DV Journal

(From a press release)

The busy holiday season is upon us, and as many are shopping for family and friends, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and Office of the State Fire Commissioner (OSFC) encourage you to think preparedness when choosing gifts for loved ones. By giving a gift with preparedness in mind, you’re helping your loved ones “Resolve to be Ready” for emergencies and disasters in 2025.

“The holidays are a time for celebration and fellowship with those near and dear to us,” said PEMA Director Randy Padfield. “Purchasing preparedness gifts like flashlights, weather radios, and first aid kits are great options to add to the list, which will help your family or friends be ready for emergencies over the holidays and for months to come.”

One or two simple items given as a gift this season can be the start of an emergency preparedness kit for the home or the car. Some basic kit supplies include:

• Water (one gallon per person for at least 3 days)
• Nonperishable food (enough for several days)
• First-aid kit
• Extra phone charger
• Flashlight with extra batteries
• Basic tools
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio
• Manual can opener
• Extra clothes/shoes
• Blankets/sleeping bags
• Hygiene items
• Whistle
• Paper maps
• Trash bags
• Duct tape

In addition, for a car kit consider the following items:

• Jumper cables
• Ice scraper/snow brush
• Shovel
• Kitty litter/sand for traction

While these gifts will help to build a “toolbox” for emergencies, don’t forget to make a plan, communicate it, and practice it so your family and friends are ready when a disaster occurs.

Visit the ReadyPA website for more lists, pet preparedness, and to sign up for emergency alerts.

“Fire safety is paramount during the holiday season. With live Christmas trees in homes, cooking, candles, fireplaces, and heaters kicking into high gear, the risk for home fires increases,” said state Fire Commissioner Thomas Cook. “Practical gifts like smoke and carbon monoxide alarms or a fire extinguisher are excellent ways to show you care as you help to prepare your loved ones for home emergencies.”

Preparing your home to be fire safe should not be overlooked in the busy hustle and bustle of the season. Take the following precautions to reduce the risk of fire:

• hHave a professional clean and inspect your chimney and vents each year
• Plug space heaters directly into an outlet; never use an extension cord
• Install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and test them at least once per month
• Only plug one heat-producing appliance into an outlet at a time
• Store cooled ashes in a tightly covered metal container at least 10 feet from your home/nearby buildings
• Use light bulbs that match the recommended wattage of the light fixture.

And be sure to consider the following actions when decorating:

• Keep candles at least 12 inches from anything that can burn
• Keep trees at least three feet from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, space heaters, candles, and heat vents
• Get rid of your Christmas tree after the holiday or when it’s dry, and
• Read string light instructions and throw away any strands that are worn or damaged.

Resolve to be ready for a home fire by making a basic plan to evacuate to a designated meeting place outside, and then communicate and practice the plan with your whole family.

Visit the OSFC Public Safety website for details on making fire safety plan, how to teach children fire safety, how to make you home safer, and seasonal weather safety tips.

Margot Johnson, a sophomore at Radnor High School, helped start a chapter of the Travis Manion Foundation at Radnor High School, on Veterans Day. She designed the flyer that was distributed at her club table. She has approximately 80 kids who have expressed interest in participating. She is currently collecting basic clothing and household items to help TMF provide for Afghan families who are resettling in the Philadelphia area.

At Delaware Valley Journal, we’re looking for more kids (18 and younger) like Margot who are volunteering with charities, church groups, Scout troops, etc. — or just putting the Christmas spirit into action all on their own! Send us a photo of your favorite Santa’s helper in action, and information about the charity they’re supporting, and you might just see it featured at DVJournal.

PLUS: We’ll pick one of the highlighted charities and make our own $1,000 donation to the cause!

Just send your photo (with names and ages) of the kids you spot helping others — ringing the Salvation Army bell, collecting for Toys for Tots, working at a local food bank, whatever! — and email it to [email protected].

If possible, please include a link to the charity’s website, too, so we can encourage others to support the cause.

Delaware Valley Democrats, some already facing a tough electoral environment next year, got hit with more bad news Friday: Inflation reached a 39-year high, and voters believe the federal spending in Washington is part of the problem.

Friday morning, the Labor Department reported the consumer-price index jumped to its highest rate in 39 years, rising to 6.8 percent in November. It is the sixth consecutive month inflation was higher than 5 percent. That is a blow to Democrats like U.S. Reps. Chrissy Houlahan and Madeleine Dean, who voted for trillions in new federal spending and likely face serious challenges in the 2022 midterms.

