Donita Robards, RN, Parish Nurse
Most of us have heard the old motto, “Be prepared.” In the event of an emergency, how prepared are you? Many people believe they are ready because they know what to do. Knowing what to do, doesn’t mean we have taken the time to make a plan or gather supplies.
Perhaps you are wondering why you should get prepared for an event that may never happen. We haven’t had any winter storms that prevented us from getting out of our homes for more than a day or two in recent years. The road crews seem to keep up fairly well, and the stores have reopened after a day. We also haven’t had any major disasters in our area. But the sad truth is, our country has seen a few disasters in recent years, and people were not ready to deal with them. While most people were likely aware that it’s a good idea to have food and water on hand in the event of an emergency, many of them had not taken the proper measures to prepare for the unexpected disasters.
After the events of Hurricane Katrina, FEMA set a new standard. It is no longer just a good idea to have a few supplies on hand in case of an emergency; it is now the standard. It is now each person’s responsibility to have enough food and water to provide for themselves for at least 3-5 days after a major event.
In light of the new standard, it is important to deliberately consider the individual needs of your own family. Do you have small children or babies? Do you have an elderly parent to care for? Is anyone on oxygen or other equipment that requires electricity? What about medication, such as insulin?
Hopefully we will never have to depend on a stockpile of goods in our own home to survive. Yet, it is still good to plan ahead and make a list of what you would need. For additional information, click here.