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Disaster Preparedness 101: In the last decade we’ve seen numerous disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast, floods in Pennsylvania and Georgia, tornadoes and severe winter storms in the Midwest, earthquakes and fires on the West Coast, and one catastrophic terror attack in Manhattan. All of these tragic disaster events, large or small, cause both us (and our government) to panic. This often leaves us creating new laws and regulations, hoping to calm our frazzled psyches. We can no longer take nail clippers aboard a plane, for fear that they may be used as a deadly weapon to bring an aircraft down in mid-flight. Feel better now?

Of course not. This isn’t disaster preparation. This is spin control that makes us feel better. Real disaster preparedness is something the boy scouts teach. Their motto? “Be Prepared!” We could all learn from their common sense approach, but for most of us, disaster preparedness and planning is a legacy from elementary school. It’s something that immediately puts us into a trance.

Real disaster preparedness and planning starts with asking very honest questions about where you live and what threats you are likely to encounter. Talk with your family about the threats that face you, and the challenges you have in facing that threat. Everyone has different circumstances and different challenges. Disaster preparedness means you should have escape routes, both from your house, and from your town, with alternatives if a road is cut off. The rest really, are details, all of which, you should be able to find on this site to cover your unique situation.

Real disaster preparedness and planning can, at the very least, minimize our discomfort when tragedy strikes. We can’t prevent the acts of mother nature, war or even common crime, but we can certainly think about what we need to do, and be ready.

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