Disasters – Are You Ready?

Are you ready for any emergency disaster that might occur in your life? Why be ready? Emergencies can happen for any reason, blizzards, floods or even windstorms. Last week I had the chance to attend a local preparedness meeting. It was an interesting meeting and encouraged folks to be prepared. The meeting not only covered the steps to being prepared but they encouraged folks to get involved. There are many agencies such as CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) and the American Red Cross that are always looking for volunteers.

 

I think every community should host such a meeting. Some of us may already be prepared for any disaster that might come along but there are many people that are not. One of the officials talked about the storm Irene which did so much damage to the state of Vermont. He said the difference between people’s experience during the storm was whether they were prepared or not.

 

Hurricane Irene was not expected to do much damage to the state but instead it dumped over nine inches of rain in a very short time and cause major flooding. We had all of our children here for a visit including our new grandchild. We were without power for over a week. It wasn’t fun but because we were prepared we did not have any major problems. We had food and water and our home did not suffer any damage. We were lucky.

 

Are you ready for the next disaster that might affect your area? Here are a few tips to help you get ready.

 

First get informed about what might happen. Find out what emergencies are most likely to happen in your area and request information on how to prepare for them. Think about emergency plans for your workplace, your child’s school, or other places where your family spends time. Many of the things you can do to prepare for an emergency, like having a kit ready and making a family plan, are the same for both manmade and natural disaster. The differences in how you should prepare are based on each type of emergency so do the research and make those changes to your plans.

 

Make a plan for what you and your family will do. Be prepared to evaluate the situation. Exercise yours plans, use common sense and most importantly take care of yourself and your loved ones. Create your family emergency plan. Explain the dangers of all hazards such as fire, severe weather, and hurricanes to children. Plan to share the responsibilities and work together as a team.

 

Create a shelter in place plan. Sometimes the best thing to do is to remain indoors to protect yourself. Examples of this would be a chemical release or more commonly, severe weather activity, such as a major snow storm.

 

Build a kit of emergency supplies. It is very important that when an emergency happens, you and your family need to be ready to respond. Too much time can be lost when trying to scramble around and get things together. Having a ready bag that can be easily transported to where it’s needed will not only ensure that you have the necessary items should an emergency happen, but it will also give you peace of mind knowing that you have what you and your family needs. They suggested using a white bucket to store these items in:

1. Water and food for three days. Be sure to include a can opener.

2. A weather radio and flashlights, be sure to include extra batteries.

3. A first aid kit that includes any prescriptions medication.

4. An extra set of car keys and credit cards, cash or travelers checks.

5. One change of clothing and a blanket or sleeping bag.

6. Special items for infants, elderly or disabled family members.

7. Small toys, games or books to keep children occupied.

8. Keep copies of important family documents in a waterproof container.

8. Food and water for your pets.

9. Safety equipment such as a multipurpose tool, thick gloves, heavy shoes and protective eyewear.

 

Obviously all these items may not fit in a white bucket but keep the items in a designated space so that should an emergency arise you know where everything is and you will be ready to go.

 

Are you ready? Disasters can happen anytime, with or without warning. Take steps now so that you will be ready for the next emergency that might occur. You’ll be glad you did.