Due to the devastation resulting from Hurricane Helene across the US, I encourage everyone to do the following: 1. Ready yourself and your loved ones to withstand a disaster for one week; 2. Volunteer to respond in your community during a disaster; 3. Volunteer to respond across the nation during a disaster.
Take a moment, tomorrow when you get out of bed, to note and reflect upon modern conveniences most taken for granted: Lights, internet/cell phone, clean hot and cold running water, flushing toilets, refrigerated/frozen foods and ice, hot coffee/cold drinks…all available on demand. Then note and reflect during your day on the cash needed for fuel, food, daily medications and other needs. Note the cash needed for a 3-5 night hotel stay and for taking care of those dependent upon you like kids, elderly, medically fragile and pets.
Then ask yourself…do I have what is needed to get through one week without power, water, sewer or internet/phone services; no access to the outside world? Can I provide first aid to myself or others, or make emergency repairs from wind or water? Am I ready to shelter in place without AC or heat, subject to humidity, cold hard rain or bugs? If not, form a plan to get better slowly as time and budget allows!
Plan to improve your resilience by Christmas. Download and set up the FEMA and Red Cross’s Emergency and First Aid apps from your app store. They are free and full of useful guidance. Familiarize yourself with them for a bit each day before social media’ing or gaming. Memorize one phone number of a trusted person, preferably located far away from you. Does that trusted person know how to contact others important to you to include not only your loved ones but also your insurance, doctor, dentist, pharmacist, veterinarian, other medical specialists, utility providers, banker, loan holders, neighbors, church leaders and friends, your local 911 dispatcher? Can you easily grab and go with important stuff like: prescription medicines; keys; cash, checks, credit cards; cell phone with its charger and cord; sturdy shoes; extra clothes; driver’s license, insurance, deeds, titles, leases, birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, passports, prescription renewal information, medical device replacement information; photos of your home, its contents, vehicles, other household members, pets and receipts for high replacement cost items? Do you have backup copies? Is one copy not located at your home but in a safe and secure place?
All disasters begin and end at the local level. Would you help, if needed? If so, learn how to open and operate a shelter nearby. Or learn how to help after a home fire, with search and rescue, debris removal and cleanup, emergency repairs, damage assessments, distribution of emergency supplies, feeding. Learn basic first aid to include how to stop traumatic bleeding, recognize and address diabetic and other life-threatening emergencies, along with basic wound management and care. Consult your local emergency management team or your Red Cross chapter for more information.
Gail Thompson is a retired USAF combat veteran, Red Cross volunteer and proud Mississippi native who resides on her family farm in Clay county.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
