"Code Ready" campaign is encouraging Minnesotans to put together hefty survival kits

Niko · Jun 19, 2007

Ready for that disaster? State wants you to be

The "Code Ready" campaign is encouraging Minnesotans to put together hefty survival kits.

By Pam Louwagie, Star Tribune
Last update: June 17, 2007 – 9:54 PM

Box upon box of pasta and rice, a couple hundred cans of fruits and vegetables, 120 gallons of water. Powdered milk. A first aid kit. A lantern. A weather radio. Plastic sheeting. Duct tape. Bleach. All in your basement.

State health and public safety officials want Minnesotans to stock up in case of a flu pandemic, terrorism emergency or other widespread disaster. They've launched a $500,000 state campaign dubbed "Code Ready" encouraging Minnesotans to develop plans of action and assemble survival kits for emergencies small and large -- from three days to a year.

The suggested stored servings of food for mom, dad and two kids for a month rivals the inventory of a small minimart: 780 of grain, 240 of fruit, 360 of vegetables, 360 of dairy and 660 of protein foods such as meat, dried beans and nuts.

"It's ridiculous. It's just way too much stuff for anybody to have at home. I can't imagine what they're having us prepare for," said Tracy Eberly, who lives in south Minneapolis. "If society breaks down to the point where we need all that food, trust me, we've got other problems."

State officials say they understand people's ability to store things will vary. And while there's no imminent threat of disaster, they're doing the campaign as part of a continuing effort to improve readiness.

Funded by the Legislature last year, the campaign is being advertised on billboards, radio and through "viral marketing" with teams in a Code Ready SUV canvassing the state.

As of last week, about 1,700 people had gone through the site's pages to create their own kits. Ten times that number have viewed parts of the site, officials said, with hits coming even from Asia, Africa and Australia.

While a survey last summer found that Minnesotans are slightly above average in preparedness, with 44 percent of respondents taking one or more actions to prepare for emergencies, "I think we always are looking to better our preparedness," said Emily Litt, pandemic influenza coordinator for the state Department of Health.

Officials suggest starting small. Use the website's instructions to put together a three-day kit and build from there, they say, and rotate new food to the back of the shelf like a grocery store might.

"Every time you go to the grocery store, pick up, you know, an extra can of food. Or you know when the bottled water is on sale, you can pick up an extra 12 pack," Litt said.

Getting Minnesotans to think about the possibility of a real, widespread disaster without being alarmist is difficult, officials acknowledge.
Minnesotans know about tornadoes, floods, forest fires and winter storms, said Doug Neville, spokesman for public safety's Homeland Security and Emergency Management division. "In the case of a winter storm, though, people don't think 'I might be in my home for three days,' " Neville said. While there hasn't been a pandemic here lately, "the experts tell us it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when," he said.

The more people who are prepared to help themselves, the easier it will be for emergency responders, they point out.

Toby Brill, general manager of the American Army & Navy Surplus store in Minneapolis, said she hadn't noticed an uptick in business because of the Code Ready campaign. It's a good idea to stock up, she said, but realistically people need manageable numbers of items.

Hennepin County Board Chairman Randy Johnson, a self-described "preparedness person," ticked off a list of emergency items he keeps in his Bloomington home: A duffel bag with batteries, toilet tissue and a weather radio; miscellaneous canned goods; an extra tank of propane for his grill, a stash of energy bars, freeze-dried camping foods, a first-aid kit, duct tape, plastic sheets, a couple of space blankets, and bottled water along with a couple of five-gallon water jugs that he's filled from the tap.

"And I hope I don't have to use any of it," he said.

To be prepared for a month, he and his wife should have 60 gallons of water, according to the website. "Sixty gallons is a lot of water," he acknowledged. And that might not be doable for everyone, he said: "I think it's realistic to point out what people would need for a month's period of time. In our society, people don't realize how much water they use."

Eberly said he'll hope the extra stuff in his fridge and pantry will suffice. He has faith, he said, that businesses such as Wal-Mart or Target would deliver goods better than the government, he said.

Besides, he said, "We are Americans. ... Most of us could probably go on water for 10 days. ... It would be the diet we've always hoped for."

Pam Louwagie • 612-673-7102 • plouwagie@startribune.com

© 2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

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"Code Ready" campaign is encouraging Minnesotans to put together hefty survival kits

Niko

Editor, Senior Moderator