National Preparedness Month 

8/29/2017 (Permalink)

Disasters Don’t Plan Ahead. You Can!

Plan. Plan. Plan. “Disasters Don’t Plan Ahead. You Can.” That is what National Preparedness Month (NPM) wants you to have in mind during this September 2017, particularly when we still have fresh in our minds the terrifying images of the aftermath of hurricane Harvey in Texas.

How to respond during an emergency? What to do when disaster strikes? We should all take action to prepare! Let’s get ready to help first responders where we live, work, and visit. Engage in preparedness actions at home, work, business, school, and place of worship.

Make a Plan for Yourself, Family and Friends

• Make an Emergency Plan.
• Sign up for alerts and warnings in your area.
• Learn your evacuation zone and have an evacuation plan. Practice evacuating in the car with your animals.
• Check your insurance coverage and review the Document and Insure Property guide.
• Plan financially for the possibility of disaster.

Other steps you can take could be flood-proof important documents by putting them in plastic bags to protect against water damage and keep some cash on hand in case of emergencies.

Making digital copies of important documents and save them on the cloud or a secure cell phone app could become handy in case disaster strikes. Flood insurance policies have a 30-day waiting period before they go into effect. Plan now for floods www.floodsmart.gov.

Natural gas leaks can cause fires following disasters. Knowing how to shut off utilities like gas, water, & electricity is key after a disaster.

Plan to Help Your Neighbor and Community

Almost half of Americans expect to rely on their neighbors after a disaster. Learn skills you need to help yourself and others until help can arrive. That was the case of Carolyn Salazar, a retired Texan nurse who spent the time hurricane Harvey was striking Texas this August checking in with other neighbors. 

Keep your congregation safe. Make sure your house of worship has a plan for all types of emergencies.

Ready Business

Forty percent of businesses never recover after a disaster. Watch this video and plan head.

Develop a preparedness program for your business to plan for & reduce the impact of disasters: www.ready.gov/business

#NatlPrep

#PlanAhead 

Source: www.ready.gov/september