Preparing for an emergency

I've been meaning to post about how to prepare for an emergency for some time. We're right in the middle of hurricane season, some of us live in earthquake zones, others live in the land of tornadoes and no matter where you live you're always at some risk for fire or any of the other of life's inconveniences that can make you wish you had planned a little better.

First you should make sure that you've got your data backed up somewhere offsite. Don't just take care of your electrical data, make sure that important documents are stored somewhere safe.

Ideally once you and yours have escaped from your situation you'll be able to pick up what you need to get your life and business back on track.

You should have a jump bag or kit by your front door that you can grab on your way out. For your home version make sure you have medication, cash (in even something so simple as a blackout there won't be any electricity to allow you to get money from cash machines), water, snacks, hard copies of the backups you make each night, etc.

TNH has an excellent post about emergency preparedness here where she also links to Uncle Jim's fabulous page of jump kits, along with good advice he's picked up from his years in the navy and as a wilderness EMT.

http://www.nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/005763.html

The Flylady has a page with 11 steps to being prepared.

http://www.flylady.net/pages/FLYingLessons_Prepared.asp

If you have a fire do not run around trying to gather things up. My first responder teacher, who was a Battalion chief in the AA county fire dept says you have less than a minute to get out. Get the kids and grab the jump kit if you have time. (You should have it right by the front door but don't go out the front door if the way is not safe.) Do not think anything you've ever seen about fires on TV or in the movies is at all realistic. Unless you've seen Backdraft, which he forced all of us to watch.

And don't forget your fire drills!

When I was a girl my father used to do great fire drills, I still remember opening my door one morning to see fire he'd made out of red and orange tissue paper. It was a very good visual and I had to turn back and find another way out of the house.

And one last thing have you got carbon monoxide alarms? They also go by another name, lifesavers. (Not the candy.)