Be prepared and stock up your disaster kit to stay safe

Here we are in the Midwest, the sun is shining, the sky is blue and we’re planning an outdoor barbeque tonight. Thousands of miles away, folks on the Eastern Seaboard are dodging Hurricane Irene’s wrath of flooding, high winds and property destruction. That has nothing to do with us.

Do we have such short memories? Remember the tornadoes in April and May of this year? Joplin is still in the recovery phase and will be for a long time; concourse C at Lambert Airport is still closed following tornado damage with no opening in sight. St. Charles County and St. Louis County sustained an untold amount of property damage.

Yes, we do have something in common with the Easterners. We experience storms of a different type, but just as damaging. The question is–are you prepared? After all the excitement sometimes we slip into our old ways.

That’s why now is a good time to re-visit your disaster preparedness plan. You should do this periodically anyway, but talk to your insurance agent about your homeowner’s insurance policy to make sure you have the proper coverage for your area. Keep all important papers in two places­–the originals offsite and copies with you. Should you need them for a claim, this will save you immeasurable time and hassle. Stash some cash too. If the power goes down, credit cards will be useless.

FEMA has some good ideas to help you put together a disaster preparedness kit. The kit includes water–about a gallon per person per day–and non-perishable food that your family likes to eat for three days. Throw in a can opener too. Nothing like sitting in your basement with a can of food you can’t open!

Other suggestions include personal care items, a selection of tools, medication and cell phones with chargers. However, the power most likely will be off, so if you are one of those people who haven’t ditched the landline, you are in luck.

If you don’t have one already, purchase a battery operated radio and a fan too. Stock up on all sizes of batteries that you might need to operate equipment.

Prepare to entertain the kids (and pets too) with special toys, books and games.

While no disaster seems in sight here, be prepared to protect you and your family.