Preparation & Organization Tips: Get Organized for Disaster by Judith Kohlberg
Mother Nature is unpredictable. But
what is predictable is that there
will surely be more natural disasters. Man-made disasters such as
chemical spills and nuclear power plant accidents, are a sure bet. The
unknown is an essential part of terrorism. The unknown is what makes
terrorism so terrorizing. Yet, terrorism, like natural disasters and
man-made disasters is an event that, unfortunately, is likely to happen
again.
You can interpret the inevitability of disasters as "gloom and doom" and
leave your fate to chance. Or you can decide that because disasters are
inevitable,
PREPARING for them makes perfect sense.
Here are some preparation and organization tips you can use
now that will prepare you for disasters.
PREPARATION & ORGANIZATION TIP #1: PROTECT YOUR FAMILY
Plan and practice an escape route and an alternative escape route from
your home. Install smoke detectors, heat detectors, and fire
extinguishers -- and know how to turn off your water, electricity, and
gas. Take a FIRST AID course. And determine an out of state CONTACT that
can be a communication point if local communications are inoperable.
PREPARATION & ORGANIZATION TIP #2: PROTECT YOUR
INFORMATION and ASSETS Establish an off-premises safe deposit box to
contain wills, living wills, power of attorney, appraisals, marriage and
divorce documents, certified birth certificate, and trust records.
Upgrade the replacement cost clauses of your homeowner's policy to make
sure your total property worth is covered.
PREPARATION & ORGANIZATION TIP #3:PROTECT YOUR DOCUMENTS
Organize a DOCUMENT grab-and-go bag to verify or re-establish your
identity and credit, expedite filing insurance claims, and notify
institutions about your disastrous situation. An Pendaflex expanding
Document file will do nicely. Include:
*copy of your driver's license
*copy of social security card
*deeds, titles, and mortgage notes
*family medical records
*list
of vital contact information (employer, bank, insurance company, utility
companies)
*front and back of each credit card
PREPARATION & ORGANIZATION TIP #4: HAVE WHAT YOU NEED
Decide in advance one car's worth of things you would take with you if
you needed to evacuate your home with just one day's notice. Organize
these disaster PROVISIONS in a centralized place:
*first aid
kit
*extra clothing and footwear
*flashlights and batteries
*water and non-perishable food for 3 days
*cash
*a
battery-operated radio
*landline telephone
PREPARATION & ORGANIZATION TIP #5: Go to www.Ready.gov for
more disaster preparedness advice.
Judith Kolberg is the author of Organize for Disaster : Prepare Your
Family and Your Home for Any Natural or Unnatural Disaster, available at
Amazon.com or www.fileheads.net/products.html. She owns FileHeads
Professional Organizers in Atlanta, GA.
