Hurricane Season starts June 1st, now's the time to prepare!

Hurricane season 2009 starts June 1, and while the “busy season” statistically runs during August, September and October, now’s the time to prepare.

Preparedness – Having a Checklist

School teachers use checklists in lesson planning for your kids, pilots use them before each and every flight, SCUBA divers use them before every dive and doctors use them before surgery. Hopefully, you already use one, even if it’s a mental checklist that you have for each day before you start your car and drive to work – although we know there are some drivers on the roads who appear to have no plan of where they are going!

Keep in mind that nothing is set in stone, the things you need to make your life comfortable may not be the same as others. Basics should include copies of important documents, food, water, personal medications and a plan for shelter, whether that be a plan to sty at home (ie: Shelter-in-place), or to evacuate to a friend or family members home or even a community shelter.

Packing your Kit

While I base my personal preparedness on hurricane planning, your preparedness plan will be regional in application, although the basic preparedness kit contents may be the same.

Your preparedness kit should be sealed in waterproof plastic containers or coolers. It should be your complete solution, holding just about everything you’ll need to survive for the first week after an event, and is not to be confused with another critical item, the “go bag,” which contains just the most essential items for a sudden evacuation, when you cannot take much with you.

If you live in an area that’s safe to do so and you’re planning on sheltering-in-place, focus on supplies for the home. These are the types of things you buy once and pack away knowing you have them if you need them. They are mostly non-consumables and can be stored year after year for the emergency you hope will never come.

You don’t have to run out and buy all of these items at once. There’s a good chance you’ll have some of these items already on hand, but they’re probably stored separately and without any organization, in various closets, or wherever you found space the last time you were putting things away.

Need ideas on what to put in your preparedness kit? Check out the related videos on this blog or got to my website http://www.mattlawrencebooks.com/ and click on my preparedness guide, What To Do Til The Cavalry Comes: A Family Guide to Preparedness in 21st Century America.

I’m always interested in hearing other people’s ideas, so if you think you have an innovative idea or know of a product that makes preparation easier, contact me via my website! You might see your idea in an upcoming article! Existo paratus!

Matt Lawrence