Haiti Earthquake: A Reminder to Prepare

With the news about the tragic earthquake in Haiti foremost in the news and many people's minds, now may be an opportune time for you and your family to reevaluate your planning for a disaster in your lives. The specter of natural disasters or even terrorist spawned disasters unfortunately faces all of us, regardless of where we live.

Too often the mere idea of a disaster striking close to home is repugnant enough to cause a denial in our thought process. "It won't happen to me." "The odds of our house being destroyed by an earthquake are so slim that I don't need to worry." "Floods only happen to those in floodplains. I live on high ground, a flood won't bother me." Well, my friend, a disaster can strike you and your family, directly or indirectly. Infrastructure damage to roads, power grids, or even water treatment plants can strip you of basic 'needs'.

Ask yourself, what would you do if you woke up on a Saturday morning with no electricity, no natural gas, no internet or cell phone service, and the police just went by announcing on their PA speakers that the city tap water was now dangerous to drink or use? Oh, and these outages are predicted to last for at least 5 days, and are effecting your entire three state area. And Saturday is your shopping day, so your pantry is running low, as usual. Day one won't be too bad; day two is going to be a pain, but what about days three, four, and five? You might find yourself in somewhat of a precarious position, even though your house is structurally intact.

The tragedy of the Haitian earthquake is a poignant reminder of the frailty of our lives. Can't happen here? Remember Katrina. The difference between Haiti and us is that most folks in this country are fortunate enough to have the resources to provide at least a rudimentary 'disaster kit' for themselves and their family.

Take an inventory today of what you have in your home. Now picture yourself "on your own" for five days. How would you manage? Got enough prescription medicine? Pet food? People food? Water? How's your First Aid kit look? Got a battery operated/dynamo powered radio? And to even complicate things further, what if you were forced to evacuate your home due to a chemical or other hazard? Do I have you thinking yet?

The purpose of this article is not to provide a primer on what should be in your survival preparation inventory. There are many resources available with that information. This article is to prompt you to make the conscious decision to prepare. Please, for your family, do.

Sources for basic information:

http://www.ready.gov/

http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/