Are you prepared?

September is National Preparedness Month, just in time for Hurricane Gustav's arrival in the still devastated Gulf Coast. We are fortunate to live in an area where we are not marauded annually by storms, avalanches, earthquakes and such (knock wood or the sustainable crop of your choice), but that does not mean we will never be affected by disaster. Are you prepared?

Consider the possibilities. An interstate and other major roads run through our county, so Hazmat spills are a potential danger. The Radford Arsenal could be under threat by, for lack of a better word, terrorists. Forest fires could easily cause the evacuation of large numbers of people. How would you take care of yourself and your animals in a disaster?

Do you have a disaster kit? Do you have at least a 3 day supply of food and drinking water for each member of your household, including your pets? Do you have a radio and flashlight with extra batteries? Do you have kennels for all your pets? Do you have copies of important paperwork, such as insurance policies and rabies certificates, in waterproof containers? Do you have a plan? Do you practice that plan? How would you charge your iPod?

Sheesh. I know I don't have all that stuff, and I was there to witness first hand what poor planning and ill preparedness can lead to. You'd think I'd have better sense. I am not prepared, or at least, I'm not well prepared.

I don't have a written plan, but I do have a plan. I have a lot of useful camping gear stored in totes. I buy pet food in huge quantities and have huge pet/human first aid kit stored near the pet food. I have 3000 feet of restaurant grade plastic wrap. The disaster kit is coming together nicely.

I sincerely hope that everyone will take a few minutes of net surfing time to learn more about how to be prepared in a disaster. Check out the DHS and Citizens Corp National Preparedness Month page and the HSUS Disaster Preparedness for Pets page for more information.