The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has designated September as National Preparedness Month, are you prepared? You may think, "It can never happen to me but if it does, me and my family have enough supplies to last us through the ordeal", but are you sure?? If you get prepared, you will be sure!! How do you get prepared for the unknown? Here are some simple steps and products to get you started but you do have to take into consideration which part of the country you live in and what has happened in the past.
Step1: Get A Kit of emergency supplies. Basic Kit:
- Water (one gallon per person per day)
- Non-perishable Food (at least a 3 day supply)
- Battery powered or hand cranked radio or NOAA weather radio w/tone alert and extra batteries
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Whistle to signal for help
- Filter Mask or cotton t-shirt to help filter air
- Moist Towlettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for sanitation
- Wrench or Pliers to turn off utilities
- Manual Can Opener
- Plastic sheeting and Duct Tape
- Important Family Documents
- Items for unique family needs (medicines, baby formula, diapers, etc,)
Think about 2 kits: A big one for your home and smaller version for your vehicle
Step 2: Make a Plan:
Develop a family emergency plan and practice it. Who is going to do what and where when disaster strikes. If you have family or friends that live far away from you, consider using them as the contact person everyone needs to contact because it can be easier to contact them than within your own area.
Step 3: Be Informed about what might happen:
Make yourself aware of what can happen in the event of a natural or man made emergency
Businesses need to be prepared also. If you own a business, you need to have an emergency plan for your employees. Prepare a written plan, give them each a copy and personally go over it with them explaining to them that in the event of an emergency, who is in charge (chain of command), how do they communicate with you and what is their expectations in helping to get the business up and running again. People often want to get back to work because getting back into the routine of work provides them some distraction from outside stressors and gives them the comfort of a paycheck to fix any problems they may have.
You can find tons of useful articles, tips and products at www.ready.gov, www.thereadystore.com and www.redcrossstore.org
Recommended products:
- Family Life Organizer and Planner 2009
- Organize for Disaster: Prepare Your Family and Your Home for Any Natural or Unnatural Disaster
- Jakoter Medic Tag: Programable Flash Drive/Key Chain
- Locket Personal Management Info System - a system that gives you control of your most private documents that is storable, compact and portable, all on a 1GB thumb drive.
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