WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER: How Prepared Are You for an Emergency?
To prepare your disaster kit, click here: Ready.Gov/kit.
Here, in the Chicago area, we’re considered as one of the least-prepared major metropolitan areas.
So, could you imagine if a tornado hit your neighborhood, or if a storm knocked out power for an extended amount of time, or the midwest suffered an earthquake? How prepared are YOU for an emergency?
Some plastic containers with lids could be packed with solar or LED flashlights, a can-opener, heavy duty scissors, tools, a good old-fashioned transistor radio, a non-hardwired smoke/CO alarm, and batteries for all of it, would be a good start. Walkie-talkies, charged and ready, could only help. Canned goods and bottled water will be necessary, along with pet food and water.
A survey has polled people in America’s 25 biggest cities and found we’re not as prepared as we could be.
Here’s what it found . . .
1. You probably have enough food, but not enough water. 8 out of 10 of us do have enough canned goods to last three days. But 40% don’t have three days’ worth of water.
2. Only 16% have access to a generator.
3. 81% would have no way to communicate if cell service went down.
4. Just 26% have an agreed-upon meet-up place if the family gets separated.
5. Almost half of us don’t have an emergency evacuation kit or go-bag ready.
6. 89% DO think they’d be able to get their pets out in time if they had to evacuate. But in a dire situation, get people to safety first, and let pets find their way. They often do. Search for them when it is safe – they may find you.
7. The most-prepared cities overall are Houston, Miami, and Tampa… Probably because they deal with a lot of hurricanes. The least-prepared are Rochester, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Phoenix.
See more about this, here: (Value Penguin)
Also see When disaster strikes: preparedness for seniors and people with disabilities HERE
To prepare your disaster kit, click here: Ready.Gov/kit.
