. Like I said, nifty.

IS-200.B: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents

• This is a more thorough exploration of ICS. At least a basic knowledge of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) is recommended. This can be gained through taking, at the very least, IS-700, which I have conveniently listed below.

IS-700.A: National Incident Management System (NIMS) An Introduction

• This course details the structure of the National Incident Management System, elaborating on how the different sectors (non-profit, private, government) interact during disaster response. 

Further, should you happen to be interested in emergency preparedness and disaster response to the point that you would like to join the Charlotte area's new disaster response volunteer team, please do check out the Disaster Response Volunteer Trainings offered by Hands On Charlotte in a partnership with Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte's Emergency Management Office and Fire Department, the American Red Cross, and the Homeless Resource Center. We are excited to be offering two separate two-part trainings. Essentially, as a volunteer, one will need to attend one Saturday and one Wednesday training. If able, I would recommend that one attend the Saturday and Wednesday within the same month, just so all is not forgotten over a month-long span, but as a single man working two jobs, I understand that scheduling can be a nightmare and obligations exist.

The December trainings will be held on Saturday, December 13, and Wednesday, December 17; and the January trainings will be held Saturday, January 24, and Wednesday, January 28. The Saturday trainings will both be from 9:00-5:00, and the Wednesday trainings will both be from 5:30-9:00, to allow disaster response trainees to attend after the typical workday. All you need to do to sign up is register for the event via this link, so we know when to expect you! This should be a wonderful, exciting, and engaging training, and I hope we see many of you there!

Thank you for reading, enjoy some coffee or cocoa or whatever you're into on this beautiful cloudy day, as always, stay safe, Charlotte!

Give It Up! What Are You Doing for #GivingTuesdayCLT?

Good afternoon, Queen City!

In case you were unaware, today is Giving Tuesday (or lovingly hashtagged, #GivingTuesday), the nonprofit sector's response to the Black Friday and Cyber Monday following our favorite turkey and casserole-laden holiday. On Giving Tuesday, the idea is that after all of the great deals and consumption for ourselves in the retail world, we give our time and money to help others.

This morning, our wonderful cubicle neighbor, Beth, and another great office mate, Eric, became local celebrities on local news source WCCB's Wilson's World segment. While not necessarily emergency preparedness related, this segment can give you a peek into what exactly Hands On Charlotte does throughout the year, and some of the extra things Tiara and I get to help out with during our time in the office. At the end of the day, it is all about giving back to the community, and especially on a day like #GivingTuesday, we are incredibly proud to be a part of Charlotte's nonprofit community.

Please enjoy video via the link below, and while we hope you enjoy hearing about all of the nonprofits featured on Wilson's World this morning, our favorite segment with Beth and Eric begins at 8:50.

Link: Wilson Supports #GivingTuesdayCLT in Uptown Charlotte!

Also, in case you've been noticing the trending #unselfie on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and everywhere in between, here's one from our corner of the universe, also featuring Beth and Sara! The idea of the #unselfie is to take a picture of yourself (a selfie, if you will), but doing something to help others. Since we try to do a little something every day to help the local community (and many days, a big something), we figured we would post one from the office. Keep an eye out; I have a feeling we will have some increasingly creative #unselfie posts coming your way soon!

And lastly, because Beth and I agree that KC & The Sunshine Band is one of life's greatest pleasures, here's the music video for this post's namesake. Enjoy, and if you feel like learning the choreography with us, we certainly won't mind. 

Stay safe, Charlotte, and please let us know what you're doing to give it up for #GivingTuesday today!

We Built This City: A Texan Disaster Preparedness Mecca Adapts To Face Ebola

Welcome back, y'all!

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying your return to normalcy as we kick off this marvelous Monday! Over the holiday, I happened to notice this nifty little article from NPR's All Tech Considered about Disaster City, a training mecca for first responders in Texas. Over the past decade, over 90,000 people have been trained here. The article addresses the response to the recent Ebola epidemic, and since I found it quite interesting and relevant, I figured I would pass it along. Enjoy reading (or listening, it is National Public Radio after all), and stay safe, Charlotte!

Link to the article: "In 'Disaster City,' Learning To Use Robots To Face Ebola"

Space Oddity (Or More Accurately, Oddities To Keep in Your Extra Space)

Good afternoon, Queen City!

