What Should You Prepare For?

It has been difficult these last few weeks as I have been watching the news reports about the flooding along the Mississippi River and the tornadoes ripping through the South. I've thought some about the effects it is having on personal lives and families. I have also realized that it is important to research and understand the kinds of emergencies that could happen within your own area. Floods and tornadoes are not common here in the Boise area where we live.  The number one reason that families are forced to evacuate is personal home fire. The next likely problem would be a severe winter storm that may take power out for a certain amount of time. We really are blessed to live in an area pretty safe from natural disaster. This doesn't mean we don't need to prepare though. Knowing this,helps me to focus my preparedness efforts to be ready for what is more likely to happen here.

We have a fire-proof safe that holds our important insurance and financial papers. (Writing this makes me think that I need to update the family pictures that are stored in there.) We also regularly hold fire drills at the house so we all know the fastest way out of different rooms. The other preparation we have made is to insure that we have fire extinguishers in the garage and the kitchen which are the two most likely places for fires to start.

To prepare for the winter storms, we have a generator with fuel so we could keep our fridge and freezer going. We also have a kerosene heater to provide heat if our furnace were not working. Our food storage and other preparedness items here at the house would help us live out the storm and be OK until power was restored.

Take some time to research what disasters are most common in your area and let this be your starting point for preparedness.