1800PrepareBlog

When most of us have children we immediately think about the need to protect our child from “dangers” in the home. It seems to be a maternal/paternal instinct to protect our young. From almost the moment we bring our new baby home we begin the process of “child proofing”.

This can include putting up gates on stairwells, moving cleaning supplies to higher shelves, locking cabinets, covering outlets and even putting monitors in the room so we can keep an eye on everything. Most new parents also take at least a basic course in infant CPR. From car seats to hand wipes to checking toys for choking hazards….we are great at getting and staying prepared.

So…why is it that we are so good at “preparedness” when it comes to our newborns but not in the rest of our lives? Our children get a little older and down comes all the protection and we no longer think about and prepare for all the things that could happen. How can we continue to focus and make preparedness and constant and normal part of our everyday life?

Beyond the “big events” such as Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Massive Floods, Wildfires, etc….there are literally dozens of things that can happen on a daily basis to anyone of us that we can be better prepared for.

*Small or large car accident – see our Auto Emergency Kits

*Flip and Fall

*Choking

*Blackout due to storm or other event – Blackout Kits

*Injury at a sporting event

*House or Vehicle Fire

*Accidental Poisoning

*Robbery or Mugging

*Simple vehicle breakdown

*Carbon Monoxide Alarm

The list above isn’t meant to make anyone panic or instill fear. It is simply meant to show that there are events that can happen to all of us and if we take a little time to prepare for them…we will all be a little better off.

Lets take the same effort we do when we consider preparing for a new child and translate it to the rest of our lives.

On Thursday I had the pleasure of appearing on WOR 9 news to discuss preparedness in relation to Hurricane Earl. The question asked was…”are we prepared for the hurricane”.

Here is a clip of the piece:

http://www.my9tv.com/dpp/my9_news/take_it_on/Take-It-On-The-Big-One

As many of you know…September is National Preparedness Month. This is a great time to think about your personal preparedness level. If you happen to be someone who has already taken many of the important steps to better preparedness…this is a great chance to help and encourage others to do the same. While the government and others in the emergency preparedness space continue to preach the message….it is often when we hear it from a family member or friend that we actually listen and take action.

If you are doing something special during National Preparedness Month or if you have helped a family member, friend or member of your community get better prepared…please share you story with us. Anyone who submits a story will receive a 20% off coupon code for anything purchased on our site 1800prepare.com.

This is also a good time to thank someone who serves in our rescue community. Take a moment to let a firefighter, EMT, police officer or other first responder know how much you appreciate what they do. They are all true heroes.

One great way to get more people to think about preparedness is to read or hear stories from people who have been through emergency situations. Sometimes we find ourselves prepared for the situation and some times we don’t. By hearing others stories we get firsthand accounts that we can learn from.

If you have a story please share it with us. It can be about an emergency or disaster that you went through. It can be about how you used a survival kit or other type of survival item to help you out of a situation. Or it can be about a time where you wish you had been better prepared.

Anyone who shares a story will be given a coupon code good for 20% off a purchase from our site at 1-800-PREPARE.com.

Together we can learn and help spread the message of preparedness.

A 3.6 magnitude earthquake rattled the Palm Springs, Calif., area early Saturday and experts say it has put pressure on two faults that run through the Inland Empire.

We are hearing more and more news reports that experts are saying that Southern California is due for a major earthquake. While nobody can really predict when or if one will strike…now would be the right time to think about your level of preparedness and how you can increase it.

Some experts recommend having food, water and supplies on hand for 72 hours while others suggest you have enough for one week. Either way…having some basic survival gear on hand is very important. It is also critically important that you take some time to review your possible evacuation routes, safe areas in your home or office that you can go if you feel an earthquake happening as well as communication plans with family members if you are separated.

As you can’t know where you will be if something happens, you should keep supplies in your home, office and car. I personally recommend starting out with a survival kit that matches the amount of people you need supplies for and then adding to it the items you may personally want. These individual items could include things such as: prescription glasses, medicines, cash, copies of important documents and some comfort items.

You should also take some time to sit with your family and discuss your plans, what supplies you have on hand and what people should do in the event of an emergency. If you have relatives nearby you should discuss with them as well. You may also want to meet and discuss with your neighbors as in most cases…neighbors will be able to help each other before emergency rescue personnel can.

Posts like these are not meant to panic anyone. They are simply meant as a reminder of the importance of preparedness. They key is to not procrastinate. Take action now and you will be better off later.

Being prepared for an earthquake is something everyone who lives in earthquake prone areas should do. Learning what to do, planning escape routes, stocking up on survival gear and emergency kits you may need, making an emergency contact list and copying important documents are just a few of the recommended steps.

If an earthquake does strike….here is an acronym to help you remember some of the important steps you should take.

S.H.A.K.E.

S – Structure: Always know where the solid structure is around you, such as heavy doorways and get to it.

H – Hold On: Hold on to whatever structure you’re sheltered under, even if it’s just a heavy table.

A – Aftershocks: Be ready for an immediate aftershock (which is really a delayed continuation of the main event)

K – Know: Know where your escape routes are and where debris or HazMat dangers might come from.

E – Evacuate: Safely evacuate the area you’re in, especially if it has sustained appreciable damage.

You can find many tips like this is our preparedness resource section on 1-800-prepare.com and in Disaster Prep 101 (A great book by one of our advisers – Paul Purcell)