CAP: National Preparedness Message 3

It's hard to believe that National Preparedness Month will be over in just a few days. It's gone by so fast, and many Civil Air Patrol members across the country have done great things this month to prepare themselves, their families, friends, and communities, but it doesn't end there.

Most people believe that nothing bad will ever happen to them, and unfortunately disasters know no boundaries and can impact anyone at anytime. It is important for you to plan ahead so that you are prepared, and to help others do so as well. These efforts don't have to end at the end of National Preparedness Month either.
Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to plan in advance. Answer these questions.

How you will contact one another?
Who do you contact and do you have their numbers with you?
How you will get back together?
What you will do in different situations? For example, what if there is limited or no phone service? How about if roads are blocked to your neighborhood?

Make sure you have a family emergency plan, everyone in your family really knows the plan, and consider the following in developing your family emergency plan if you don't have one already:

- It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members.

- Be sure every member of your family knows the phone number and has coins or a prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact. We suggest that the number be kept not only in your cell phone, but also on a card in your wallet or in case your cell phone battery dies. This way you can use someone else's phone if necessary.

- You may have trouble getting through, or telephones may be down altogether, but be patient. Some people found after recent disaster that though their calls would not go through, text messages often did, so if you can't get through, try sending a text message from an enabled phone.

- Find out what kinds of disasters, both natural and man-made, are most likely to occur in your area and how you will be notified. Methods of getting your attention vary from community to community. One common method is to broadcast via emergency radio and TV broadcasts. You might hear a special siren, or get a telephone call or emergency workers may go door-to-door.

- A template family emergency plan is available from the Ready Campaign at:
http://www.ready.gov/america/_downloads/familyemergencyplan.pdf

Most of us spend a lot of time away from home. You may also want to inquire about emergency plans at places where your family spends time: work, daycare and school. If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one. Talk to your neighbors about how you can work together in the event of an emergency. You will be better prepared to safely reunite your family and loved ones during an emergency if you think ahead and communicate with others in advance. More information is available to help with this at: http://www.ready.gov/america/makeaplan/work_school.html.

It is hard to believe in this day and age of Blackberries, 24 hour news channels, and electronic billboards that people don't know a lot about the potential emergencies in their area, but it still happens. Being informed about the different types of emergencies that could happen where you live and the appropriate ways to respond to them will impact the decisions you make and the actions you take. Take the time to learn about the emergency plans that have been established in your area by your state and local government. Know what the plans are when schools, businesses or government agencies close because of a last minute emergency. Determine the evacuation routes from your community. Find out what resources are available in your area and what else you can do to be more involved at: http://www.ready.gov/america/local/index.html.

Thank you for your outstanding support of National Preparedness Month. Civil Air Patrol members do great things to help their communities every day, and your efforts to help your communities to prepare for emergencies will pay great dividends. Preparedness does not end at the end of National Preparedness Month though. We hope that you have seen throughout this month that preparedness should be a part of what we all do every day. Keep up the relationships that you have established with your partner agencies and organizations. Take the time to review your emergency plans periodically and update your kits. Know what is going on in your community, and get involved to make it a safer place to live. And remember, there are always tools available to you to help you in your preparedness efforts at http://www.ready.gov/.

AMY S. COURTER
Major General, CAP
National Commander