Taken from an in-depth guide to citizen preparedness WHY PREPARE? There are real benefits to being prepared.. Being prepared can reduce fear, anxiety and losses that accompany disasters. Communities, families, and individuals should know what to do in the event of a fire and where to seek shelter during a tornado. They should be ready to evacuate their homes and take refuge in public shelters and know how to care for their basic medical needs. People can also reduce the impact of disasters such as flood proofing, elevating a home or moving a home out of harm’s way, and securing items that could shake loose in an earthquake. THE NEED TO PREPARE IS REAL. Disasters disrupt hundreds of thousands of lives each year. Each disaster has lasting effect, both to people and to property. If a disaster occurs in your community, local government and disaster-relief organizations will try to help you, BUT YOU NEED TO BE READY AS WELL. Local responders may not be able to reach you immediately, or they may need to focus their efforts elsewhere. You should know how to respond to severe weather or any disaster that could occur in your area-hurricanes, earthquakes, extreme cold, flooding or terrorism You should also be ready to be self sufficient for atleast 3 DAYS. THIS MAY MEAN FOR YOUR OWN SHELTER, FOOD, WATER AND SANITATION