While we are sure most of you are probably gearing up for Turkey Day (or Tofurkey Day if you're like me, whatever you're into), emergencies do not have discretion for holidays, so we still wanted to share a resource with you on our last day in the office this week. Here's a nifty article on 20 Emergency Preparedness Items You Might Not Think Of by MommySavers.com with some tips on some of the items that might typically be left out of your home emergency kit. There are even some useful links at the bottom of the article for where you can purchase some of the items online. Who knows where to find MRE's at their local grocery store? I certainly don't, and for that reason, this Thanksgiving I am quite thankful for Amazon. Please enjoy the article, and while you're cooking your turkey, tofurkey, and everything in between, do take a minute to make sure you're being safe and examine your prep space for hazards. We certainly don't want any turkey grease fires!

Wishing you all peace, happiness, and humility for a happy Thanksgiving with whomever you choose to share it,

Rob and Tiara

P.S. Just in case you aren't familiar with Loren Bouchard's wacky and wonderful animated masterpiece "Bob's Burgers," we really just can't resist posting Linda's Thanksgiving song. We sing it to each other in the office most days, and no Thanksgiving is complete without some Linda Belcher-style love.

Burnin' for You!

Hey, guys!

So if you haven't figured it out by now, Tiara and I can become a couple of pyromaniacs when we want to. And, after the wild success of the pine cone fire starter, we decided to do our research and see if there were other effective ways of making fire starters for your emergency kits. Funny story, there are plenty, so today we decided to try out the good ol' dryer lint and Vaseline method. Here's what you do:

First, you need only two supplies for this -- Vaseline and dryer lint. If you're like me, you keep a Costco-sized tub of Vaseline on your desk because your lips get chapped in the winter cold, but if you're not, this Costco-sized tub of Vaseline cost me a whole three bucks. Hip hip hooray for cost effectiveness. As for the dryer lint, I really hope you aren't paying for that.

At this point, I really do recommend wearing gloves. I didn't, and while I'm really quite fine with getting down and dirty and doing whatever, it got a little hairy (pardon the pun, Tiara's dryer lint also came with quite the accompaniment of dog fur). Especially if you're making these in a group (for whatever reason you may be), I would recommend keeping some gloves on hand. At any rate, gloves on or not, all you have to do is scoop out a ball of Vaseline and start mashing it with the dryer lint to incorporate it at least fairly evenly. There aren't really any specific ratios, at least not by my method, so don't think you need to measure anything exactly, but keep fiddling with the Vaseline and lint until you have a saturated but firm ball of fire-starting power. It might even look something like this:

Clearly, any semblance of sanity is not always within my skill set, but as Miss Frizzle put it best for the Magic School Bus, "Take chances! Get messy! Make mistakes!" Obviously you will want to make more than one of these, as you will probably need more than one fire started if you are without power for multiple days at a time, and they store just fine in an old egg carton or zip lock bag! 

And since again, we are Charlotte's resident pyromaniacs, here is the test video. After all, if you checked out Tiara's link to Pinterest Fail, mistakes do happen and we would never want to leave you unprepared in case disaster does indeed strike and you need to start a fire. So without further ado, here is proof that dryer lint and Vaseline (and Blue Oyster Cult, if you're also blasting the namesake of this post) may indeed save your life one day, and do please enjoy our colleague Sara's pretty fantastic interjection at the end:

Peace and blessings, and stay safe, y'all!

Hey Good Lookin'! What You Got Cookin'?

Howdy, y'all!

Tiara and I have embarked on a new endeavor, and we would like to extend an invitation to all you wonderful folks within and outside of the Queen City to join us. We are looking for recipes for an emergency kit cookbook. Basically, what could one make out of items in his or her emergency kit without a power source? Black bean salad? Peanut butter hummus? We are looking for all things wild and crazy and creative, but again -- no power, and it has to come from a product with a long shelf life that one could keep in emergency storage. Please comment below with any fantastic ideas you have, and of course, when the cookbook is finished, credit will be given where credit is due! Let's get cookin'!

Stay safe, Charlotte!

Who Said We Don't Need No Education?

Okay, we know, Pink Floyd did (and trust me, Tiara and I love on some Pink Floyd). But coming from two college graduates, sometimes education can be pretty damn wonderful. Since we are here to educate and equip all you wonderful little boo kitties on the ways of preparedness, we would love to offer you the opportunity to join us in a disaster preparedness course offered (for FREE!) via Coursera. The course is taught through The University of Pittsburgh, and begins on January 26, 2015.  Don't worry, we will be posting reminders (and they will send reminders to your e-mail) as the date approaches. We hope you will be able to join us on our journey! See the link below to sign up:

Disaster Preparedness (Coursera)

Stay safe, Charlotte!

