First Tuesday, March 2010

10am.. Sirens go off.. the radio (and tv) break into their BLAHHH, BLAHHH, BLAHHHH warnings.. an email appears in two inboxes.. and a text makes my phone buzz next to me..

It's just a test.. and a reminder. "It's tornado season again."

I'm prepared, I think. I know what I'm supposed to say.. but my gut always reminds me, I will never be completely prepared.. I have a supply of water, canned food, flashlight, batteries.. etc. but as I'm learning from first-responder friends.. and from my own adventures.. You're never completely prepared for the mental, emotional, (yes, even physical) and personal experiences you will encounter anytime you're part of a disaster.

Admittedly, my 'emergency kit' is in shambles. I think I've scalped from it a few times this year.. so project.. get that in order, and include cat preparedness too!

But what else, besides an Emergency Kit, can you do to be prepared for any disaster?!

A few thoughts, and also some plugs for what I'm involved with.

• Take a CERT Class..Those in the Champaign Area - check out the new site for the Champaign Area CERT program. And look for a class this spring (TBA)!
  

• Take a Weather Spotting (SKYWARN) Class..I took this course last year or the year before. It's fascinating.

• Know where to get your local weather.. There's a ton of places, but what if power or 'the web' isn't working? Local TV stations, radio, weather.com, NOAA Weather Radio,.. or try the iNWS (Beta) Alert system.. Last summer, I set it up so I got email alerts for my area via the iNWS system to my Gmail, then filtered it on my account to send a text to my cell phone! Nearly instant alerts to my phone.. It worked well for me, but it takes a bit to get a good feel for what exactly you want to be notified for in the middle of the night.. I'm still working on that selection..

• Check out what other are saying about preparedness.. I like the Red Cross Blog - Oregon Trail Chapter

• Get updates from FEMA and other Emergency Management agencies..
  
  • FEMA - Disaster Declarations 2010
  
  
  • IEMA - Illinois Emergency Management Agency
  
  
  • GDACS - Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System

Anyways.. that's just a very brief look into what I look at when it comes to preparedness.. Any other suggestions for readers?!


(Photo is from a drive a year ago from Kentucky into southern Illinois.)