The terrible acts of terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, have many of us concerned about the possibility of more attacks in the future in the US and how they would impact our personal lives. As a result of these acts, our stress level has increased in ways that we cant fully understand. They have made us feel uncertainty about what might happen next. I believe we are more aware of our surroundings while traveling. There are many emergency situations that can drasticly change your lifestyle. There are things that we can do to prepare for the unexpected, thus reducing our stress level now and later. By some simple preparing on our part we can have some since of control over the events. We can make the after math less stressful for our families
1. Determine what kinds of emergencies are most common in your area. Such as earthquake, flooding, fires, high winds, power outage etc.
2. Learn Standard First Aid and CPR. The American Red Cross offers classes all over the US. My husband teaches them and I can assure you that just knowing how to handle a medical emergency can greatly reduce stress and may save a loved one’s life. This lifesaving skill will be needed in many emergency situations.
3. Create an Emergency Communication Plan. If you are separated from your family members at the time of an emergency, all your energies will be on finding out if family is safe. You should have a contact person in another town so that your family members can contact that person with their info and find out about other family members as well. Make sure that all family members know who to contact. When we are stressed, we tend to forget common phone numbers so it is a good idea to write them down for each person.
4. Establish a meeting place and practice meeting there. You should use the same meeting place and not keep changing it. In case of a fire in the home, the kids will know where to go to meet the rest of the family. Also a place where you can meet in case of another emergency such as a family member homes.
5. Assemble a Disaster Supply Kit. There are many articles published on Be Prepared group with directions for these kits. If you cant find them, add a comment and I will send you a link as well as post it in the comment area.. Remember to make copies of essential documents such as powers of attorney, birth and marriage certificates. These are easy to make on CD with your computer also. Just scan the copy and put on CD. CD’s are easier to carry than papers.
6. Check The School Emergency Plan if you have children in school. You need to do this now as you may not be able to reach them when an emergency strikes.
When Disaster Strikes You can and will be ready with just a few simple tasks.
Remember:
Remain calm
Follow advice of local emergency officials
Listen to local radio station for news and updates
First aid may need to be administered
Keep flashlight where you can get to them easily.
Shut off any damaged utilities
Secure your pets for their safety and for others safety
Call your family contact
Check on neighbors and elderly or disabled
If you have to leave- take your emergency kit with you
The American Red Cross has tons of information on their web site and BE PREPARED gather group has tons of articles to help you be more prepared.
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Comments: 34
My heart goes out to the families of 9 11 still today. It was a very sad time.
One ugly lesson from this too, is the fact that there were no local means of protection, or crime prevention either. If caught in a disaster like this, be prepared for bad guys that take advantage in these situations. In some cases even the police can turn into criminals, like some did in New Orleans.
he truly scary thing is that it could happen anywhere. You just dont know who to trust anymore....or can you trust anyone????
BTW, my son put together an emergency kit for a class project...if I can remember it, I'll post a picture of it so others can see it....and I'll link them to this article as well. :-D
Make sure to post it to the BE PREPARED group
This is a subject that is dear to my heart. I think we need to prepare..you are right, the government is not going to help us.
Thanks so much for your comment.
Thanks to Susan for pointing out this article.
Societies seem structured, by those that oversee them, encourage those who work within it to become addicted to its structures, to not be able to survive without what society provides. Therefore modern societies often exist in a very tenuous position.
also if you are on meds for a long term basis and live in an area that has power outages, tornados, hurricanes etc several times a year, you should ask your doctor and or pharmacy if you can get your meds in 3-6-12 month supply. I get my zyrtec and singulair for allergies and asthma in 3 month supplies at one time. I can not imagine not having it and then having an asthma attack during a crisis.
AND don't forget to check on the elderly. They are more susceptible in times of crisis. A "fun" night of no power for a young family could mean death for the elderly if they don;t have battery back up for say oxygen tanks. And in the dark they could fall easily.
Last but not least, make sure you have 2 gallons of water per person per day MINIMUM! And pet food and water for the pets.
We have our water stored in 55 gallon drums but we also have 2 Five gallon containeers and some gallon bleach jugs ful. If we have to evacuate our home quickly, the gallon jugs are light enouh to carrry.
Thanks for the added advice.
Solar and wind power are not as expensive as they used to be, and youi can get a tax credit for obtaining these items. A side benefit is that whenever you generate more power than you use, the power company credits your account!
With this crazy weather, and the unknown terrorist factors, being prepared is something we should all work towards.
I agree that being prepared is so very important. That is why I started the group BE PREPARED. So we could share knowledge and get eveyone to realize how important of a task this is. Together we can make it but alone, we are in trouble.