Resolve to be Ready in 2010

“Resolve to be Ready in 2010”
Becky Marquis, Acting Director, Ready Campaign

    For many, the New Year is a time for making resolutions and goals for the year to come. Spend more time with the family, lose 10 pounds, exercise more and reduce debt are resolutions that appear on many of our lists, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Ready Campaign is asking you to Resolve to be Ready in 2010 by making an emergency preparedness resolution.
    The Campaign would like to make an emergency preparedness resolution easy to keep by providing the tools and resources needed to take the three important steps: get a kit, make a plan and be informed about the different types of emergencies that could occur in your area and their appropriate responses.
Floods, winter storms, wildfires and earthquakes - no matter what Mother Nature has in store, preparing ahead of time can mitigate her nastier surprises, speed recovery, and reduce losses - not to mention regrets. By following the Ready Campaign’s three steps, preparing for an emergency can be a simple and realistic resolution you can keep all year long. You and your family can update or initiate your own emergency preparedness plan, build your own supply kit and be ready for winter storms, spring nor’easters or summer power outages.
    Basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment, and telephones may be cut off for days, or even a week or longer, so it’s important to have supplies on hand. In addition, your family may not be together when an emergency happens, so it is important to plan in advance: how you will contact one another; how you will get back together; and what you will do in different situations?
Free preparedness resources, such as a Family Emergency Plan template and an Emergency Supply Kit Checklist are just a click away at www.Ready.gov or www.listo.gov. The Ready Web site also has a special section for kids, ages 8-12, (Ready Kids) and small-to medium-sized businesses (Ready Business).
    Emergencies will happen, but taking action now can help us minimize the impact they will have on our lives. Preparedness is contagious, what starts with one family can spread throughout a neighborhood, and every prepared neighborhood frees up emergency responders to take care of those who are in dire need. Preparedness is a shared responsibility; everyone is going to have to play a role. So Resolve to be Ready in 2010.