ARE YOU READY ?

Preparing for Natural Disasters

The first step is to determine your risks. Do you know which weather-related emergencies are prevalent in your area? You need to become well informed of weather concerns in your community. If you are new to an area, ask your neighbors, local officials, etc. about previous preparations for weather-related emergencies and any information about evacuations. Which months are the most active for weather-related emergencies in your area? Does data exist for the past 5-10 years on how severe these weather-related emergencies have been? This is the first, and one of the most important steps- becoming informed of the possible risks in your area. You must also become familiar with the meanings of weather advisories, watches, and warnings.

Once you have identified the potential weather-related risks in your community, then it is time for a "plan"! Every person should have a "disaster or family plan" which is reviewed yearly, prior to the seasons for hurricanes, winter storms, tornadoes, etc. This plan should be written and reviewed with each member of your family. It should be updated as needed.

You can get additional information from your city or state office of emergency preparedness, or local American Red Cross chapter to help you develop your plan. Knowledge is power! I survived Hurricane Katrina (2005) because I heeded the warnings and had a plan. Planning when an active weather-related emergency is brewing is too late! You will find that there are lots of people who wait until the last minute to get gasoline, purchase needed supplies, and unfortunately get caught on roads and highways at the height of the storm. Preparing ahead of time can save your life, or at the least, keep you from a lot of hassles and misery.

You probably now want to know, "when should I prepare"? I used to tell people to devote 1-2 days prior to the hurricane, tornado, or winter seasons to start the preparation process. Now I believe that we should be prepared "all year-round". It is better that we do not wait until the last minute to prepare, but should be in a "preparation mode" all of the time. For those of you who do not want to, or cannot afford to be prepared "year round", I recommend that you start preparing 1-2 months before the season begins. For hurricanes, whose season begins June 1, I recommend that preparations begin in April and/or May. For tornadoes, whose peak season is March through May, I recommend that preparation begins January and/or February. Tornadoes can occur any time of the year, so this is another weather-related emergency for which people should be constantly prepared. For winter storms, I recommend preparing during the months of September and October.

Find out your employer's disaster plan, as well as the disaster plan for your children's school, your pet's veterinary clinic, etc.

Learn more about hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes, earthquakes, and winter-related storms (www.fema.gov). Also - make certain that you have a "Plan B". You might need to change a route for evacuation, need to find another gas station (other than your favorite) for gasoline, etc. You should have at least 2 escape routes. Identify early where you will evacuate to. You might even want to take a "trial" trip to see if the place you choose is feasible. Check with family members and friends who will be able to assist you with your evacuation.

Since evacuating may be an increasing necessity in some circumstances, I recommend that you determine where you are going to evacuate well in advance of any storm. Besides, what would you do if there were a toxic substance leak in your neighborhood, and you were told to evacuate, perhaps as long as a couple of days? Where would you go? What would you bring? When we think of evacuations, we think of weather-related conditions, but we must be aware that we might be asked to evacuate at any time for reasons other than weather!