September is National Preparedness Month and the Paulding County Emergency Management Agency is encouraging you to be prepared for any type of an emergency. We are all expert planners – we prepare for the day at hand, we prepare for a vacation, a party, and car maintenance. We especially need to prepare for an emergency. What have you done to Be Smart…Take Part…Prepare?
To start out with, become friends with Paulding County EMA on Facebook. Paulding County EMA puts information out through social medial to include weather alerts, pictures of incidents, and happenings of his office. Create a communication plan, or written phone number list, in case you become separated from family. Consider having an out-of-town contact person – sometimes it is easier to call long distance then across town.
You need to take this seriously, scan important documents, like insurance policies and medical records, and save them to a USB drive. Create an emergency supply kit that allows for three (3) days without the comforts of home for you and your pet. Items to consider include: medications a gallon of water per person per day, non-perishable food items, personal hygiene items, batteries, first aid kit, battery-operated radio, flashlight and cash. For more details on creating an emergency kit, visit www.ready.gov.
Get your children involved. Empowering them to become preparedness leaders in their home and school will help build a resilient person and a resilient community. Youth who are prepared during times of emergency are more confident, feel more control over the situation and have less anxiety.
Whatever you think, do one thing today to make tomorrow safer for you and your family. Be Smart… Take… Part… Prepare.
