September is the Month to Prepare

Pat and Judy Wake woke early one September morning to the sound of gurgling water. Pat went downstairs to see what was going on. Judy, still in bed, remembers him suddenly shouting, “Get up! Get up! We have to go now!” Judy said they had been warned that the Matanuska River could flood but it was far enough away at the time they had never believed it would actually affect them. And certainly not in an instant.

“The water broke through a mud dike and just rushed down the road in a flash flood,” said Judy. “I was still half asleep when I stumbled downstairs and opened the front door to find our porch floating.” There was no time to think, or plan or prepare. We just had to grab what we could and go.”

September is National Preparedness Month. This is a great time of year to ensure you have a communication plan with family and loved ones, supplies needed to survive for at least three days, and a bag packed and ready to go so that if flood, fire, earthquakes or other unexpected disaster strikes, you’ll be ready to evacuate quickly. It’s also a good time to consider other potential emergencies and get the skills you need to respond.

“There is never time to get ready if you wait until disaster strikes,” said Bea Adler, member of the Local Emergency Planning Committee. “That is why we support the effort of an annual emergency safety fair to help people think about and get ready.”

In the Wake’s case, preparation made a huge difference. “Thankfully we had a bag packed,” said Judy. “But still, as you’re closing the front door you think of all the things you’re leaving behind.”

It’s the little things in an emergency that can make an enormous difference. “It’s amazing how something as simple as a clean pair of underwear can make you feel better,” said Judy.

The other thing the Wake’s had going for them was a positive attitude and good friends who quickly responded to help.

Friends made all the difference for Brad Johnson. He was riding in Hatcher Pass with a group of friends one early spring day when his entire world changed in an instant. “We were filming a promotion video when I launched off this big cliff on my sled. Unfortunately I misjudged the landing and slammed so hard on the landing I broke my back.

“I knew it wasn’t good because I couldn’t feel my legs,” he said.

Fortunately for Johnson the friends he was riding with included several trained medics who were able to stabilize and evacuate him quickly. In an emergency, it’s all about the resources you have with you.

“I would have died without their help,” he said.

Doctors told Johnson he would never walk again but he was determined to prove them wrong. “My goal is to show others that you can do whatever you want or need to do as long as you don’t give up.”

A positive attitude goes a long way to ensuring survival.

“I think you just have to laugh and do what has to be done,” said Judy. “I’m not one to sit down and cry. I knew we would be okay the day the flood hit if we just did what we had to do and stayed focused on that.”

Tim and Lindsey McGhan, who live on Rocky Lake near Big Lake, sat down to watch television one night when they noticed thick black smoke across the water.

“At first we were just watching it thinking, wow that doesn’t look good,” said Lindsey. “But then we realized, this fire was headed our direction. When the wind suddenly came up, we knew we had to get out. I remember Tim flew our plane to Wasilla Lake and I went to Grandpa’s place. We just left and then I realized, we didn’t have anything. Not even a toothbrush. That’s a horrible feeling.”

Lindsey said that while they may have lost their business in the Miller Reach Fire of 1996, they were lucky they succeeded in saving their home and their lives.

“We learned a lot from that experience and are much better prepared for disaster these days.”

Her advice: “Take photos of everything you own. If you have to evacuate, take a survival bag with some basics and think about taking things like jewelry, pictures, computer hard drive…

“Everyone should take the time to plan and prepare because you may not think it can happen to you, but it can,” said Lindsey. “And when it does, it usually happens fast.”

The local chapter of AARP is sponsoring this year’s annual emergency safety fair to be held at Mat-Su College on Saturday, September 19^th from 11am to 3pm. This is a free, family friendly event that provides resources to help you and your family be prepared for any emergency or disaster.

The fair will feature more than 30 exhibits including the popular ‘Disaster Experience.’ These are interactive shows presented by the Alaska Avalanche Information Center (AAIC,) Alaska Safe Boating, and the North America Outdoor Institute (NAOI.) Attendants have the opportunity to experience a simulated emergency to find out if they will know what to do in a real situation.

Do you love to play outdoors and travel in the mountains? This is your chance to experience an avalanche safely and find out how to avoid one as well as what to do if it happens to you. AAIC, thanks to support from the Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union and Walmart, will present the Avalanche Experience.

Do you love the water and boating? Are you prepared if the boat you’re in suddenly capsizes? Find out in the simulation presented by Alaska Safe Boating.

Have you ever found yourself faced with a medical emergency? Join NAOI and test your skills during a vehicle accident. Scenarios for all experiences may change throughout the day so you can try them more than once.

Professionals will be on hand to provide assistance to aid you and your family in gaining the skills you need to be prepared.

From first aid to earthquake preparedness to fire, the Mat-Su Emergency Expo and Safety Fair is designed to help everyone, at any stage of preparedness, identify necessary supplies, available resources, and practice critical skills like putting out a fire, so you will be prepared in an emergency or disaster.

The Expo and Safety Fair will also feature the Emergency Poster Contest. The first 100 entries will receive a gift card for free ice cream from a local sponsor. Five grand prize winners to be awarded, one from each age group. This is a great way to start the conversation.

Best of all the fair is free and the Red Cross and Salvation Army will be serving free food. Come join us and make this September the month you get prepared.