City Beat Morgan Hill -
Are You Prepared for a Disaster ?
If You “ Do 1 Thing ” at a Time , You Can Be !
By Amy Whelan , City of Morgan Hill
Damage . Destruction . Disaster . No one wants to hear — or read — those words . They loom large and make you want to turn the page .
If nothing is rattling , crumbling , flooding or on fire right now , how urgent can it really be ? “ I ’ ll take care of it later ; it ’ s on my to-do list ,” you think uncertainly to yourself .
Of course , you know you should be prepared for disasters . But how ? It can be overwhelming to figure out where to begin . You might not know how much preparation is enough , what it will cost , and which disaster to pick ; there are too many concerns to think about .
However , if you only had to do one thing at a time , and follow a process with easy-to-understand , small steps , your goal of getting yourself , your family , and your home ready for a disaster can quickly become a reality .
By following the
Do1Thing program you can take small , important steps that make a big difference in an emergency . Do1Thing is a 12-month program that makes preparing for a disaster easier and , therefore , more likely to happen . No need to put it off when it is this simple :
January : Make a Plan Understand what puts you at risk from disasters and take steps to lower your risk .
February : Water Store 72 hours ’ worth of water - three days - for your household use .
March : Sheltering Learn how to respond safely when instructions are given to evacuate or take shelter .
April : Food Prepare an emergency food supply that will meet the needs of your household for three days without outside help .
July : Family Communication Plan Make a communication plan to keep in touch with family members during a disaster .
August : Get Involved Make your community stronger by getting trained and involved .
September : Be Informed Make sure everyone in your household can receive , understand , and act on information received during an emergency .
October : Power Arrange to safely meet your electrical needs during an outage .
November : Emergency Supplies Pre-Packed in a Kit Remember important items that may be overlooked when leaving your home in a disaster .
December : First Aid Learn how to give first aid while waiting for an ambulance .
Sage advice : Benjamin Franklin famously advised firethreatened Philadelphians in 1736 that : “ An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure .” True then and still true today . During a disaster is no time to start planning . The “ ounce of prevention ” you secure now goes a long way toward easing stress , confusion and loss later on . Today is the day !
Resources :
May : Work , School & Community Make sure the people who count on you are prepared for a disaster .
June : Unique Family Needs Educate yourself and prepare for your family ' s unique needs , like caring for pets , keeping medications on hand , or considering older adults ’ mobility .
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