Jan Doherty, Public Education Officer, No Phone Number Available
Friday, September 18, 2015 at 4:34 p.m.
September is designated “Emergency Preparedness Month”. We have watched so many families displaced by wildfires over the past few months. Yet we often neglect putting together a basic “Go Kit” should we need to quickly evacuate our home for a major disaster.
Go Kits contain medicine, eyeglasses, important family phone contacts, and other items that help maintain health and independence despite quickly moving from the scene of the disaster to a designated shelter away from immediate danger. They also include important phone contacts for family and friends. It is essentially to also have a phone for a friend or relative who lives outside of the Spokane region. In a major disaster, you may be able to make contact with someone in a different area code and not be able to contact someone closer to home.
Always keep extra bottled water on hand. Try to make a practice of keeping the car fuel tank above ½ empty in case you need to get on the road!
When the whole notion of emergency preparedness for 72 hours of survival feels too overwhelming, it's a good idea to start with something basic and build on it until you have gathered the Kit you really need and have a plan that makes sense for you, your family, your business and your immediate neighbors. FEMA has a lot of good information on this topic at www.ready.gov. Another excellent starting point is www.spokaneprepares.org.
