Ready for an Emergency

The United States Department of Homeland Security wants Americans to be prepared for any type of emergency. President George W Bush has proclaimed that September is "National Preparedness Month."

"From wildfires and earthquakes in California, to hurricanes and tropical storms along the Gulf Coast, to flooding in the Midwest, recent events remind us more than ever that we must prepare ourselves and our families for a disaster," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. We must be prepared so emergency services can first tend to those who can not tend to themselves.

In three simple steps, you can be ready.

First, build a basic kit for your family:

Water (enough for 3 days for your whole family)

Food (3 day supply of non perishable food). Remember the can opener if you have canned food in the kit.

NOAA radio battery operated (with a spare set of batteries)

Flashlight (with a spare set of batteries)

Candles and matches

First Aid Kit

Dust Mask

Toilet Paper, plastic trash bags and twist ties for personal sanitation

Pliers and utility knife

Local map

Second, make a plan:

Your family may not be together when the emergency strikes, make sure you have a designated meeting place that will be easy for your children to get to. How will you contact them without cell phones? Make sure they always have coins to use public phones and have one phone number memorized in case of emergency (again, no cell phones). Determine what their school and daycare emergency plans are.

Third, be informed:

Find out what your local authority's emergency plans are. Know what types of emergencies may happen in your area and know how to respond to each one. Know what your company's emergency plan is.

You can get more information and help your community by visiting FEMA's Citizen Corps and Homeland Security's Ready America sites.