Disasters often happen with little or no warning and no time to prepare. Having a disaster plan for your home, family, or business alleviates worry and makes it easier to respond to the emergency before, during, and after it happens. No region of the United States is immune to disaster, though the types of disasters vary widely. In the last ten years, the U.S. Government has declared a disaster or state of emergency more than 1000 times.
National Preparedness Month is an annual campaign to encourage Americans to prepare for emergencies and disasters. This effort is led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is sponsored by the Ready Campaign in partnership with Citizen’s Corp. FEMA urges people to prepare for specific threats such as a floods, wildfires, hurricanes, and power outages. This year’s National Preparedness Month theme is, ” Disasters Happen. Prepare Now. Learn How.” Each week will focus on different ways that you can prepare for disasters.
Week 1 – Make an Emergency Plan
Create an emergency plan that includes signing up for emergency alerts and making contingency plans for shelter, evacuation, and family communication. Learn More >>
Week 2 – Learn Life Saving Skills
CPR is a good place to start, but also be certain you know how to turn off the utilities in your home and ensure your smoke and CO detectors are properly installed and working. Learn More >>
Week 3 – Check Your Insurance Coverage
Once the emergency is over, appropriate and sufficient insurance will be key to getting your life back to normal, or at least on track. Now is a great time to meet with your insurance agent to review your policy and coverage for the hazards you may face. Learn More >>
Week 4 – Save For an Emergency
Plan financially for the possibility of a disaster. This goes beyond having a rainy-day fund for immediate needs. Gather and organize important home, business, insurance, financial, and personal documents and keep them up-to-date and stored in a secure, water-and-fire proof location. Learn More >>
Throughout September, many organizations across the country will support emergency preparedness efforts and encourage Americans to get involved. Be part of the national effort to fight disasters by engaging in preparedness actions. Make a plan, spread the word, and help individuals and families in your community to be prepared for any crisis. And rest assured that the Disaster Recovery Team at Xtreme Home Improvement will be ready to help quickly and fully cleanup, repair and restore your damaged property.