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As I noticed trees bending ominously across the road, I drew my son into a windowless hallway and we rode out what was in fact a Category 1 tornado. We were without power for three days.
Disaster can strike in minutes.
It has been only 30 days since the last Better Living eZine. But in that time, two major hurricanes have pelted our southern coast; an historic American town has been forever altered; and we've all seen countless images of desolation and loss.
What If It Happened To You?
As we watched the heart-wrenching footage surrounding Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, I'm sure many of us thought "What if that were me?" How would it feel to lose everything? Think harder about that question. What if it happened to you? How would you handle it?
- If you were given the order to evacuate, would you know which documents to take with you? Would you be able to find them?
- If a disaster knocked power out for a week, would you be able to survive for at least three days? Would you know what to do after that?
- Do you know how long you have to file a claim in the event of damage to your home?
Avoid Being A Victim
Experts agree that the best way to mitigate a disaster is to be prepared. The more you can tend to your needs and those of your family after a disaster, the better off you'll be and the more you'll help the recovery effort around you –emergency personnel will be free to focus on those who can't help themselves.
And while being prepared obviously won't prevent disaster from occurring, it will help lessen some of the stress and put you on the road to recovery that much more quickly.
Three Ways to Prepare for Disaster
What can you do to prepare for the unthinkable? While there are several tasks you'll need to do to fully prepare for a disaster, I've pulled out three that you can complete with just a little time and effort. They are:
- Organize your essential documents
- Assemble "grab & go" bags
- Declutter your environment
Organize Essential Documents
If you're ever ordered to evacuate your home, you'll need to quickly gather and pack essential documents. These are documents that prove your identity; contain vital contact information, account numbers and codes; and would be difficult to replace.
Documents that prove your identity verify your date of birth, what you look like, proper spelling of your name and your official signature. They include:
- Copy of driver's license or other photo ID
- Birth certificate
- Passport
- Copy of SSN card
Documents that contain vital contacts, account numbers and codes include:
- Your employer
- Banks and investment institutions
- Credit card companies and copies of your credit cards (both sides)
- Insurance agents and appraisers
- Utility companies
- DMV
- A list of PINs, passwords and user codes
Documents that are difficult to replace are:
- Unique family documents
- Medical records and immunizations
- Citizenship or naturalization papers
If you do not currently have a system for organizing and retrieving these documents, make this task a top priority.
Assemble "Grab & Go" Bags
A "grab & go" bag is a backpack loaded with supplies you'll need if you have to evacuate. You can also use the disaster provisions if you must take shelter in your home. The American Red Cross sells ready-made Emergency Supply Kits from their web site at http://www.redcross.org.
Or assemble your own. You'll need to pack one bag for each family member with enough supplies to last three days. Here's what you should pack:
- Travel-size toiletries
- Flashlight with batteries
- Extra glasses, if needed
- Whistle
- Prescription medications
- Bottle of water
- High-protein energy bars
- Change of clothes, with extra underwear for children
- Small soft comfort toy for each child
- Family photo (one for each child) with love note on back
- Credit card & cash (at least $300)
- Family first aid kit
- Essential documents
- Extra set of keys
Store your emergency supply kits in a central location. Check the bags and refresh supplies every six months or at least once a year.
De-clutter Your Environment
When it comes to disaster, who thinks about clutter? But in tornado or hurricane force winds, clutter in and around your home can turn into deadly airborne missiles. Fire feeds on clutter as so much added fuel. And clutter blocking exits and passageways can mean the difference between life and death.
By de-cluttering, you'll improve the safety of your environment. You'll also find that less clutter means less to worry about, less to insure and less to replace if damage occurs.
© 2005 Jackie Kleinschmidt, All rights reserved.
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