The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

After Florida vacation, snow at home is a surprise

by Rita R. Robison

When my sister and I were returning from Ft. Lauderdale Wednesday, we heard the temperature in Seattle was 39 degrees. When we landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the temperature had dropped to 32 degrees.

As I was driving home, I had trouble seeing well due to the rain mixed with snow.

This morning, I had snow in my backyard.

I had ice on my roof, which was melting and falling off in small chunks.

The neighborhood was covered in snow, too.

By mid-afternoon, all the snow had melted. I'm relieved. I'm not ready to go through another big snow storm like we had in January. Not only was it stressful, but I haven't put my new emergency plan into action yet.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

New emergency plan needed after big storm leaves me stranded and in danger

By Rita R. Robison

Last week’s snowstorm in the Seattle area showed me that my Emergency Plan needs revision.

When I went out Wednesday to take photos of the snow and pick up my mail after a vacation, I got stuck twice at the bottom of my driveway and slid around on the main roads.

Thursday, it was icy, so I knew I shouldn’t go out. At 10:20 a.m., my power went out.

I called the Sheriff’s Office non-emergency number in my community to ask where the warming centers were and how I could get ride there. The dispatcher didn’t know. Neither did the 9-1-1 dispatcher.

About 1 p.m. Friday, I began shivering and having fuzzy thinking. It was 45 degrees in my house. I had planned to walk to Safeway to get warm. However, when I saw that my street had been plowed, I thought I could get out.

It was raining, and the roads were bare and wet. I tried to find a credit union that was open, but they all closed early. I stayed at the food co-op where it was warm until it closed at 9 p.m.

The experience showed me I need to revise my Emergency Plan. I couldn’t get out, and no one was available to give me a ride to a warming center or a warm place. My friends also were snowed in. My neighbors were busy taking of their needs.

I’m going to see if I can get my fireplace insert repaired, buy a battery-operated lantern, keep a supply of D batteries on hand, figure out how to use a space blanket, and replace the outdated water and energy bars in my emergency kit.

What’s your Emergency Plan? Did it pass recent tests?

If you don’t have a plan, see “Are You Ready for an Emergency?” and “What Boomers Need for an Emergency” for details on making a plan and gathering supplies.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

How to prevent injury after a disaster

By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

When my daughter and her family lived in Miami, I visited several times when there were hurricane warnings.

After living through one, Francis I think, I remember reading an article in the Miami Herald about a family that had survived the hurricane, but experienced a tragedy anyway. They left a candle burning unattended. It started a fire and destroyed their mobile home.

Don’t let it happen to you. After surviving Hurricane Irene, follow these recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control:

• To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, only use generators, pressure washers, grills, camp stoves, or other gasoline, propane, natural gas, or charcoal-burning devices outside and away from open windows, doors, and air vents.
• Follow chain saw safety rules and use chain saws according to manufacturer instructions.
• Avoid wild or stray animals.
• Avoid the use of electric tools or appliances while standing in water.
• Drive safely, always wear your seatbelt, don’t drink and drive, and don’t drive when sleepy.

See the CDC's “Prevent Injury After a Disaster” for more information on these safety tips and additional recommendations. 

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Put your name, address, phone number, and address of your next-of-kin on a 3 x 5 card and place it in your left shoe

By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

It was shocking to hear emergency workers tell people who didn't heed warnings to evacuate to put personal information in their left shoe to help emergency workers if they were injured or dead.

It also was sad to learn that the first person who died from Hurricane Irene was a surfer. A preventable death.

It shows that consumers should follow the directions of state and local officials about when to evacuate.

I hope those of you who have been impacted by Hurricane Irene will be able to recover quickly and that the damage to your home and property has been minimal.

See my next post on "How to Prevent Injury After a Disaster" for details on how to stay safe during your recovery.

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Storm safety tips for the home could prevent injury or illness and save lives

If you’re going to be stuck in your home for days due to Hurricane Irene, be sure to think about food safety and the safe use of generators and camp stoves if the electricity goes out

The risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and fire increases when people use gas-powered generators. From 1999 to 2010, nearly 600 generator-related deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning were reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Most were a result of someone using a generator inside the home, in the basement, or in the garage.

