Natural Disasters and Emergencies: is Your Family Ready?
Thanks - or No thanks - to the 24-hour News Channels, we are constantly bombarded with tragic events occurring around the world. Natural disasters - tsunamis, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, floods - or man-made disasters - such as home invasions, accidents or terroristic activity - are front and center on the news everyday. It is not a question of "if, " but more than likely, "when" an accident or emergency is going to strike you or your loved ones. Will your family be prepared in the event of a worst-case scenario? There are four things that you can do right now to begin the journey to emergency preparedness.
There is an old adage, "Hope for the best and prepare for the worst"- this is a wise motto to embrace. If we can be ready for worst case scenario disasters, then a week long power outage due to an ice storm will be a piece of cake! But are we prepared? A recent survey showed that a majority of American homes do not even have a bandaid, much less a first aid kit in case of emergencies - not only are they not ready for a natural disaster, they can't even bandage a child's scrapped knee!
There are thousands of books on Disaster -proofing your family, but the odds that a family that doesn't own a bandaid would read one of them, are slim! Therefore, here are the top four things you can do to prepare your family for natural or man- made disasters:
1. Have a well stocked First Aid Kit: When an injury occurs, the last thing you want to do is wish you had the proper equipment to give medical care to your loved ones. We all need a first line of defense in our homes to be prepared for an emergency situation - a well stocked First Aid Kit is the answer. At a minimum, it should include assorted bandages, gauze, rubbing alcohol, antibiotic ointment, pain relievers, thermometer, cotton balls and adhesive tape. The size of your first aid kit and its contents will depend on the size of your family, their needs and their lifestyle. Pre-packaged first aid kits are economical and will contain the essential items that you need - you can then customize it by adding things that are tailored to suit your family's individual needs.(If Dad is a diabetic, include some hard candy in the event of diabetic shock, and don't forget your prescription medications and an extra pair of eyeglasses). Now that you have a well-stocked kit, you should familiarize yourself with all the items in it and know when and how to use them properly. It would be a good idea to have a complete kit for your home and smaller kits for your cars, purses or your child's locker at school - you should always have the proper first aid essential on hand.
2. Have batteries, flashlights and weather radios readily accessible: Unfortunately, power outages usually go hand in hand with weather related emergencies, so be sure you have an adequate supply of fresh batteries at home. Keep a working flashlight on every nightstand (you don't want to be fumbling around in the dark- that's an accident waiting to happen!) and have a weather radio nearby to keep your family informed of any watches or warnings in your area so you can take shelter accordingly. Having a radio, flashlights or battery-powered lanterns ready ahead of time (we don't recommend candles because of the obvious fire hazard) and your family can remain safe, informed and relatively calm during any storm.
3. Have a supply of ready to eat food and water on hand: This is just good old common sense - our grandparent use to call it "putting away" for winter. I'm afraid many families today only buy enough groceries to last until the next week's shopping trip - there is no back up provisions in case of emergency. Well, there are all kinds of emergencies - a trucker strike as well as weather emergencies could shut down grocery stores, halting the food supply. As we saw with Hurricanes Katrina and Ike, because of the nature of the storms and their aftermath, help was impeded and people were without food and water for days. Be prepared in advance. We should all have enough rations on hand to get us comfortably by until help arrives - plan on at least 14 days worth (most will tell you 72 hours, but in most cases, it takes on average about 5 days to a week to get back to ‘normal'. Do your part and be prepared so you don't get in the way of first responders or those who were not prepared and must run to an under stocked grocery store) To accomplish this, just add a few more cans of soup, some familiar foods( not army dehydrated food) and some bottles of water every time you go shopping, and you will build up a nice emergency food supply. Store your food and water in a cool dark place, rotating the food every six months - keep an eye on the expiration dates.
4 Have copies of important documents in one place: Where are all of your important documents? Could you recreate your life in the case of a fire? You should have all original documents in a safe deposit box in an out of town bank or fire resistant safe. Make copies of vital papers - all title deeds, insurance policies, warranties, driver's license, Social Security cards, bank statements, investment papers, passport and any other papers that would be key in re- building your life after a disaster. It might also help if you send a second package of copy to an out of town family along with copies of your precious pictures to them as well. Once you have made copies of all of these, keep them in a water and fireproof container that you can easily grab and go in a worst-case scenario (fire or flood). These papers will be essential in establishing any insurance claim in the aftermath of any catastrophic event.
Keep in mind, the government is not your Mom; they do not keep all of your vital information stored in one place!
This article is not intended to scare anyone - but with a little advance preparation, our families can have a greater sense of security and peace of mind. Make sure to follow the government and the first responder's directions so you do not become part of the problem. Again, "hope for the best, and be prepared for the worst" - Be smart. Be prepared.
Lisa Love is a passionate advocate for preparedness training so that everyone can be more equipped to deal with natural or man made disasters. We are here to provide you with our top of the line, locally manufactured products(made in the U.S.A.) to serve all of your first aid needs and offer innovative items customized for your particular situation. For more information go to http://www.firstaidnmore.com
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com
