Health & Fitness
Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail-Don't Leave Your Family Unprotected.
September is National Preparedness Month. Over the next 30 days I'll provide 30 ways to assist residents to become better prepared for emergencies in order to protect themselves and their families.
As I continue to work through 30 ways in 30 days for individuals and families to become better prepared for emergencies, I cannot reinforce strongly enough the importance of having a Family Emergency Plan. If you have not yet done so; you can download a Family Emergency Plan Template here:
http://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/documents/files/Family_Emegency_Plan.pdf
As you consider planning ahead for emergencies it's a good idea to reflect on why this planning is important:
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- Disaster can strike quickly and without warning.
It could potentially be forced to evacuate your neighborhood or alternatively could be confined you to your home.
You have to consider in advance; what would you do if basic services you rely on everyday, such as water, gas, electricity, or telephones were suddenly cut off? While local first responders and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, their response resources may be overwhelmed, and they may not be able to reach everyone right away. You need to consider planning for your family for up to 72 hours before help may arrive.
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- Knowing what to do is your best protection and your responsibility.
When asked to provide reasons why they failed to prepare and plan ahead, often times people respond "I never thought that something like this could happen here, and happen to me"
- It can happen anytime; anywhere, and it can happen to you.
At 4:56 a.m. on February 29th (LEAP DAY); with very little warning, an EF-4 Tornado tore through the town of Harrisburg in Saline County, killing seven people in Harrisburg and injuring hundreds more.
I responded to the Harrisburg tornado as part of the statewide Emergency Management Assistance Team for three days immediately thereafter, and by sunrise the next morning our team was performing damage assessment in the tornado's path of destruction. Take some time to view the CBS NEWS video here of this devastating storm which was to Youtube on-line to get a better understanding of just what can happen, and how being prepared can assist your family in responding and recovering from such an event.
