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Nicky Ratliff, director of the Humane Society of Carroll County, knows who will take care of her West Highland terrier, Candice, in an emergency.

Written By Donna Engle, Photos by: Phil Grout

Bruce Bouch has a plan to escape if fire strikes his home. James Weed has emergency kits in his house and car. Nicky Ratliff knows who will take care of her dog and cat in an emergency. The three are professionally involved in helping Carroll residents cope in the event of a disaster, and they practice what they preach.

Other local professionals – financial planners, attorneys, funeral directors – can provide peace of mind planning for retirement, wills, living wills, funerals and burials.

Fire safety education is a major part of Bouch’s work as public information officer for Gamber and Community Volunteer Fire Co. and director of public education and media affairs for the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Weed is Carroll County emergency management coordinator. He coordinates countywide disaster preparedness: advance training; responses to emergencies by local governments and faith-based and volunteer organizations; recovery efforts afterward. Ratliff, director of the Humane Society of Carroll County, is involved in disaster planning for animals.

“In Carroll County, the most common disaster is a single-family home fire,” said Doug Lent, regional communications officer for the American Red Cross of Central Maryland. Tornadoes are not common, but four touched down this year. The county also had a hurricane, spring flooding, an earthquake and excessive heat that led county officials to open cooling shelters.

Some ways to prepare for the eventualities life may bring:

Fire

  • Have an escape plan. It does not have to be complicated. The Bouch plan is that his wife, Debbie, will climb out the ground-level window first, her husband will hand the two cocker spaniels to her, grab his cell phone and climb out. Once out, he will call 911. They will meet at a designated spot, important so they know no one remains in the house.
  • Families with children should practice their own escape plans. It is important for everyone to get out as fast as possible because toxic gases and smoke can incapacitate them.
  • Prevention: Leave no pot unattended on the burner. Most house fires start in kitchens. Use a deep ashtray for smokers and water the ashes before disposing of them. Put an outdoor grill on a solid surface away from the house, not where it could melt or ignite vinyl siding.
  • Working smoke alarms increase your chances of getting out by 50 percent. Sprinklers improve your chances of escape by 80 percent.

Natural disasters

  • “Be prepared to be self-sustaining for a minimum of 72 hours. In many emergencies, the county government is overwhelmed and we have to prioritize,” said Weed. In a storm, such as a hurricane or blizzard, prioritizing means clearing main roads first, so some residents could be without road access or electricity for several days.
  • If you’re elderly, don’t let your prescription medications run out in a storm. When heavy weather is forecast, get presciptions filled.
  • Pack a home emergency kit with one gallon of drinking water per person per day; non-perishable food; battery-powered or hand crank radio; flashlight and batteries; first aid kit; moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation; local maps; a cell phone inverter or solar charger; a hand can opener for canned food. If you have pets, stock food and water for them.
  • Have a car emergency kit containing all the items in the home emergency kit, plus antifreeze and a blanket.
  • Arrange care for your pets, such as an out-of-town friend in case you have to evacuate. If you have no alternative pet care and you must go to an emergency shelter, Carroll shelters have limited housing for domestic animals. Ratliff recommended stockpiling enough animal supplies–food, water, cat litter–for one week.
  • Have all pets microchipped. All shelters and most veterinarians have microchip readers to identify pets whose identification tags are missing.

Financial plan

Who needs a financial plan? “Anyone who has money or wants to have money,” said Tim Taylor, owner of Taylor Financial Planning, Mount Airy. He helps clients set goals, such as paying off debt and which debts to repay in which order, saving for children’s education or for retirement, and figuring out how to reach one’s goals. Financial planning can be as simple as living within your means or as complex as tax impacts on wealth, he said.
Financial planner Michael Blair, owner of Blair and Associates, Westminster, said financial planning can ease stressful situations such as job loss or unexpected medical expenses and show you how much your current lifestyle allows you to save.
Basic elements of a good financial plan are investments, risks, taxes, retirement, estates and trusts and education, Blair said. The plan should cover life, health and disability insurance.
Review your financial plan at least annually and whenever you change your life: new house, baby, new job.

Estates

Estate planning is “putting all your legal and personal affairs in order so your wishes and goals are known to your family and you can prepare,” said Gary W. Desper, a Westminster estate planning attorney.
Desper’s basics of an estate plan: A will; a living will directing end-of-life treatment; health care power of attorney; financial power of attorney. Estate planning may also include trusts to minimize estate or inheritance tax burdens or to provide for a disabled child. It also involves thinking about what assets you have, how you want to pass them on, whether you need someone to manage assets for minor or disabled children and your feelings about life support.

Prepaid funeral plans

Pre-need plans have become very popular for three reasons, said Steven Eline, owner of Eline Funeral Homes, Hampstead and Reisterstown: An individual can choose the service he or she wants; pre-planning alleviates the responsibility for decisions that grieving family members may have to take; money set aside through an irrevocable funeral trust is not counted as an asset in determining eligibility for Medical Assistance.
If you prepay your funeral and burial, tell family members what funeral home, cemetery, how to access the prepayment trust and what life insurance policies you have.