The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection offers these tips:

 The loss of power can lead to drastic mistakes.

• Portable generators – Never use a generator inside your home, basement, shed, or garage, even if doors and windows are open. Keep generators outside, about 10 feet away from windows, doors, and vents. Make sure the wind isn’t blowing the generator’s fumes back toward your home. Read the label on your generator and the owner’s manual and follow the instructions. Any electrical cables you use with the generator should be free of damage and suitable for outdoor use.

• Charcoal grills and camp stoves – Never use these indoors. Burning charcoal or a camp stove in an enclosed space can produce lethal levels of carbon monoxide.

• Flammable liquids – Don’t store any flammable liquids, including gasoline or lighter fluid, near your generator or portable grill.

• CO alarms – Install carbon monoxide alarms immediately outside each sleeping area and on every level of your home to protect against CO poisoning. Change the batteries every year.

• Candles – If possible, use flashlights instead of candles. If you must use them, never leave them burning unattended.

• Electrical and gas safety – Stay away from any downed wires, including cable TV feeds. They may be live with deadly voltage. If you are standing in water, don’t handle or operate electrical appliances. If your basement is flooded, don’t walk through the water – electrocution could result. Electrical components, including circuit breakers, wiring in the walls, and outlets that have been under water, shouldn’t be turned on. They should be replaced unless properly inspected and tested by a qualified electrician.

• Wet valves – Natural gas or propane valves that have been under water should be replaced. Smell and listen for leaky gas connections. If you think there is a gas leak, immediately leave the house and leave the door(s) open. Never strike a match. Any size flame can spark an explosion. Before turning the gas back on, have the gas system checked by a professional.

• Sump pump – Before the storm arrives, check the pump to be sure that it’s operating properly. Lift the float to see if it activates the pump’s motor.

• Profiteering – If you think you are being charged an extremely high price for any storm-related service or item, report it to state the Attorney General’s Office.

• Contractors – To help protect yourself against getting taken by a dishonest contractor, be sure that anyone you hire for cleanup or repairs is licensed and/or registered with your state.

Power losses can affect the safety of food.

• Your refrigerator will keep foods cool for about four hours without power, if it’s unopened. Add block or dry ice to your refrigerator if the electricity will be off longer than four hours.

• To be safe, remember, "When in doubt, throw it out.

• Discard any food that has been at room temperature for two hours or more, and any food that has an unusual odor, color, or texture.

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Effects of Chernobyl deadly, costly, long lasting

By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Like many people, I thought pouring concrete over the failed Chernobyl nuclear power plant solved the problem.

Not so.

About 3,000 people work at Chernobyl in decontaminated areas maintaining and decommissioning the plant, and another 4,000 work nearby providing security in the 19-mile exclusion zone, according to a Washington Post article “At Chernobyl, a Warning for Japan.”

The article also reports the Ukrainian government fights people who file claims for radiation-related cancers and thyroid disease, claiming it doesn’t have any money.

About 6,000 cases of thyroid cancer may be linked to Chernobyl, according to a recent United Nations report. 

Other studies, looking beyond Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, indicate the number of cancers, birth defects, and other diseases is much higher.

For example, the European Committee on Radiation Risk estimates Chernobyl’s cancers will total 1.4 million in 50 years.

A summary of a range of studies is given in The Guardian article “Nuclear’s Green Cheerleaders Forget Chernobyl at Our Peril.”

Part of the continuing problem is the contamination of the food supply. Greenpeace, an environmental action organization, said a study showed that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are still eating food – milk, berries, potatoes, and root vegetables – contaminated by radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion.

The cleanup of Chernobyl will be costly and take decades.

I think it’s tragic that those suffering from cancer, birth defects, and other diseases are being left to suffer without help.

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded and caught fire 25 years ago on April 26, 1986, after a testing procedure went wrong. The blast spewed huge quantities of radioactive material into the atmosphere where it drifted across European borders.

See Chernobyl Children International for ways you can become involved to help the young victims of Chernobyl.

Among the organizations you can join to work against nuclear power are Beyond Nuclear, Public Citizen Energy Program, Greenpeace USA, Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Union of Concerned Scientists, Committee for Nuclear Responsibility, and NukeFree.org.

