Are you prepared?
It’s three o’clock in the morning and your whole family is jolted out of bed by a sudden and violent thunderstorm. Lightening illuminates the night sky and powerful thunder shakes the whole house. You can hear the rain beating down on your roof in torrents. A look out the window reveals trees being whipped around wildly by the wind. You watch helplessly as a large tree in your front yard snaps in two, taking the power line with it as it falls to the ground. All goes black- the entire neighborhood has lost power. The kids start to cry and you fumble in the darkness for a source of light. You blindly make your way to the kitchen where you think you may have a flashlight or candle hidden in a drawer. You breathe a sigh of relief as you locate a flashlight, only to realize the batteries are dead. The storm seems to be getting worse, so you decide to wait out in the basement, just to be safe. In the morning you wake to find trees and power lines down all over town – it’s going to be at least a week before power is restored.
You have no way of cooking, no running water, and the food in your refrigerator and freezer won’t last more than a few days… if only you’d been better prepared.
Don’t let a natural disaster or other emergency catch you off guard. The time to prepare is now! Knowing what to do before, during and after an emergency is a critical part of being prepared and may make all the difference when seconds count.
Visit www.ready.gov to learn about potential emergencies that could happen in your area, and how to prepare for and respond to them. You’ll find instructions on how to make a family emergency plan and what supplies should go in an emergency kit. There’s even a fun section just for kids, where they too can learn how to stay safe in an emergency.
Another great resource is www.do1thing.com, where preparedness is divided up into twelve easy steps.
Also be sure to check out all the handy smartphone apps that are available, including the American Red Cross Tornado app.