Design for a Disaster

Yikes...what a title...however, as most of you know, I love to try & make a connection to what I love & correlate it somehow w/design.  How DESIGN can help, empower & support whatever it is that you are doing, love and/or dream of.  Right now, I'm hooked on Doomsday Preppers (National Geographic channel) which plays into some of the survival training I've taken (see what to do in case of an EMU attack!).  And, as someone who's weathered a hurricane & is subject to the crazy weather in WI (snow, blizzards & the like) & soon to be the Carolina coast (hurricane again), I feel that design DOES play a part into how prepared you are & how you will "weather the storm" as it were. 

Also, due to the economy & other threats to our physical well-being from foreign/domestic sources, how prepared we are in terms of food & even energy should all be taken into consideration.  Do you stay or do you go?  Do you have a plan as to WHERE to go if something happens?  What if you aren't prepared & the grocery store has a run & all that's left is non-essentials?  These are all things that you need to be aware of & prepared for in case something happens.  A disruption in the food chain CAN happen & has.  All anyone has to do is watch the news during a fire or hurricane evacuation.  Look what happned on the East Coast after last summer's earthquake & hurricane...some places were without power for upto 2 weeks!  Could you & your family survive?

So, it with all of this in mind that I start this new series on the CasaVerde radio show & this blog.  Today's episode featured SECURITY & some tips on how to "view" your house as an intruder would & some simple tips to keep you safe.  Here are some from David Morris & the Secrets of Urban Survival newsletter:

Around The House.

When returning home, do a quick check to make sure that your “castle” hasn’t become someone else’s “castle” while you were gone.  Are any lights/windows broken?  Are multiple security lights suddenly malfunctioning?  Are pets responding normally?  Is your door locked?  Does your alarm beep like it should when you open your door?

As a quick note, during “normal” times, if you know that an intruder is in your house, your best course of action is to call 911 and retreat to somewhere where you can provide updates, descriptions, and take pictures.

On this topic, are your firearms secured so that an intruder won’t be able to find them and use them on you?  If you don’t carry weapons, do you know where traditional and improvised weapons are near your door?

I LOVE fire extinguishers. Quoting Clint Smith, “Spray them with the white stuff and hit them with the red thingy.”  Do you have plenty of metal fire extinguishers?  New fancy compact fire extinguishers have their place, but it’s hard to beat the versatility of a big old metal fire extinguisher.

What is normal? Observe what normal is…for your neighbors, for your neighborhood.  Cars, coming & going, etc.  It will not only alert you to people and events that are out of the ordinary, but it will also help you get to know your neighbors better.  You’ll quickly see who’s social, who races off every morning with a scowl on their face, who always waves and has a smile, etc.  You’ll also see who notices you and who is oblivious to the world and completely un-aware.


I hope, if anything, this series of CasaVerde shows & blogs will help you at least become aware of what can happen & that you look at your home in a new way...One to protect you & keep you & your family secure in these uncertain times.  As always, if you have a question or a suggestion on a topic you'd like me to address, contact me at askdeanna@bantedesign.com.   Cheers!