Disaster Emergency Preparedness - Emergency Preparedness Kits - Family Emergency Preparedness

Are You Prepared For An Emergency or Natural Disaster?

The answer for most people is, “No.” Up until several years ago, we were among those totally unprepared for a natural, environmental, medical, man-made disasters, terrorism, pandemic flu or any other type of disaster. Emergency Preparedness simply means being prepared for all kinds of disasters. The area we live in is incredibly beautiful. But for each season, there is a reason to be prepared. We have experienced tornadoes during all seasons, spring floods, ice storms, and power outages from all of them. We even had a hurricane roll over us several years ago with flooding rains and 80 mile an hour winds. The lightning alone from some of the spring storms in recent years has knocked out our power for up to four days. And lately we have been having a series of small earthquakes. One never knows when a disaster will strike, so the best way to deal with any type of disaster is to make the necessary preparations before they happen.

What if there was a medical emergency at home? Do you have a medical kit, know first aid or what to do if someone needed immediate medical attention? Last year, almost to the day, I slipped, fell down a hill and hit my head - hard - on a rock. We had nothing in the house to treat it and ended up in the emergency room. You can bet we have an emergency medical kit now.

You want to make sure you have the necessary supplies to sustain you and your family in case of an emergency. This includes water, food, flash lights, candles, duct tape, blankets, medication if you are taking any, escape ladders, weather radios, power source back up and a plan for each type of emergency. There are survival kits available that provide all the necessary items for an entire family to survive for several days.

We had to learn the hard way about being prepared. After a snowstorm left us without power for a week, we realized just how ‘powerless’ we really were and would be if there were a national disaster or devastating event. We did some research on being prepared and stocked up according to what we would need in case of an emergency. Doing just a few simple things can make your life a little easier in the midst of an emergency. Figure out what aspects are relevant to your lifestyle and start planning and preparing for whatever may come. However, there are some basic things everyone needs such as water, food, and medical supplies. Have an emergency evacuation plan in place and make sure everyone in the family knows where all emergency supplies are kept, the escape routes, where to meet if separated and understands what to do. Some additional tips for emergency preparedness are: be informed about what specific disasters could affect your community, learn about community response plans, evacuation plans, and designated emergency shelters. Find out how your community is alerted to impending disasters and plan accordingly. Be sure to make special plans for the elderly, disabled and your pets.

This article written by "Safe Home Sue", a product specialist for Safe Home Products®