Emergency Preparedness (Part 2)
In a recent fire in Los Angeles County, a TV newsperson reported that her home was threatened by fire. She and her husband were given five minutes to get out of the house and the community. They were not prepared for this and their decision making in the urgency of the moment was woefully lacking according to her report. Fortunately for her family, their house was not damaged. The experience of this family could happen to us in Sea Pointe Estates. Ask yourself this question. Are you prepared for any emergency? Is your family prepared for an emergency?
The following ideas have been culled from recent newspaper and magazine articles.
- Have a family conference to discuss the subject. Every member should be there. Identify the responsibilities of each person. What they should do and where they should go. What they should take with them. Each adult in the house should have a list of things they should take with them.
- A “grab and go” bag or bags should be prepared. These should contain 2 or 3 days of clothing for the family, personal items, medicines, first aid kits, flashlights, cash, drinking water, food, pet foods, leashes, etc.
- Special photos and jewelry should be identified and the person responsible should have bags stored nearby for quick response.
- Digital photos of important documents should be made and forwarded to a relative, lawyer or other responsible person. These include wills, power of attorney, insurance polices numbers, social security cards, checking and savings account numbers, adoption papers, citizenship papers, vehicle titles, etc.
- Discuss within your family what is important and what needs to be saved. Who is going to be responsible? Who is going to do what?
These are some important website references for personal preparedness:
http://www.redcross.org/prepare/makeaplan.html
http://www.quakekare.com/
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/
http://www.ready.gov/
http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/
http://beprepared.com/Default.asp?
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