Hours later, a new Congressional Budget Office analysis of the Biden administration’s Build Back Better spending plan found the bill would add $2.8 trillion more to the national debt than originally projected. Despite claims by President Joe Biden and Dean that the CBO found the BBB spending plan is “fully paid for,” the agency has always said the proposal will add between $160 billion and $367 billion to the deficit.

“This holiday season Pennsylvania families are having to empty their wallets for gas, groceries, and gifts—and some of them can’t afford all three. Prices have skyrocketed to a 39-year high and consumer prices in the Northeast are up a costly 6 percent,” said Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Lawrence Tabas. “Next November, Pennsylvania Democrats will be held responsible for Joe Biden’s reckless policies, which are hurting Main Street businesses, eating up workers’ gains, and crippling our economy.”

The cost of a frozen turkey for this past Thanksgiving was up 20 percent from last year, and the entire meal cost the average family 10 percent more.

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) said, “Today’s jaw-dropping inflation report should alarm every single American, but especially policymakers. Hardworking American families are suffering as a direct result of the Biden administration’s reckless borrowing and spending and anti-energy policies. If the message wasn’t clear enough before, it’s crystal clear now. Democrats should immediately halt plans to advance their nearly $5 trillion spending spree and the Fed should quickly normalize monetary policy before it falls further behind the curve.”

Guy Ciarrocchi, a Republican running for governor who is on leave from his job as president of the Chester County Chamber of Commerce, said, “Inflation is the cruelest of all taxes. It eats away at a family’s savings each week, each month. The good news is that bad government policies created this; so good policies can fix it. Step one and two: Time for almost everyone to get back to work and let’s get Pennsylvania energy out of the ground.”

Some Democrats are pushing back and claiming costs are actually going down in December and contending their policies are working so the Christmas ham won’t be as pricey as the Thanksgiving gobbler.

“As we head into the holiday season, I recognize that the pressure of increased costs is weighing heavily on many Americans,” said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Delaware Co.). “My colleagues and I are working hand-in-hand with the Biden administration to get people back to work, address supply chain issues, and lower prices — and there is good news on those fronts.

“Americans, on average, have about $100 more in their pockets each month than they did last year, even after adjusting for inflation, thanks to rising wages and the Child Tax Credit passed as part of the American Rescue Plan,” said Scanlon. “In December, costs have also been falling for gas, used cars, and other goods that are driving inflation; these changes aren’t reflected in the latest Consumer Price Index report. I know the past several months have been tough, but we’re moving in the right direction.”

But consumers and business owners are holding onto their wallets as polls consistently show voters believe federal spending is making inflation worse, not better.

Maryann Brown, a pharmacist living in Warminster, said gas prices are down a bit, but other items are up.

“Grocery prices are high so I shop at Aldi or a grocery outlet,” said Brown. “Electricity is going up so I turn off all unused lights. Stamps are up, so I’m sending out fewer cards this year. I use coupons like at Old Navy or Kohl’s ‘cash’ since the prices are up.”

Wendy Klinghoffer, executive director of the Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, said, “Obviously, it’s a major issue because the cost of goods and services went up for both purchasing as well as personnel.”

“For small businesses in particular, this is problematic,” said Klinghoffer. While business owners are reluctant to pass costs along to consumers “at some point they have to in order to stay in business. They have to recoup their costs.”

Meanwhile, the restaurant sector was particularly hard hit during the pandemic shutdowns and is still struggling with food and wages now increasing due to inflation, she said.

Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry President and CEO Gene Barr noted inflation is the highest since 1982.

“Our economy is already overwhelmed with supply-chain issues, a workforce shortage, and an increase in consumer demand, particularly during the holiday season,” Barr said. “A high inflation rate hampers economic recovery and can be particularly painful on small businesses as they are less able to withstand challenges to their financial goals. As products and services get more expensive, there is no doubt that consumption will continue to fall.”

Barr called on Congress to drop the pending tax and reconciliation bill that would add “another $150 billion in transfer payments and tax cuts, plus additional spending will be a recipe for disaster for more inflation over the next year. We must continue to prioritize rebuilding our economy, and this bill is a roadblock to long-term economic recovery.”

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