Saturday, March 23, 2013

Prepare for Disasters Part 1

 


   Here in the south Louisiana we are use to preparing for hurricane season. Every year when a hurricane is in the forecast to hit our area, it amazes me to see people scrambling around for last minute items. I wondered why anyone knowingly waits until the last minute to gather all the items that they will need.
    In the next few weeks I will post some helpful tips to prepare for all sorts of disasters. Most of these will pertain to hurricanes due to the fact that it is what I know best. The tips however, will be useful for everyone in any sort of disaster. As a first responder, I have first hand knowledge of what happens when people do not prepare or are not prepared enough for an emergency. 
   After living through the disaster known as Katrina, it made all of us here on the Gulf Coast on edge. For a little while anyway.  Katrina has been behind us for a few years now and a sense of complacency has started to take effect with some. Was it a once in a lifetime storm? Preparing now will save everyone from the mad dash to the stores for essential items that may not be there. 



First thing that is extremely important. Money. I know money is tight for everyone, but there should be a small emergency fund in ready cash. During Katrina, the banks were shut down for weeks and no one had access to their money from an ATM. Generators were great to have, but how will you buy gas if you can't access money from the bank?





If you don't have a fund for emergencies, start now. How much you will need will depend on your family's needs and whether you are riding the storm out at home or leaving town. Keep this money somewhere safe, but where you can grab it and go if the time comes.  

Hurricane season starts June 1st. 




25 comments:

  1. I live in Florida and we have to deal with this yearly. At least we know when a hurricane is coming and can get ready.

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  2. It is so important to make sure that if a family is in a hurricane area to make sure that they are prepared for it. Not having the necessities to sometimes ride out a storm can be dangerous. Thanks for this important reminder!

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  3. wisconsin has a lot of tornados and this would be a handy gadget to have around

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  4. im in MN, so Im in the same boat as Sharon. We get lots of nasty tornados. been lucky enough not to have been through one myself

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  5. I live in CA where we have to worry about earthquakes. Thankfully we have not had any really bad ones yet.

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  6. They have safes at Staples. Thanks

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  7. I used to live in Tornado Alley. This is actually really good advice.
    Thanks.

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  8. Great advice, you always think of food and water but having extra money around is usually forgotten.

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  9. good news to know if the volcano blows here!

    My Name: Heather Abbe
    My Email: abbegirl1977 at gmail dot com

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  10. I live in Florida, and every year in May - I restock my hurricane kit. It's better to be prepared, than not.

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  11. Great post and advice! We have tornados a lot around here..

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  12. I have some food and supplies set aside but I never thought about a disaster fund set a side. Will start putting a little aside each week. thanks

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  13. I only got into disaster prepping last year. In July we had a huge wind storm and lost power for 11 days. It was horrible and for 3 days you couldn't even buy gas. Thankfully I had my car full so I was able to leave this area to buy the supplies we needed.

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  14. Kinda always in the back of my mind. I need to really take my fears seriously. get a grab-n-go bag ready for my family. I do have all our important documents together.

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  15. I think we've had the last big snow storm here in Colorado. Tornadoes are possible, but not likely. Still important to be prepared.

    slehan at juno dot com

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  16. In Missouri we have a lot of tornadoes! It's the only thing about spring that I don't like!

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  17. I used to live where tornadoes and river flooding were more common, and our go to emergency preparing didn't require too much effort (well, we were lucky that we didn't have to find out). Now I live where the chance of flooding or tornadoes are less likely. Hurricanes even more unlikely. Yet, as we probably all have witnessed over the years, weather and Mother Nature will always surprise you when you least expect it. Like you've stated, having an emergency fund is probably the most sensible step to take for any unpredictable situation in my opinion. I can't imaging having to go through Katrina. I always think those that live on the coast are far more brave than myself as I would be always on edge trying to think of the worst that could happen and worrying if I've done enough to prepare. Thanks for sharing your first crucial piece of advice!

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  18. My husband is getting pretty good at preparing us!

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  19. Im so glad I dont live in an area that is prone to hurricanes.

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  20. Michelle HendersonMay 1, 2013 at 7:01 PM

    A disaster fund is a great idea. I can tell you that this is one thing people do not think about and one thing they definitely need when an emergency hits.

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  21. We not only have a "disaster" fund but we also have a "go bag" for ourselves as well as our cat with essentials such as water and a few jerky logs.

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  22. I live in Florida, and always keep a hurricane kit stocked with essentials, and extra water too.

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  23. We usually have a small amount of cash at home, but I never thought about having an emergency envelope. I think that this is an excellent idea and I want to implement that immediately. Thank you.

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