Preparedness

By Jim Cheatham

In the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, the amount of devastation left in the Carolinas stirred many emotions. Many lost their homes and neighborhoods, and some even lost loved ones. Watching people lose all of their belongings is hard. Unfortunately, public safety employees see this often.

What can you do to be prepared? Preparedness is a mindset. Recognize your belongings as just that belongings. Think about the day that they may all be gone. It is not going to be a pleasant experience, but if youve thought about the loss and planned for what is next, it will allow you to focus on the important things when tragedy strikes, and the important things are people.

Planning is critical. Start with thirty minutes. If a tragedy strikes, what do you and your loved ones do for the first thirty minutes? This is about getting to safety; its the number one item on your checklist. Create a plan, and practice evacuations, so your family will know exactly what to do. Once your family is safe, you can focus on doing whatever is possible to rectify the tragedy at hand.

Next, focus on 72 hours. You should have a plan to be on your own for 72 hours. It could be getting a hotel room and going clothes shopping; it could be breaking out the camping gear and the bottled water youve been storing for such an occasion. The idea is to be self-sufficient for a variety of tragedies. You should also have a plan in place for this, and make sure all involved know what the plan is.
Other things to conside: have you recorded the contents of your house, so you can keep the video in a safe place? Is your computer backed up? Is the backup drive in a separate location? Do not let the day of the tragedy be the first time you talk to your insurance company to make sure your coverage is what you think it is. Did you know the amount to rebuild your home has nothing to do with what you could sell it for?

Reach out to Alpharetta Public Safety, or check out Ready.gov for more preparedness ideas.

November is usually the month where people consider what they are thankful for. Even during a tragedy, there is usually still plenty for which to be thankful. Be sure to count your blessings.