Emergency and Disaster Preparedness: It is Up to You

Emergencies, natural disasters, man caused disasters, terrorism...all reasons to be aware, educated and prepared for the unexpected. Are you?

Everyone knows about, has experiences first hand, or is aware of emergency or disaster situations which disrupt lives, disrupt power/utilities, cause bodily harm and/or injury, disrupt communication, and cause the need for emergency measures.

Plan for 72 hours Without Assistance

On average, it is going to be 72 hours before any sort of organized support or assistance will be available for a large scale emergency or disaster. There will be a lot of needs that will not be met in those hours. Everyone needs to be able to take care of themselves, their families and their pets during that time. Having presented community disaster education workshops for over ten years, I am well aware that most people are not prepared. Yes, there are more people now than even ten years ago; however, there is a need for more people to become better prepared.

A Series of Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Information

I am writing a series of emergency/disaster preparedness information articles which I hope will help more people make preparations for themselves and their families. I plan to cover: Food, Water, Cooking/Recipes, Sanitation/Toilet, Medication/First Aid Supplies, Communication, Power Sources, Disaster Kits for your Home/Work/Car, and Tools and Supplies.

Hopefully you will read each of the related articles, choose to save or print them, and act upon the knowledge to help prepare for emergency or disaster situations. All of this takes planning, and FEMA has Are You Ready?: An in-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness to help you through the process. The American Red Cross has information online and through your local chapter; they offer community disaster education workshops and many handouts and resources. There are many agencies which have excellent materials to help you. I will include resources I am aware of, and links to their sites when I am able to. You may wish to search your local Emergency Management resources to discover helpful groups and organizations which may be offering workshops or other resources to assist you through this process. Even though this sounds like an easy task to some, and, a very time consuming and daunting task to others, it is very important and should be accomplished in a way that is most manageable for you. Break the task down, like I did with the articles, and just make one kit, order a prepared kit, or divide the tasks up within your family; make a schedule to accomplish the level of preparedness you are comfortable with.

Prepare for Emergencies or Disasters

This article is intended to get your attention, to ask you if you are prepared for a lengthy disruption of services...no way to charge your cell phone (do you have a land line?), no refrigeration, no electricity, unstable gas lines (do you know where to turn the gas off?), no television signal, no groceries open, no pharmacies open, no banks open, no gas stations open, questionable water supply, so many possibilities to consider. There is no way to be prepared for everything, no one can assure you that you have everything you will need, but it is much better to prepare as well as you can than to be without even the basic supplies that may make a very large impact of those first 72 hours, your comfort and survival.

No one can hide from emergencies or disasters; we are all susceptible and it is in our own best interest to be prepared to take care of ourselves and others if possible. Once you have prepared for yourself and your family, talk with others in your church family, neighborhood, and local community about forming a group which would allow you to share resources and assure support, communication, and emotional support in time of need. Looking out for others is an important part of being prepared. Ready to begin?