Disasters Don’t Wait. Make Your Plan Today.

September is National Preparedness Month. With a pandemic sweeping the world and wildfires continuing to burn out of control, the need for family and community preparedness has never been more apparent. While you can’t know when or where the next natural disaster will occur, we advise that you assemble a basic emergency kit and take some simple steps to ensure you are as prepared as possible.

Plan

The first step to preparing for an emergency is to plan. Know what type of weather-related issues occur most often in your area and prepare accordingly. Decide with your family ahead of time how you will communicate during an emergency. It’s also important to have a plan for where you will meet if you’re separated. Planning these things ahead of time will make it a bit easier when the disaster hits.

Prepare a Kit

Next, you’ll need to prepare a kit. FEMA suggests having a disaster supply kit put together before an emergency happens.[1] That way, you won’t have to waste precious time locating supplies when you need them. This year it is important to be sure you have masks or cloth face coverings for every member of your family as well as hand sanitizer. Check with the CDC for the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 during an emergency.[2] Make sure any prescription medication is stored in an accessible place, and don’t forget to bring it with you if you have to leave during a disaster.

The time to plan and prepare for a disaster is before it happens. Make sure you know what your insurance covers so that you won’t be taken by surprise. Store your disaster kit in a place where it’s easy to get to during an emergency and make sure everyone in your family knows where it is. While it’s not possible to prevent a disaster, it is possible to be prepared.

Contact us for more information on NPM and where you can turn if you need medical help during a disaster.

References:

1. https://www.ready.gov/kit
2. https://emergency.cdc.gov/