National Preparedness Month
“You be strong, you survive… You stay alive, no matter what occurs! I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you,” Hawkeye told Cora Monroe in Last of the Mohicans. Hawkeye had to leave Cora, knowing hostile Indians were about to capture her. He knew after he left, he would do whatever necessary to find and save her.
In recent weeks, we've seen the heroism and depravity inherent to any overwhelming tragedy. Our first responses are to pray and to help the victims — with contributions to legitimate, established organizations like Catholic Charities, the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. These organizations already have the infrastructure to help quickly.
For years, disaster experts have told us that if a huge catastrophe happens, it will take several days for help to arrive. They told us we needed to be ready to take care of ourselves until help can arrive. This month showed they were right.
We can be the greatest superpower in the world and still can't fix everyone's problems within thirty minutes, or even within twenty-four hours. We are all at risk for potential catastrophe — earthquake, hurricane, flood, or blizzard. September 11 taught us we are likewise at risk for terror attack that could begin with a plane flying into a building or a bioterror attack.
September is National Preparedness Month, sponsored by the American Red Cross and US Department of Homeland Security.
Preparation and Planning
“During September, the US Department of Homeland Security, the American Red Cross and the National Preparedness Month Coalition Members ask all Americans to take some simple steps to prepare for emergencies, including getting an emergency supply kit, making a family emergency plan, being informed about different threats and getting involved in preparing their communities” — www.ready.gov/npm.
We need to evaluate and prepare our own disaster plans. Our disaster plans should have three parts:
1. Prepare yourself — body, mind, and soul.
2. Prepare an evacuation plan and kit; be ready to leave your home if necessary.
3. Prepare your home in case you have to shelter in it during a disaster.
If you are responsible for children, parents, or friends, include them in your plans. It is better to plan for the disaster that never happens than it is to be unprepared.
Soul: Be ready to meet your Maker. A near-death experience changes your perspective for a lifetime. Do your loved ones know what they mean to you?If you died today, are there unresolved issues and unspoken words? Reach out and let people know they matter.
Body: We are not all Olympic athletes. If we exercise and work out, to the best of our abilities, we will better be able to handle whatever is needed. It could be walking 20 miles while carrying a child or swimming a couple of miles to safety. This isn't just about feeling good or looking good, but about being able and ready to care for our children and protect them.
Mind: Read and educate yourself on disaster plans. Disaster professionals have already given us blueprints for how to prepare for disasters. We can read them and take their advice. The following websites might help:
• FEMA's most comprehensive guide to prepare yourself for an emergency. This was last updated in August, 2004.
• Hints for organizing emergency phone numbers and simple household tasks we should all know how to do.
• How to make a family disaster plan.
• How to prepare a disaster kit.
• How to prepare for a disaster for people with disabilities and special needs.
• Assessing disaster safety. This has a good list of different types of hazards and how to be prepared. Read it and find the risks most pertinent to your area.
• How to help children cope with a disaster.
• How to prepare financially. This has great suggestions for every family.
• FEMA disaster information for kids. This also has a fun quiz for kids, after they go through the site, so they can become Disaster Action Kids, complete with a certificate you can print off the Internet.
Strategies for Leaving and for Staying
If an evacuation order comes, heed it. Leave as soon as you possibly can.
Prepare an evacuation kit — some supplies you can quickly grab and go. Is your kit in a backpack or backpack with wheels in case you get stuck carrying it? Are important papers in waterproof plastic bags in case you get wet? Do you have contacts or glasses? What about medications?
Think wheels as much as possible. Backpacks with wheels, wagons, file crates, etc., are easier to push or pull than carry. Go here for an evacuation kit checklist.
If you must shelter in place for a period of time, you need food and water supplies for your family. The government recommends that you be prepared for at least three days.
If you live in a colder area, you may need an alternative heat source for an even longer time. Go here for information on how to prepare a home, school, or business if you must shelter in place.
In the Old Testament, Joseph predicted Egypt's famine and helped them prepare for seven years of want. Today, we have highways, planes, computers, satellites, phones, and more. No matter how bad New Orleans seems, imagine how much worse it might have been without modern technology. Most of the world wouldn't know a disaster had happened.
Our preparedness is not just something we do for ourselves. It's what we do for our families and those who depend upon us the most. It gives peace of mind.
September is National Preparedness Month. Make the time to prepare yourself and your family. Your life — and the lives of those you love the most — might depend upon it.
Mary Biever is a homeschooling mother of two who publishes encouragement articles and runs Encouragement Workshops For Today's Families.
This article was adapted from one of her columns.
