Disaster Preparedness -- Resources to Help You
Although it's the nature of disasters that you
, or you and your family are alone in a threatening situation, you're not alone now. Disaster preparedness begins now, while you're safe, dry, comfortable, under a roof and with electricity.
And there are organizations ready to help us if we should ever need it.
But best time to prepare is always now, when you don't need help, instead of waiting until you do. Then it is often too late.
So get help and information now, before you need it.
The first is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). According to its website at fema.gov, its mission is to support citizens and first responders so we all work together as a nation to protect everybody from disasters, natural and manmade.
FEMA's mission is NOT to save your rear end while sit around on it.
Your life and your family's life is first of all your responsibility.
And the FEMA website does have a lot of information on it to help you do that.
Read it over and put it to work for you, so you won't be looking for FEMA while a Category Five storm is at its peak. They can't arrive until the storm is over.
Then check out the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). They train local volunteers to respond to disasters. They were started by the Los Angeles Fire Department. They're now under the Citizen Corps, part of FEMA's effort to organize disaster preparedness at the grassroots level, where response can be a lot faster and more effective than waiting for Washington D.C. -- and that's simple common sense, not a criticism of FEMA.
CERT has a network of over 1000 teams across the United States. Go to their website and see what's available near to you. Get the training and get involved.
citizencorps.gov/cert/
When bad weather threatened, stay in touch with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through a radio station near you broadcasting The National Weather Service updates. Make sure you have a radio (hand cranked or with lots of batteries) capable of receiving your local NOAA weather station.
noaa.gov/
The Citizen Corps coordinates local leaders including law enforcement, emergency response teams, local officials, and volunteers.
The idea, again, is that disaster and emergency response is best begun at the local level, with people who know their local area and can response immediately, because they're right there.
FEMA, and therefore its subsidiary agencies, are under the Department of Homeland Security, charged with keeping us safe.
dhs.gov
That site is more politically oriented, but read it for its useful information anyway.
ready.gov has a lot more information to help you prepare yourself and your family for disasters.
Of course, we all hope we'll never need the services of these agencies, but chances are, sooner or later, we will.
Disaster Preparedness -- Resources to Help You
By: Richard Stooker
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