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September 11, Hurricane Katrina, the Indonesian tsunami, the California wildfires. Emergencies happen all the time and you need to be prepared.

Perhaps the first lesson to be learned from the emergencies named, and many others, is that you are responsible for yourself. It may be hours or days before an emergency agency of the government can reach you or is in position to help you. The actions which you take in the first minutes and hours of an emergency may save your life, the lives of your loved ones and the lives of your friends and neighbors.

Governments at all levels prepare for emergencies. They run drills. They stock up on supplies. They publish plans. Their hard work is often available to you on the Internet, or at your local library or municipal offices.

Become familiar with those materials. They will tell you about evacuation routes, shelter sites, and they will give you a wide variety of materials for your use in your personal emergency preparedness.

Stay or leave. That will be your first decision in an emergency. Evacuation orders or recommendations may be made by the local government. Your chances of receiving timely assistance and shelter are greatly increased if you follow those instructions.

What supplies do you need to be prepared for an emergency? Three days of food, water and other necessities is the suggestion from the U.S. government. Babies will need diapers and sick folks will need their medicine.

If you evacuate, you will want some clothes, some food and water for the trip, and a means of transportation. If you plan ahead and have a small bag packed with some necessities, you will be out and on your way much faster. Take medicines, identification and money. Don't plan on taking very much because it will slow you down and if you are in a shelter you may not be allowed to keep some of it due to a lack of space.

Don't wait until the last minute to make decisions. One of the lessons from September 11 and Katrina is that you need to have decided what to do before the emergency reaches its climax. The people who got up and left the towers immediately on 9/11 survived. The people who found a method of transportation and evacuated New Orleans before the storm arrived survived. "Be prepared" is not just a nice motto for the Boy Scouts.

The U.S. government has a website dedicated to emergency preparedness, Ready.gov. On it you will find a great deal of material for personal and business uses, and a great site for children.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, handles disaster relief and recovery. Its website offers advice about natural and man made hazards, It also offers lots of material on prevention and mitigation of damages in an emergency.

The Centers for Disease Control, CDC, also offer a website with information on emergency preparedness. If the possibility of a pandemic or a terrorist attack worries you, here is a site where you can learn how to prepare for such an emergency.

Remember that emergency preparedness begins with you. The government will be late and you will be on your own for some time. Be prepared to either stay put or go. Have on hand the food, water and supplies you will need to stay. Have a bag prepared if you have to evacuate, and know what your transportation will be. Be prepared to take action, before you need to take action.

Learn more about this author, Charles Simmins.
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