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- kim nakahodo - Profile | Pictures | Blog
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I have written about this before, but because my personal family has been hit by the disasters in both Louisiana and Japan, I feel the need to write about it again. (We have heard from most of DH’s family in Japan and all is well. They are on a brown-out schedule and have no water, but they are safe.)
I often joke that I am related to half of Louisiana. Katrina and Rita really did a number on my family down there. Louisianans are generally prepared for one hurricane, but these two together and the massive damage they did was monumental. I went down three weeks after Rita and it was amazing the damage that Mother Nature can wield. (What is also amazing is how insurance companies can COMPLETELY avoid their responsibilities when it comes to their customers, but that’s a different topic all together.)
One of the hats I wear for my job is Emergency Management Communications. Like any other emergency service, preparation is one of the most important things we can stress. The “rule of thumb” is that you should be prepared to be ON YOUR OWN for three days. That is 3 DAYS AND NIGHTS WITHOUT OUTSIDE AID.Think about it.
You need to think about if a disaster strikes, will it be raining? Freezing? You or a loved one could be hurt. You will need to have food, water and medicines for that time. You will need to have food and water for your pets. Do you have enough flashlights/batteries/blankets for everyone? If you have an infant you need formula and diapers.
If your cell phone is destroyed – do you know your relatives phone numbers? Or are you like me and have them programmed into a phone that no longer works.
If your house burns down, car gets blown away or if all of the items in your house were destroyed, can you prove that you used to own them? Do you have a catalog of your “more expensive” items? Serial numbers to your “big ticket” items? If you had to evacuate and your house gets looted, can you prove what was taken?
So what do you do? Well, let’s not panic, first of all. There are a TON of online resources to help you create a disaster plan.
I have great friends at the American Red Cross who talk about preparedness. They have a campaign, Do More Than Cross Your Fingers that outlines what we can all do to prepare for a disaster. The Federal Emergency Management Agency also has great information on their website.
The Kansas City region of Emergency Managers Committee has a website called Prepare Metro KC that gives very Kansas City specific tips and information. This website lists local Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) in the metro. The CERT program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact our area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations.I also found this excellent “How To” guide on Lifehacker that shows you how to create a home inventory. Some of the links are a bit light-hearted, but they have some great ideas about backing up your personal information.
I challenge you to start planning for a disaster if you have not or to update your disaster plan if you have one. I need to update my contact information myself... which is sad since this is what I am SUPPOSED to have done already!
This is good, Kim. Thank you. I linked this on my fb page. I'm glad your family is safe. Both in Louisiana and Japan.Very helpful! I love a blog that takes the panic out of things. I've been feeling the panic building as I see images of Japan and all that they're going through. Then to think of the nuclear fall out possible... Anyway, you are right on with giving specifics we can each do tobe the most prepared we can--sans panic mode. Thank you!
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