Note: This is the 28th day of National Preparedness Month. Follow this year’s campaign on Twitter by searching for the #NatlPrep #BeReady or #PrepMonth hashtags.
This month, as part of NPM24, I’ll be rerunning some updated preparedness essays, along with some new ones.
#18,322
Thirty-six hours after Helene made landfall in north Florida, more than 3 million customers remain without power across 10 states (SC, GA, NC, FL, VA, KY, WV, IN, TN), tens of thousands of families are displaced due to flood waters or damage, and rebuilding for some will take months or even years.
As we discussed prior to landfall, some of the worst damage has occurred hundreds of miles inland, long after the system had been downgraded to a tropical storm. And with rivers and streams still rising, and with weakened dams and levees still under pressure, the disaster is far from over.
Losses may run into the tens of billions of dollars, and yet, it could have been much worse. Had Helene tracked just 80 miles further to the east, the entirety of the west coast of Florida would have taken a horrendous blow, and several major cities might be uninhabitable (as was New Orleans in 2005), for weeks or months.
Adding insult to injury, this morning the National Hurricane Center has an area marked for possible development of yet another tropical system (see map at top of blog) sometime next week. While it stands at only a 40% probability - and it may fizzle - it bears watching.
This from this morning's 2 am Tropical Weather Outlook:
And earthquakes, fires, floods - and even another pandemic - can occur at anytime with little or no warning. It is a never-ending cycle.
For the past 20 years the United States has designated September as National Preparedness month, and since 2007 I've used this blog to help promote better individual and community preparedness. As a former paramedic - and then a live-aboard sailor for > 15 years - I've learned first hand the value of being prepared to deal with emergencies.
While no one can be completely prepared for every contingency, even a little preparedness can go a long ways towards mitigating risks.
The time to improve your preparedness is now, before the next threat appears on the horizon. But it shouldn't be a one-and-done exercise. Ideally, preparedness is a permanent state of mind and/or lifestyle that you'll work to continually improve.
Each year FEMA conducts a nationwide poll on preparedness, and they released their 2023 survey last December. Even though these are self-reported assessments, and `being prepared' means different things to different people, they report some small progress over the past 12 months.
It is a mixed bag, however. More people have assembled supplies, but fewer people report practicing emergency drills or habits. More have learned their evacuation routes, but fewer have made a plan. And while more have tested a family communication plan, fewer report having signed up for alerts or warnings.
While you can't be prepared for every eventuality, the most common scenarios involve interruptions in services (power, water, internet, banking, etc.); which may last hours, days, or even weeks.
Having basic preps (food, water, first aid kit, emergency radio, etc.) can go a long way towards easing the misery.
These are, of course, minimum goals. I consider 2 weeks a far more prudent goal.
So . . . if a disaster struck your region today, and the power went out, stores closed their doors, and water stopped flowing from your kitchen tap for the next 7 to 14 days . . . you are you ready with:
- A battery operated NWS Emergency Radio to find out what was going on, and to get vital instructions from emergency officials
- A decent first-aid kit, so that you can treat injuries
- Enough non-perishable food and water on hand to feed and hydrate your family (including pets) for the duration
- A way to provide light when the grid is down.
- A way to cook safely without electricity
- A way to purify or filter water
- A way to handle basic sanitation and waste disposal.
- A way to stay cool (fans) or warm when the power is out.
- A small supply of cash to use in case credit/debit machines are not working
- An emergency plan, including meeting places, emergency out-of-state contact numbers, a disaster buddy, and in case you must evacuate, a bug-out bag
- Spare supply of essential prescription medicines that you or your family may need
- A way to entertain yourself, or your kids, during a prolonged blackout
