- Washington, D.C. - Families
and individuals with concerns about power outages and other
disaster-related
disruptions can channel their worry into preparing for emergencies, said
Joe M. Allbaugh, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA).
The two easiest actions to take are developing a family crisis
communication
plan and collecting disaster supplies.
-
- "Hurricane season is still in force and the winter
storm season is approaching. All members of a family, even small children,
need to know how to react in case of an emergency," said Allbaugh.
"Everyone needs to sit down and go through different possible
scenarios
and discuss fears and concerns and options."
-
- FEMA recommends that families decide how each member
should act if a disaster occurs when they are away from home. The family
should also designate an out-of-state relative or friend as a contact
person.
That way, each member can check in with the contact person even if they
have become separated during the disaster. The family should also discuss
what to do if they are asked to evacuate, including what to bring and how
to deal with family pets. Older children can also be given tasks, such
as locating important items, shutting off utilities or watching out for
younger children.
-
- Families can also collect and store basic emergency
supplies
to ensure their safety and comfort should disruptions occur in
transportation,
electricity or water supplies occur. For example:
-
- Store three days worth of drinking water and food -
especially
food that does not need to be cooked, such as dried fruits and nuts, canned
goods, peanut butter and crackers. Be sure to have on hand a non-electric
can opener. Water can be stored in plastic jugs, such as soft drink
bottles.
The average person needs two quarts of water per day to drink and two
quarts
for sanitation. Remember to store water and food for pets as well.
-
- Have some cash on hand for daily expenditures, but don't
hoard large sums of money.
-
- Have battery-powered flashlights with extra batteries
and battery-powered radios. Don't rely on candles for lighting in case
of power failure as they are very dangerous.
-
- Make sure you have a first aid kit that includes
important
medications for all members of the family.
-
- Consider buying a camp stove, small generator or other
items that might be useful if utilities were unavailable. Remember to test
your generator when you first get it and always run it outdoors.
-
- More information on preparedness can be found on the
FEMA web site, at www.fema.gov.
-
- Link
- &nbs
p;
-
- MainPage
http://www.rense.com
-
-
-
- This
Site Served by TheHostPros
|