Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Emergency Preparedness – Why Preparation is Key for Families

Accidents and emergencies happen when you least expect them is an old adage that seems to be self-evident. Another old saying passes along the wisdom that rain falls on both good and bad people. In other words, anyone can end up in an emergency situation at any time. Simply put, accidents and emergencies can and will happen to people who are prepared for emergencies and to those who never give a thought to the fact that a crisis may arise for them or their family. That said, the person who has done some preparation in advance weathers the crisis or emergency better in most cases. There are a number of reasons for this.

First, an individual that has considered that an emergency might strike them or their family and has taken some basic emergency preparedness steps will feel more comfortable even when a crisis is not looming. For instance, if they have done emergency fire drills with their children and family members, establishing routes to get out of the house in an emergency, they will feel more confident if a fire happens. The same will be true for doing earthquake drills or tornado drills at home if you happen to live in a region of the country that may be affected by these types of natural disasters.

Second, by having a mind-set that looks at preparation for emergencies as a regular practice, you will be less likely to panic if an emergency does arise. After all, you will have considered what you might need and what you might do while not under pressure. Add to that the fact that it is always easier to gather emergency supplies or purchase an appropriate preparedness kit before a crisis and while not in the midst of one. We have all watched news reports about mobs of people buying basic supplies and emergency equipment in advance of hurricanes or severe weather. How much better would you feel if you were in an area about to be hit by severe weather and had the confidence you already had an emergency preparedness kit on hand?

Obviously, each person's situation is different and each crisis or emergency that may come along might require different items. You might be in a situation where you need water, food, blankets, flashlights or medical supplies. Then again, the situation may simply be that you have no power at your home for a day and if would be good to have a battery powered radio and extra water on hand. But they key is that if you have some specific and more general emergency preparedness kits on hand, you will be far better off than a person that has done no preparation in advance.

Finally, if you have decided that preparation in advance is a good way to go, remember that it is always a good idea to have some emergency supplies both at home and in your car. You will probably want a self-contained kit in your car that is compact, while at home you can have both a mobile kit and an area or box designated for emergency supplies. Sealable plastic containers are a good idea for storing home supplies of many kinds because they are waterproof and can double as water storage containers if needed.

About the Author

Remember, preparation before an emergency is always preferable to just reacting during an emergency. For more information on preparing for emergencies, visit http://www.1800prepare.com/.

Rocky Cole


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