Let It Snow (But Be Ready)!

Good afternoon, Charlotte!

With last week's cold snap, Tiara and I agree that it is certainly time to get all set up for winter weather. Even if it isn't technically winter until December 22, if another 18 degree night hits soon, we want for you to be prepared. Here's a nifty short video from FEMA with some helpful tips and reminders about what you can do to be sure you're ready. (And a huge thanks to Meg Tizzano up at Jersey Cares in Newark, NJ, for sending this to us!) 

Stay safe, Charlotte!

Burnin' Down the House (Or Rather, How Not To)

Happy Friday, Charlotte!

Last night, Tiara and I had the great opportunity to partner with Inspector Jessie Horton from the Charlotte Fire Department to provide a fire education session at Albemarle Road Elementary School's monthly Family Night. Inspector Horton spoke about the importance of getting out of a house fire once one begins, as well as the importance of testing smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors once a month, and keeping a fire extinguisher near the exit of your home and knowing how to use one.

We were also able to use a mock fire extinguisher with an interactive illuminated board to simulate how to put out a small fire with an extinguisher. Inspector Horton taught us the P.A.S.S. method of using a fire extinguisher:

• Pull -- pull the pin from the handle of the fire extinguisher
• Aim -- aim the hose at the base of the fire
• Squeeze -- squeeze the handle of the fire extinguisher to eject the contents of the extinguisher
• Sweep -- sweep back and forth along the base of the flames for most effective extinguishing

I have added a few pictures from our educational session below, and further down the page I have attached an infographic with some fire statistics. Please do comment below with any questions or if you would like additional information about fire safety and what you can do to prepare!

Stay safe, Charlotte, and enjoy the pictures and facts!

(Here's a link to view this infographic in better detail: State Farm Fire Statistics Infographic)

"I Will Survive!"

"Come on Baby Light My Fire...With a Pinecone!"

Good afternoon lovely viewers! Rob and I decided to tackle a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) project this morning...let's just say that we should not be allowed access to blow torches. Seriously. Those things are dangerous, and we are too much like children to be handling them without supervision. Anyways! As always, we are here to provide you guys with insight on how to be prepared for the coming months of horribly dreadful conditions. Feel free to thank us in the comment section below, no pressure...

DIY Pinecone Fire Starters

This project is all about fire. Sure, you can run over to your local grocery store to pick up a fire starter log, but where is the fun in that I ask you? Nowhere to be found. With this DIY life lesson, you can make a fire starter with things you've probably already got laying around your house or yard. The materials used:

Pine Cones

These are free, and work just as well as your fire starter logs. If you do not live in a place that has a surplus of pine trees...Florida I'm looking at you...don't hesitate to run over to Michael's and grab yourself a bag. It's fairly inexpensive for the amount of pine cones you receive.

Yarn or String

You will use this to wrap around the pine cone. It makes for easy dipping (this will be explained later) and also happens to be really cheap. If you aren't near a Michael's, I know Walmart carries yarn at super discounted prices. 

Wax

This will make your pine cones water proof and also help keep the fire burning longer. It takes a while for the flame to melt through each layer of wax completely, and depending on what kind of wax you use, you can make them as colorful or as scented as you like. Feel free to use candle wax, beeswax, etc; personally, Rob and I melted down crayons to save on the cost of this project, which gave our fire starters a colorful twist.  Use what you've got!

Paper Towels or Napkins

You need this to wrap your pine cone up! Your pine cone will have a wick on it, but the added paper element will just help to get the pine cone burning all over and helps the process along. If you don't have any paper on hand, feel free to just burn the wick you make out of the yarn.

Container For Wax

We used a paper plate with a coffee filter put on top to melt down our wax in the microwave. This is because we are broke as jokes and only wanted to use things we found in the office for free. If you are melting the wax on the stove, you will just need to dip your pine cone in your pot, no need for other dishes. You can also use a microwaveable bowl, tupper-ware, anything that will allow you to dip your pine cones into the wax.

