Are You Ready for an Emergency?

Hurricane Katrina, closely followed by hurricane Rita, should have taught us all a good lesson or two about the value of being prepared. For one thing should you be involved in a true disaster situation it is not wise to think that someone else, especially "Big Brother", will bail you out, at least in a timely manner. You may well have to be your own first responders and survive the first few days on your own. For another, unless you are well prepared for an emergency well in advance, there is little hope that you will be able to do much to improve your situation immediately after disaster strikes. Even taking a few simple steps to prepare you and your family for an emergency may well be the difference between life and death. While that may seem to be a dramatic statement I expect that those directly in the path of Katrina and Rita would readily agree. One of the most important things to do is to have a written emergency plan in place for you and your family to follow in the event of an emergency. This plan will serve you well regardless of the cause of the emergency. The plan should include the following items and a check list: 1. A predetermined place to go should you be separated from other family members. 2. ID bracelets or ID cards for all family members. This is especially important for small children. 3. A telephone number outside of your immediate area that is known by all family members. This number may be a willing relatives number or even a 24/7 answering service. It is a good idea to include the number on your ID bracelets. 4. Enough food and water stored in a safe place to last for at least a week. MRE's and bottled water, plus water purification kits, are the best bet. 5. An emergency supply of extra clothing, blankets, soap, toothpaste, and the like should be packed away and ready to go. Your emergency supply kit should be compact enough to be easily stored in whatever mode of transportation is available to you. 6. If you or any family member require prescription medicines be sure to keep at least a few extra weeks supply on hand. 7. A complete first aid kit is an obvious but often missing item that should not ever be overlooked in any household. 8. Most importantly keep some reserve cash on hand. Don't expect ATM machines to work in a severe emergency situation. Your checks will probably not be accepted either. Cash would usually be best. In a prolonged national emergency, especially one caused by a WMD terrorist attack, gold would become king. 9. Don't forget that gasoline may well be in short supply if evacuation is required. Be sure to keep a full tank of gas in your vehicle if there is the slightest possibilty that you may have to evacuate. Keeping a five gallon can or two of extra gasoline on hand is also well worth while. Just be sure that you use proper storage containers and store the gas far away from heat sources and your living area. 10. Be sure to own a hand cranked radio. Being able to receive weather reports, news, and instructions from authorities could mean the difference between mere discomfort or survival. 11. Sadly, given today's possibility of a WMD terrorist attack, if you live in or near high density population areas gas masks should be included in your survival kits. I'm sure that you can think of other items to add to this list. No doubt that it is expensive and difficult to cover all of the bases when the nature and full extent of an emergency may be unknown in advance. However, should disaster strike even a modest amount of advance planning will pay huge dividends. In the dangerous world we live in everyone should set aside a little time and put together a well thought out written family emergency plan.