September is National Preparedness Month

A few weeks ago, Ayva and I experienced our first California earthquake. While we were fortunate to not have any damages related to the quake, but it made me start to think of disaster preparedness, and what we would need in the event of a natural disaster. My friend, Elizabeth from the organization Activation ReACT put together this informative post to help my family, and yours, be prepared in the event of disaster.

The month of September is a big month for our country and our families. It is National Preparedness Month being ready for a disaster is important and we need to educate and inform the ones closest to us on what we can do as a family. It isn’t every day you talk to your family about disasters and it may not be the most appealing topic to bring up at the table but it is necessary. There are five important questions to ask one another in case a disaster strikes.

• How will you get in touch with each other?
• Where will you meet?
• How will you get out of your house in case of a fire?
• What if your neighborhood is being evacuated?
• Who will you contact?

Do not hesitate to make a plan. Once you have made a plan, put it into practice and know it well. Some good tips are once you have chosen who you will contact in case of emergency, have every family member contact the same person. Also, have that person, if possible, be someone who lives out of town. If at all possible, text, instead of call. In case of a fire, you have to know where your family can escape to and have at least two ways out, and practice, practice, practice. It would be wise to have older kiddos practice getting to the meeting spot from school and any extracurricular activities. Keep any contact info and meeting spots in easily accessible places throughout the day such as backpacks, wallets, notebooks, taped on doors and refrigerators.

In the month of September and as often as possible, equip your family with a plan for a disaster. Know who you will call, know where you will meet, and practice alternate routes, know the fire escapes in your home, and know the plan for a neighborhood evacuation. You can never be too prepared. For further information, go to Ready.gov.