Helping people prepare for disasters

In the event of an emergency, what would you grab as you ran out the door? Karina Vles Warshaw has spent a lot of time thinking about that and in 2016 she and her husband Stuart founded VLES Designs to create a go-bag, so people don’t have to waste time and energy deciding what to bring if they have to flee their homes.

Warshaw has volunteered as a first responder. She jokes that she joined the Bedford, New York Fire Department because she wanted to drive big red trucks. She enjoyed the teamwork involved in fighting fires and the training she was able to receive. Eventually she got certified as an EMT and switched her efforts to that line of volunteer work.

Warshaw met her husband in New York City and when they returned to the city after their time in Bedford, she joined a community response team which was trained by FEMA and the New York Police Department. As part of the course, every student had to put together a go-bag and bring it to class so the students and teachers could discuss the contents. Warshaw found the assignment fascinating, and it sparked her interest in creating a go-bag for others to use in emergency situations.

The VLES GO-bags have over 100 items recommended by FEMA and the American Red Cross. These include a first-aid kit, heavy-duty rope, burn blankets, eye wash, a radio, a cell phone charger, a light, a sterile water bottle, an extra leash for a pet and water packets. There is room for important personal items like cash, credit cards, documents and pictures. Warshaw said that since most emergency situations involve water, the bags are designed to be waterproof.

The bags have reflective piping in strategic locations, several organized modules, a compartment to protect your personal information from radio frequency identification readers, hands-free flashlight straps, a whistle, a foam mat and a padded, zippered laptop compartment. They are designed to meet airline overhead compartment size limits.

VLES Designs is temporarily on hiatus, but they expect to be starting up again soon when Warshaw’s sister, an educator by trade, joins them. They had to close during COVID because they donated all their N95 masks and gloves to doctors, hospitals and police officers. They also had trouble getting water packets because Warshaw said FEMA won’t sell those if there is a disaster somewhere in the country.

Warshaw describes herself as a serial entrepreneur and while she and Stuart were on hiatus with VLES Designs, Stuart and their son Jake purchased Stewart’s Bakery in Williston. The bakery sells to retail establishments like Hannaford, City Market and Healthy Living. Warshaw said the owner was ready to retire after 30 years in the business and Stuart and Jake were both foodies and thought it would be fun. At the time they both loved to cook but weren’t into baking, but Warshaw said that owning a bakery has changed their focus in the kitchen.

Warshaw and her family moved to Vermont in 2013. Stuart and Jake both attended the University of Vermont, so they were familiar with the area. In 2019, they moved to Charlotte when Warshaw, an avid gardener, fell in love with a house on Prindle Road.

Although she no longer feels physically capable of working as an emergency responder, Warshaw spent two years as the emergency management coordinator for Charlotte. This April she ceded that role to Chris Davis, but she continues to help.

Warshaw worked briefly as Brenda Torpy’s assistant with the Champlain Housing Trust and served on one of the trust’s committees. She was on the board of the Vermont Land Trust and on Charlotte’s zoning board, but Warshaw has cut back on her volunteer efforts to help out with the bakery and because she is now caring for her mother, who has moved from Canada to be closer to the family.

“When you see these disasters happen and people go back to their homes that have been destroyed by tornadoes, fires or floods, it’s heartbreaking to see them lose everything,” Warshaw said.

In addition to emergency items, a go-bag can have things that will make a person feel as comfortable as possible if they have to go to a shelter.

“In an emergency you’re under enormous pressure,” Warshaw said. “You’re not really thinking, and a go-bag makes it easier to leave in a hurry.”