September is National Preparedness Month 

When the storm clouds come, are you ready to weather the storm? With the recent hurricane in the Bahamas and Florida, the fires and earthquakes in California and Alaska we wanted to give you some tips on how to prepare before disaster strikes. Being prepared doesn’t mean that you need to run out and build yourself an underground bunker and stock it up with canned tuna and stewed tomatoes. It does mean having some things ready in case you need to shelter in place for a little while or having a “go bag” in case you are being asked to evacuate.

Home Work Car – Ready Everywhere

The AARP recommends that people should have a backpack or bag that is easily carried filled with warm clothes and a pair of shoes, a first aid kit, extra prescription medications (be sure to refresh as they go out of date), a spare pair of glasses or extra contact lenses and contact lens solution, snacks that you like to eat (this isn’t the time to try something new. Keeping one bag by the door or bedside with your spare shoes and one in the car or at work is also recommended by the American Red Cross.

What can you do at home to prepare? 

Preparing at home isn’t expensive or difficult, the American Red Cross recommends that you keep $20-100 or more in cash to have in case ATM machines don’t work for a bit. In a rubber maid container, keep extra clothes and shoes, with medications, eye ware, copy of important documents (marriage cert, insurance policies, list of valuables, driver’s license, passports, immigration documentation, and professional licenses, etc.), have 1 gallon per person per day of water plan for 7-14 days if you need to shelter in place, some extra pet food, and a first aid kit.

Stocking up on non-perishable food is also recommended by www.ready.gov. Don’t keep food that you won’t eat, it’s not recommended to try new things as this is a time of stress especially for small children. Canned goods are great, soup, vegetables, spaghetti, meats, tuna, etc. A manual can opener is an important tool in your toolbox.

Tools are another important item for your kit, an adjustable wrench, hammer, socket set, flashlight with batteries and the most important thing you need is the wrench that is required to turn off the gas to the house. It’s important to know where the main breaker is for electricity

and where your gas meter is so that you can turn them off if required because there was damage. You know you need to turn off the gas if you smell gas or if there is a high- pitched noise coming from any pipe in your house. A camping stove is essential if your gas is turned off, you cannot turn it back on by yourself you are required to let the gas????

The last and last but certainly not least is a radio, solar powered or crank powered to keep informed.