Evacuation2020

Several of us are wait until the last minute type of people, but is that wise? According to the Red Cross, more than 200 million people are affected by disasters every year. I repeat. 200 million each year. What that means is that any one of us could be a possible victim of a unforeseen disaster.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 states - "I returned to see under the sun that the swift do not have the race, nor the mighty ones the battle, nor do the wise also have the food, nor do the understanding ones also have the riches, nor do even those having knowledge have the favor; because time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all."

Though we have no control over natural disasters or those unforeseen but we still don't have to be an unprepared victim.

Just saying that made me think of the Seamstress who was trapped under rubble for 17 days in Bangladesh. I'm very thankful that she was found alive but I'm mentioning this for one reason and one reason only how she survived. Because this article is all about the importance of being ready.

Reshma, the name of our survivor, survived by eating dried food and drinking water sparingly that was in her area. HER AREA.

For those of us who are not prepared, let's work on getting our Disaster Preparedness Kits ready.

POSSIBLE ITEMS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR KIT

Copies of important documents in a waterproof container

An extra set of car and house keys

Credit or debit cards and cash

Bottled water and nonperishable food

Flashlight(s), AM/FM radio, cell phone (if you have one), extra batteries

Note: some of us do not own a portal radio, but because of technology smart phones are equipped with that feature and if you own a tablet there are free apps like TuneIn radio that you can download. But the problem is keeping your mobile device charged so keep that in mind.

Medication for at least one week, a list of dosages, prescription slips, and doctors’ names and phone numbers. (Be sure to replace medications before their expiration date)

First-aid kit

Sturdy, comfortable shoes and rainwear

Contact and meeting place information for your household, as well as a regional map

Child-care supplies

Items that assist our Senior and Elderly Population

THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF SOME DISASTERS

Avalanches

Chemical Spills

Cyclones

Droughts

Earthquakes

Explosions - we have had our share of these right here in downtown Indianapolis that have happened underground.

Famine

Floods

Hurricanes - In terms of lives lost, the worst natural disaster in U.S. history resulted from a hurricane that slammed into the island city of Galveston, Texas, on September 8, 1900. Storm waves claimed between 6,000 and 8,000 lives in the city, plus up to 4,000 in nearby areas, and demolished some 3,600 houses. In fact, not one man-made structure in Galveston remained unscathed. Awake Magazine 2005.

I wanted to mention this because Hurricanes seem to hit us the hardest. Since the Galveston Texas hurricane there have been at least 40 major ones according to the National Hurricane Center and their list stopped at 2008. Wikipedia list 69 since 1980 forward.

Mud Slides

Toxins From Environment

Tsunamis

Volcanic Eruptions

Somewhere within this list any of us could be affected by one of them and some have already been affected by 2 or more.

So why not if you haven't already perform some emergency evacuation drills. Scenario - What if...? Practicing will also help our children be more safety conscious at school or anywhere outside the home.

You can build your own Disaster Preparedness Kits by shopping at some of the dollar stores. It just so happens to be that the Dollar Tree is my personal favorite. They have just about everything you need. I've included a video compliments of the Dollar Tree just in case some of you have never in life been inside a dollar store.

You can also go online and purchase kits they range anywhere from $50 - $500. There is also a excellent link that you can go to that I will list for you below this capsule, but not only will you be educated in how to build and prepare your own kit but you will also get a course in economics.

Though the Titanic had advanced safety features such as watertight compartments and remotely activated watertight doors, there were not enough lifeboats to accommodate all of those aboard due to outdated maritime safety regulations. The Titanic only carried enough lifeboats for 1,178 people though there were 2,224 passengers and crew members on board.

Well today we have people out there working hard at making sure that the plan to survive a disaster is airtight.

See the following link.

The items you see on the shelves in the video are just to give you an idea as to what you might want to place in your Disaster Preparedness Kits, though most things on the list that I provided for you such as nonperishable food, water and first aid are cited universally. But you know what meets you or your families needs best. You just don't want to be weighed down with a lot of unnecessary items.

Also it has been suggested by both the Red Cross and Ready.gov that your kit be prepared to last for 72 hours. That is 3 full days.

Thank you and I hope that the point has been made. Good Night to everyone somewhere when the night falls in your corner.

Love You Much!

Jeana