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Don't Get Caught Unprepared
Plan for Emergencies Now By Amy Carey
Armed with a disaster plan, your next step is to assemble emergency supplies to keep on hand in your home. "The need for having a disaster kit is not new," says Holtzman. "People have kept them for centuries in preparation for storms of various kinds and other natural disasters."
So why doesn't every family have a disaster kit in their closet? For some, the idea of preparing for disaster is too daunting or even depressing. "The most important thing is to just get started," says Sarah Hallford, a mother in Provo, Utah, who educates families about being prepared for disasters. "Even if you can only buy one extra can of soup and bottle of water a week, the sooner you start, the sooner you'll have what you need."
But before you stockpile 30 bags of rice and some mega-sized vats of refried beans, think about what your family enjoys and what you'll actually use in the event of an emergency. "It's really important to store what you will eat and cook," Hallford says. "Four thousand pounds of wheat is useless if you don't know what to do with it."
If you're still having trouble getting motivated, remember that having a disaster kit for your family can be the difference between living through adverse conditions in relative comfort and facing serious consequences of living without food, water or important supplies like prescription medications.
Harrald, for example, recently weathered Hurricane Isabel and was glad to have his disaster kit containing water, flashlights, candles and a portable radio available to his family.
