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Making The Most Of The Day Before Tomorrow

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Credit FEMA/READY.GOV 

 


# 6531

 

 

A week ago, soon-to-be Hurricane Isaac was threatening peninsular Florida as it emerged off the Cuban coast and ambled north towards an eventual landfall along the Mississippi/Louisiana coast. 

 

And like millions of others within the `forecast cone’, I was considering what I would do if the storm turned my way over the next 24-48 hours.

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Luckily, I already had an emergency plan, a pre-arranged place to go, and an emergency kit (see Inside My New Bug Out Bag) packed and ready to go.

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My Bug-out-bag, Canteen, & Toiletry kit

 

Earlier this summer, my home emergency preparedness and supplies proved useful when a large tree limb came crashing down across my roof (see At The End Of My Rope) in the middle of the night.

 

Over the years, my emergency medical training and my well stocked first-aid kit have been called upon more times than I can remember.

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And the single most important thing that has kept me from being a bystander – or worse, a victim – during an emergency has been my ongoing efforts in being prepared.

 

Blame it on early scout training, my decade working as a EMT/Paramedic, or (more likely) my 12 years living aboard a sailboat – but emergency preparedness has been an integral part of my life for nearly a half century.

 

Before anyone asks . . .

 

No, I’m not preparing for `doomsday’ like the folks you see profiled on cable TV. I’m an Everyday Prepper, who believes in preparing for more likely disasters I might actually have a chance to survive.

 

You know . . . earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, pandemics, wildfires . . . things that actually happen with some regularity around the world.

 

Which is why every September I join in with FEMA and Ready.gov to promote National Preparedness Month  (NPM12), by running preparedness essays in this blog.

 

Kicking off NPM this year, Ready.gov has a very effective graphic showing a `day before disaster’ for all 50 states. 

 

The date when it was still not too late to prepare.

 

Click through to the interactive map, to see each state’s date with destiny.

 

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If you click on Florida, for example, you’ll get:image

While Missouri yields:

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You get the idea. 

 

One day the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and all seems well.  The next day, quite abruptly, the bottom falls out and life for some people changes forever.

 

The Federal government wants all of us to be prepared for emergencies, as they know that during a `normal’ disaster (of which dozens occur every year) citizens may be on their own for up to 72 hours. 

 

In an extreme disaster (like we saw with Katrina in 2005), some people may end up having to fend for themselves for a week or longer.

 

With the kickoff of NMP12, Ready.gov urges all of us to:

 

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And to do it today . . .while the sun is still shining.

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