Wow, the last blog post was certainly timely, in view of the hurricane that just hit Texas. My foster son, John, has family in San Antonio, and he has been urging them to take precautions in case bad weather moves in their direction.
I found an excellent resource for emergency preparedness that you may find helpful. It covers more than just collecting food and water - have you considered how to prepare your home in order to minimize damage and loss? Take a look at http://www.flash.org/hurricanestrong/ for quick videos on a number of topics: your first aid kit, protecting your home, analyzing your insurance coverage, and much more. They are quick, humorous, and can make a huge difference in surviving an emergency.
There is one thing I forgot to mention for your emergency preps that is really, really important - your family documents. Gather copies of everyone's birth certificates, marriage certificates, social security cards, titles, bank account numbers, identity cards, health cards and home insurance policies, and place them in a waterproof, ziplock bag. Store the bag in a box with your batteries, flashlights and other emergency supplies. If you have to evacuate quickly, you won't have time to gather and copy documents.
The other thing to put in the bag? CASH! In an emergency, ATM's may not have power. Even if they do, they will quickly empty as people rush to get funds to get out of town! Put away as much as you can afford; try to collect at least $100 in cash over the next few weeks.
My last tip: FILL UP YOUR CARS NOW. Stock up on groceries. Houston, Galveston, Shreveport are all distribution centers for oil, gasoline and food. I predict that we will see higher food and gas prices, and maybe even shortages, as flooding in Texas closes ports, refineries and warehouses, and prevents trucks from entering or leaving the area.
I hope you find these tips useful, and i REALLY hope you never have to use them! Emergencies are by definition, however, unplanned. Spend a little time now to prepare for the unexpected, and you will save yourself and your family a world of hurt.
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