And that's it, guys! This is all it takes to be able to start your own fire. Stash a few of these in the emergency kits you make for your home and your car; they go a long way for such cheap materials. So let's get down to the process:

 WRAP YOUR STRING AROUND THE PINE CONE

 It doesn't need to be perfect, the wax will stick it in place, but I tried to make sure I was getting the string tucked underneath some of the...leaves? Fronds? We actually have no idea what the little prickly pieces of the pine cone are called. If anyone else knows, feel free to enlighten us! Anyways, if you need a better reference to what I'm talking about, take a look at the image below:

 

Now you'll just need to cut your string when you've got enough wrapped around so there is at least an inch of string up top. This creates your wick.

This is what it looks like finished. Hooray! Seriously guys, I am a perfectionist, do not feel the need to make this string as pretty as I did.

BREAK DOWN AND MELT YOUR WAX

 It was a battle between us and the crayons...somebody had to go. If you are using crayons like we did, you can choose to make these pretty or resourceful. We peeled off the papers on the crayons, but in hindsight realized that any extra paper in a fire starter isn't going to hurt. Make sure you're keeping in mind that these are supposed to help you build a fire, not sit on your mantle. If your end product looks a little crazy, relax. It's better to be safe than sorry if you ever have to use these things. Comfort should be the main priority, not looks! Don't follow in our footsteps (at least not for this step).

DIP OR ROLL YOUR PINE CONE IN THE MELTED WAX

This step is where it starts to get messy. If you do get wax on yourself, don't fret. Once it cools it is really easy to brush off. Our fingers are a little green from the crayons we used, but what's a little finger stain in the name of emergency preparedness? We marched on, and now the odds will be ever in our favor if we need to start a fire because of it.

  If you are able to produce enough melted wax where you can fully dip your pine cone in and hold onto it from the top of the wick, go for it! Like I said, we had very limited resources to make this tutorial. You can also use tongs to dip and submerge the whole pine cone if you are doing this on the stove. Your options: roll pine cone in small amount of wax like we did, dip pine cone by wick if you more wax that will allow you to submerge the whole cone, or dip the pine cone using tongs if you are working on the stove near a hot surface. Capeesh?

LET YOUR PINE CONES DRY

This step is really easy, the wax takes only a minute or so before it is fully dry. Just set your pine cones off to the side somewhere, you can use a multitude of objects as drying racks. You could even use a drying rack, but if you don't have one of those lying around, go for a plate, a bowl, etc. 

I know, I know. I'm disappointed with the quality of this shot as well. I'm the perfectionist in the group, I have to make sure everything is exactly perfect and beautiful, and perfect. Rob is very much so laid-back, easy, doesn't mind if things go wrong, etc. We try to balance each other out, but mainly we just get frustrated..Still love him though! (If you're reading this, Rob, I love you to pieces.)

Onwards!


SEND IN THE FIRING SQUAD

No, not that firing squad. These bad boys are ready! We decided to put them to the test, since this was originally something we discovered on Pinterest. Pinterest has lovely photos, but there is a reason that there is a whole website dedicated to Pinterest fails. Sometimes things just don't turn out like they should. (Seriously, if you've never heard of the website for Pinterest fails, please click here. You will thank me for this after you get your ab workout in from laughing so hard.)

 We wrapped our pine cones in paper towels for extra strength in making sure our fire got going. As stated earlier, as long as you made a wick at the top of your pine cone, you do not technically need the paper. We used it for reinforcement, but the pine cone itself is perfectly capable of being flammable on its own.

 Wrap it up nice and cozy, oh yeah!

 This is where things got scary. Rob with a blow torch is something I hope you guys never have to witness in person. You might lose your eyebrows. PLEASE use matches, small lighters, anything but a blow torch!

 Burn baby burn, disco inferno!

(I'm a riot, I know.)

And there you have it, folks! You just made yourself a fire. Do you feel proud? Is there a warm, fuzzy feeling inside as you're lighting up this pine cone? If this is the case...you might want to talk to someone about that, this world does not need any more arsonists! Let's stick on feeling warm and fuzzy from the outside; but seriously, this pine cone can give off some heat! You will be pleasantly surprised. 

If you guys feel like watching this video that Rob and I made of us actually lighting the pine cone, take a gander down below. Ignore the last ten seconds, a man walked by us in the parking lot, and let's just say we couldn't ignore the smell. Anyways, thanks for tuning in, we'd love to hear your feedback!

 Sending good vibes your way, 

Tiara and Rob