Promise to Prepare

Promises are to keep, right? The reality is that we TRY to keep them. However, unlike New Year’s Resolutions, a “Promise to Prepare” in Orange County [http://readyoc.org/promisetoprepare/index.html]
is one that is easy to make and fulfill. It is simply: Get a Kit • Make a Plan • Volunteer.

WHAT? You have to DO something? Yes, but it is really easy, and I am here to help...

1. Get a Kit.
This is really not as difficult as it sounds. There are LOTS of places to find information on what to have, how to store it, and so on, but I would recommend starting at the Emergency Preparedness website at CSUF: http://prepare.fullerton.edu. On that site, you will find “12 Steps to Preparedness.” Read them all at once, or, as it was intended, read them one at a time, once each week. Before you know it, you will be very prepared and it will seem like hardly any effort at all.

2. Make a Plan.

Making a plan simply means considering the things that are important to you and what you would do with/for them in an emergency. A Family Plan, a Pet Plan, a Car Plan, an Evacuation Plan. Often just thinking about what you need to do will lead you to some really good solutions on what things need your attention. And, at readyoc.org, you will find lots of templates to help you.

3. Volunteer.

Volunteer at work to be your emergency coordinator for your office. Volunteer in your neighborhood to be a source of information for preparedness. Trust me, you WILL benefit from having those around you well prepared for an emergency. Having those around you educated, prepared and able to help you and your community will mean that you will be way ahead in the survival game in a large scale disaster.

So, that’s it. Just 3 things. It’s really not so hard, and it is a promise that you will very glad you kept.