One of the happiest days of my life is when construction was halted in 1983 on the Satsop Nuclear Power Plant 25 miles from my home. The Washington Public Power Supply System, nicknamed WOOPS and later called Energy Northwest, abandoned an ambitious project to build four nuclear power plants due to inflation, cost overruns, delays, safety changes, mismanagement, and construction problems. The system was run by commissioners from public utility districts throughout the state.

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Parents and grandparents: Are your poisons and medications locked up?

By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialists

A 12-month-old boy sucked on the wick from an oil lamp. Immediately, he began choking and his lips started turning blue. The ambulance dispatcher and poison center worked together to be sure the youngster was treated appropriately. After an overnight stay in the hospital, he was able to go home. He was lucky; other children who choked on lamp oil have suffered life-threatening lung injuries or even died.

The message? Poisons need to be locked up where children can’t see or reach them. Other types of products that can cause life-threatening lung injuries include gasoline, kerosene, tiki torch fuel, furniture polish, lighter fluid, and baby oil.

A 3-year old visiting from out of town swallowed some of granddad’s Viagra pills. They were left on the bedside table. Instead of flying home that day, the child spent the afternoon in the emergency room to have her blood pressure monitored.

The message? All medicines must be locked up, out of sight and reach of children. This is true in children’s own homes and every home where children visit.

A 2-year-old daughter was at a friend’s house. Several mothers there were babysitting so the other moms could run errands. The child got into one mother’s purse and swallowed adult prescription drugs. They were in a non-child resistant bottle. They weren’t sure exactly which of a mix of drugs in the bottle the girl had ingested. The mothers were on the phone with Poison Control when the mom returned. A Poison Control representative told the mom to get her child to the hospital immediately. The girl had to have an EKG and drink a dark, charcoal-like substance. After a few hours of observation, she was released.

The message? If you carry medications around in your purse, put it out of reach, like on top of the refrigerator, where young children can’t get to it. About half of the accidental poisonings occur in children under age six.

Most children who swallow poisons or medicines can be managed safely at home if the poison center is contacted right away, Rose Ann G. Soloway, R.N., clinical toxicologist for the National Capital Poison Center in Washington, D.C., told me in an e-mail. To reach your local poison control center call 800-222-1222.

“Just this week, I’ve taken calls about children who swallowed too much cough medicine, bit into glow sticks, drank medicated shampoo, swallowed a sibling’s prescription medicine, and ate batteries from a toy, among many others,” Soloway said. “Parents who confused medication schedules and double-dosed a child and parents who used the wrong type of measuring device also called.”

All of these children were able to stay at home with poison center guidance. This saves anxiety, time, and money compared to calling 911 or going to an emergency room, she said.

This week is National Poison Prevention Week. Celebrate it by locking up your prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, pesticides, household cleaners, and other poisons. It could save your child or grandchild’s life – and save you the heartache of being the one responsible for the injury of death of a child you love dearly.

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Are you ready for an emergency?

Recently, we had a heavy snowstorm. Although I have studded tires, I decided to stay home to avoid running into trouble, including unskilled and unprepared drivers.

After five days, my food was starting to get boring. I’d eaten all my fresh food, gone through my canned food, and was thinking about soaking beans.

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan are making me think seriously about what would happen if we have a big quake here in the Pacific Northwest. Like Japan, this is earthquake country.

CNN reported on one Japanese family, with a disabled adult, rode out the earthquake and tsunami in the second story of their home. They ran out of food in five days.

How much food and water should you have on hand for an emergency?

You should have a kit that contains food, water, and supplies for at least three days, recommends the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Store water in food-grade storage containers, or if you want to make your own containers, use two-liter plastic soft drink bottles. Don’t use plastic jugs that have had milk or fruit juice in them. Milk protein and fruit sugars can’t be adequately be removed so bacteria could grow in those containers.

You’ll need one gallon of water daily for each person for three days.

For food, avoid foods that will make people thirsty. Select salt-free crackers, whole grain cereals, and canned foods with high liquid content. Dry mixes and other staples that don’t require refrigeration or cooking also are good choices. Be sure to include a manual can opener.

See FEMA’s “Are You Ready?” booklet for information on getting other basics you’ll need, developing an emergency plan, seeking shelter during different types of hazards, and identifying evacuation routes. The guide has checklists to help you get prepared.

