National Preparedness Month

9/22/2015 (Permalink)

Ready for any size disaster.

September is National Preparedness Month and SERVPRO Industries, Inc. is once again proud to be a member of the National Preparedness Month Coalition and is committed to helping the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in their efforts to promote the importance of preparedness planning.

As we think about National Preparedness this month the news is littered with horrific stories of wildfires in the west and hurricanes developing in the east and of course we are at the 10th the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.  Fortunately, in the Midwest, we don’t have to worry too much about wildfires and hurricanes in our area. Unfortunately we do have to deal with disasters from tornadoes, flooding and the ever-present threat of earth quake from the New Madrid fault.   

National Preparedness Month is a great time to plan for something we really never want to think about. We only need to look as far as 250 miles southwest of us in Joplin Missouri to be reminded that it can happen to you.  Being in the disaster business for almost 30 years, I can tell you some stories of devastation. From Hurricane Andrew to the North ridge Earthquake I have seen the devastation first hand. 

Take time this month to plan to protect your most valued assets. There are several great references available that I will list at the end of this article but truthfully you can overwhelm yourself with it all.  If you haven’t started a disaster plan yet, start slow. Here is a summary of what I think are the simplest and most important planning measures to start with.

1) Have an escape plan and make sure everyone in your family know it.   

2) Have a plan to meet up with your entire family.  Sometimes not everyone is home when disaster hits and communications are down. Have two rally points where everyone knows to meet.

3) Have at least a 3-day supply of food, water and clothes.

4) Be informed. Make sure you have a battery or crank operated NOAA radio to stay informed by news agencies.

5) Keep all important documents including insurance information in one safe and easy to access location.

6) Have some cash and coins on hand.

7) Have a plan for your pets and senior citizens.

8) Maintain and revisit your plan each year. 

We hope this information helps and remember SERVPRO is Faster to any Disaster.

References:

www.ready.gov

www.fema.gov

www.redcross.org

www.SERVPROfranklincounty.com

Fun (or not so fun) Disaster Facts:

-Flooding is the most common natural disaster but most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage.   

-Food lasts about 4 hours in a refrigerator after a power outage. 

-Over ½ of the victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy were senior citizens. 

-90% of the declared natural disasters are floods.