Disaster Recovery News

Recent disasters like earthquakes, floods and tornadoes naturally cause households to think about creating an emergency disaster plan. While a plan and an emergency kit take time to prepare, this will never be time wasted. When you have 10 minutes or less to get out of your home, it is vital that you are ready to get-up and go without any regrets.

Steps to Creating an Emergency Preparedness Plan

• Keep non-perishable foods and water on-hand. You can store these in a plastic bins or a strong bag. While the large barrels of emergency food you can purchase are handy, they may be too heavy to lift if you need to evacuate in a hurry.
• Create a dedicated space for your emergency-only supplies. In this area, keep your emergency food and water, batteries, radio, pet accessories, medications, clothes, blankets, cell phone charger, cash, a list of important phone numbers, flashlight, first aid kit and activities for children. It is also a good idea to keep copies of important documents in this area, such as passports, contracts, insurance policies, pictures, car titles, health information, vaccination records and so on. Keep the copies of the documents on a flash stick or memory card and photocopies in an envelope.
• When creating your plan, think about all of the disasters (natural and manmade) that could happen at work, home, school or even a friend’s house. For each situation, create a safety plan that includes what to do, who to call, where to meet and how to stay safe.
• If you purchase a prepared emergency disaster kit, make sure you know what is in it so you know how to supplement the pack.

Regularly conduct practice drills with your family at different times of the day. This will help you learn if you need to fine-tune parts of your plan.

Learn more about disaster preparedness for the whole family.

[photo: Global X]

President Obama assured everyone on Friday that preparing for Flood Season 2009 is not a complicated thing, but it is critical. He stated: “It’s a matter of having a basic emergency supply kit with items such as water, some nonperishable food, an all-weather radio, a flashlight, a first-aid kit; making an emergency family plan; staying informed of developments in your area; and learning about your community’s emergency plans.”

The President is confident that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is ready for action under the leadership of its new director, Craig Fugate.

Fewer hurricanes are predicted to affect the United States this year, but residents that could be affected are warned to still be prepared just in case. After all, it does take just one hurricane to cause enough devastation to last for years. It is estimated that 35 million people in the country live in hurricane-prone areas.

Experts advise that not only residents should be prepared for hurricanes, but tourists should prepared be as well. It would be wise for travelers to pack an emergency disaster kit should the weather expected change with little notice.

Learn more about disaster preparedness.

The news today is full of stories about natural disasters, virus outbreaks, acts of violence, and threats to public health. Everyone can do their part to prepare for the unthinkable, and doing so can help one deal with such situations in a more effective manner.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Red Cross have provided the following simple steps to help one prepare for an emergency. Click on an underlined phrase below to learn more information:

1. Make a kit and gather emergency supplies.
2. Make a disaster plan for your family.
3. Learn how to take immediate shelter where you are.
4. Understand quarantine and isolation, what they are, and how they work.
5. Learn coping tools to help you and those you care about can use during tough times.

In these uncertain times, it is important to be ready for any emergency event.

Learn more about disaster preparedness and disaster recovery.

Photo by e k p.

Texas and Louisianna are watching Hurricane Ike closely as it just misses the Florida Keys and continues to build strength in the Gulf of Mexico. Ike is expected to reach the U.S. this weekend somewhere along the Texas-Louisiana border.

The Governor of Texas, Rick Perry has already declared disasters in 88 Texas counties to help in the hurricane preparations needed as Ike looms. 7,500 National Guard men and women are currently on standby as well. Ike’s pathway is still not entirely clear but FEMA and the National Hurricane Center are keeping a close watch on it so that they can properly give evacuation orders in the next 48 hours.

In Louisiana, residents are being told to prepare hurricane emergency kits – water, food, batteries, etc. – even as thousands of residents remain without power after Gustav. Even if Ike does not directly land in Louisiana, winds and rains are still expected to pummel the area.

Check out the latest press release from FEMA, Get Serious, Be Prepared: Federal Preparedness for Ike for more on what the federal government is doing to prepare residents for hurrican damage.