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Five footwear tips to make walking safer during winter storms

Winter boots need to have quality treads to make walking in the snow safer during hazardous conditions.

"With the number of snowstorms we've a had during the first half of the winter alone, I'm already seeing a 30 percent increase in the number of patients coming into my office with fractures, sprains, and pulled arches from snow-related incidences,” New York City podiatrist Suzanne Levine, M.D., said.

With storms dumping record amounts of snow across the United States, often mixed with dangerous layers of black ice and slush, conditions often occur that are potential accidents for baby boomers and their parents.  

"Pedestrians should treat their feel like tires in this kind of weather," Levine said. "We have regulations for vehicles in treacherous weather, so we should at least establish some important standards of quality for treads used on footwear designed for winter walking."  

Levine offers these five footwear safety tips:

1. Think of your footgear as tires.

Consumers buy new snow tires when the treads wear down. They should do the same for boots and shoes, which become smoother and less effective after three months.

2. Don’t use tires that are flat.

Consumers often choose boots with a flat sole. A wedge is actually better. The forward angle of the foot allows it to dig into the snow with great proficiency.

3. Not all treads are created equal.

Choose a tread with a varied pattern – one that has a different design in the front and heel of the sole. This will give you a variety of stopgap measures when walking and climbing through snow and ice. Galoshes don’t work, since they provide little to no support for the foot. Galoshes can actually facilitate a fall.

4. A snowstorm isn’t the time to make fashion statements.

Treacherous conditions require footwear that performs well, not boots that are high fashion. Ankle snow boots don’t provide enough support and can easily result in sprains or even breaks when slipping and falling on snow and ice. Uggs are flat and, if the treads on them aren’t sharp, they have a greater likelihood of causing injuries.
 
5. Carry a spare.

Never wear improper footgear during threatening weather and be prepared for the worst-case scenario. If you get caught without the right pair of boots because they didn’t go with your outfit, you could not only ruin your shoes, but also do permanent damage to your body. Be sure to change shoes during the day to give your feet a rest from wearing anything that challenges or restricts the natural mechanics of the foot. Feet that aren’t in good shape or strong won’t perform well in a crisis.

“Proper footwear is essential for protecting your feet, ankles, hips, and spine during inclement weather,” Levine said. “If you shop carefully, you can find a boot that keeps you upright, safe, and looks great at the same time.”

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Top 10 worst environmental stories of 2010

The Environmental Working Group polled its staff and came up with the environmental happenings they thought had the worst impact last year. Here are the results:

 
 

1. BP's Gulf oil spill was the top environmental disaster of 2010, with slow response, use of dispersants, and secrecy about what's in the dispersants.

2. Congress failed to ban Bisphenol A, an endocrine-disrupting chemical, in baby bottles and children's sippy cups.

3. Brazilian Blowout, a hair-straightening product, is shown to have high levels of toxic formaldehyde despite the company's insistence that it's "formaldehyde free."

4. The climate change bill dies in the U.S. Senate, due to vocal and persuasive arguments by climate change skeptics and protectors of the energy status quo.

5. Chromium-6, a carcinogen, was found in tap water samples in 31 of 35 cities tested by the Environmental Working Group.

6. California's "Green Chemistry" rule is gutted, when regulators announced weak rules for carrying out the state's pioneering law designed to reduce the use of toxic substances in consumer products and shift toward safer alternatives.

7. Texas, Ohio, and other states approved the use of hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas from deep rock formations beneath school property, because they were tempted by the revenue they could gain by leasing mineral rights to drilling companies.

8. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn’t adopted sunscreen rules that would ensure that sunscreens are safe, effective, and don't make exaggerated claims, despite the fact that the agency has been working on the rules for 32 years.

9. Congress failed to revise the Toxic Substances Control Act, the 1976 environmental law that is inadequate and has never been updated.

10. Congress reauthorized the tax credit that pays gas refiners 45 cents a gallon to blend corn ethanol into gasoline and the excise tax that blocks imports of cheaper Brazilian ethanol made from cane sugar.

See the Environmental Working Group’s article for more information on these environmental disasters.

Let’s hope that 2011 is a better year for the environment and consumers.

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist