Now is the perfect time to review your emergency preparedness and get your ducks in a row. Why? It’s January, the beginning of a new year; let’s start the year off right! This isn’t just any new year either; this is the first new year post-Harvey. As we in Fort Bend County continue our recovery from Harvey, it’s time to assess our emergency preparedness and plan / organize so that we are ready for the next disaster. No one likes to think about disasters, but better safe than sorry!
Here is an emergency preparedness checklist from www.readyhoustontx.gov. This is an excellent resource; please save it and use it.
The experts, Ready Houston, say there are 4 steps:
Make A Plan
Build A Kit
Stay Informed
Know Your Neighbors
Their website has many other resources besides this emergency plan checklist. I’ll mention a few of them here, but check out the website for additional info. They provide links that allow you to easily sign up for emergency alerts; I signed up for Fort Bend County and the City of Richmond emergency alerts. They offer training, and there are training videos on the website. There is a disaster preparedness guide you can download; it is on their “Make a Plan” page, along with the checklist shown in the image above, which you can also download from that page. You can even order a free instructional DVD or a 2-disc DVD set with information and videos on preparing and responding to many kinds of emergencies. The 2-disc DVD set has English videos on one disc; and Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese versions on the other disc. The last page of the website, “Partners” provides links to helpful organizations, like Offices of Emergency Management, government agencies, weather, and media outlets.
Harvey and its aftermath were a heart-wrenching experience, and most people in Fort Bend are still feeling the effects of it to varying degrees. At the very least, most of us have a little PTSD from the experience. For ten days after Harvey, I still jumped a little in my seat every time I heard our shower or dishwasher start; my mind subconsciously went the thought “Oh no! It’s raining again”. Many of our neighbors are not back in their homes yet, and my heart goes out to them! Repercussions from Harvey hurt a lot of business owners too. On a positive note, one wonderful thing that came out of Harvey was seeing many of our neighbors come together and help each other! Another good thing that can come from it is using that experience as a wake-up call to put a plan and resources in place. One of the difficult things about my experience during Harvey was feeling helpless to do anything to help. Since the roads were flooded, I couldn’t go anywhere. Preparing properly for a future disaster is a way to minimize that helplessness in the future. Alan Lakein said it very well: “Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.”
Comments