Are You Ready?
September is National Preparedness Month, and we have a lot to prepare like getting students ready for school, college, or giving our home a sprucing up. Maybe it’s our time of the year for a home renovation! FEMA has declared September National Preparedness Month. “During National Preparedness Month, FEMA, in coordination with partners all across the country, is asking everyone to take one simple, free step toward being prepared during an emergency like a hurricane, tornado, or earthquake: Make a family communications plan. Why does this matter? Having a family communications plan on hand can literally mean the difference between being with the ones you love the most during a disaster, or the anxiety of frantically trying to find and reunite with your children and loved ones. Think about it: Emergencies don’t always happen when your family is all together. Your kids may be at school. Your spouse may be at work. You may be traveling out-of-town.”
You are probably thinking, how do I go about preparing for an emergency like a hurricane, tornado, or even an earthquake? FEMA has some great resources that we are going to share with you.
Let’s Make A Plan – We never know when a disaster, or emergency is going to arise, and your family may not all be together when it happens. So we should have a plan. Your plan should include how are you going to communicate with each other, a meeting place for everyone to gather, and this plan should involve different situations. Get the kids involved in making your family plan. Call a Family Meeting and Make a Plan! This link has some great information about getting the kids involved. If your family has senior members, you will want them to be ready for a disaster too. For more information about seniors and planning, check out this information. If you have a family member with a disability or an access and functional need, you may need to take additional steps to prepare for emergencies.
Build Your Preparedness Kit – So what should we have in our preparedness kit? Water, food, batteries, flashlights, first aid kit, and much more. Once we have the basic supplies, we need to think about the specialty items that may be needed like prescription medications, diapers, formula, cash or traveler’s checks, important family documents, and blankets.
Others that may be affected by disasters – Now that we have the family prepared, what about our pets? Our pets are affected by disasters too. So what do we need to know. Our pets depend on us for so much and most likely they will need us during this time. If we need to evacuate our home, don’t leave them behind. They most likely cannot survive on their own. The family may have a preparedness kit, but what about our pets. Here is some great information about what to pack for them.
Here are some additional resources that you may find helpful.
Resources:
Make a Disaster Plan for Your Pets
Prepare For Emergencies Now: Information For Older Americans
People with Disabilities – Article from American Red Cross