A grandfather sat by the edge of a lake with his young granddaughter and looked for frogs. The grandfather asked the young girl; if 5 frogs were sitting on a log, and four decided to jump in the water, how many frogs would be left sitting on the log? The young girl said that's easy grandpa; only one frog would be left.

Wrong said the grandfather. What do you mean grandpa, she asked. If there were five frogs on the log and four decided to jump in the water there would be only one frog left on the log because 5-4 is 1.

Wrong said the grandfather. How could that be, she asked. Because said the grandfather, deciding to do something, and actually doing it are two different things. I never said that they actually jumped in, only that they decided to jump in. Making decisions are great, but nothing actually happens until you take action he explained.

Today marks the beginning of National Preparedness Month. Over the next 30 days, I'll provide 30 ways to help you and your family become better prepared for emergencies. I'll provide information and resources, but the important part is up to you. You must take action. You can start today by joining the National Preparedness Coalition, and making a Pledge to Prepare. You can join the Coalition here:

http://community.fema.gov/connect.ti/READYNPM

Take action and make a pledge today and then come back here once a day for the next 30 days throughout National Preparedness Month to get additional information on the next steps you can take to become better prepared for emergencies.