With the first spring storms of the season sweeping through the US, officials from local Emergency Management offices want to make sure residents were prepared.

Spring time weather was unpredictable, and could turn wicked in an instant. It is best to get a basic emergency kit ready before you’ve heard the sirens or see flashes of lightning in the sky, .

In that kit, you should have a flashlight with extra batteries, battery powered weather radio, a three day supply of bottled water, that’s one gallon per person, per day, and canned food with a manual can opener.

Know where the circuit breakers are in your house. If you have an emergency plan review it with your family. Make sure you have a radio with extra batteries set aside.

For those who need medications, they should keep a 3-day supply handy. Also be prepared with supplies for people with special needs, some basic tools, and a fully charged cell phone.

If rain flooded your streets, make sure your kids are not playing around drainage ditches or flood waters, where they can be swept away.

Be aware of your environment. If you’re outside and it doesn’t look right, best thing to do is get to a media outlet, listen, and trust your instincts.

If you hear thunder, lightning is sure to follow. Officials say you are are safest inside your home, during a lightning storm. Do not take a bath or shower. Water and copper tubing are excellent conductors of electricity.

If you’re outside, you are safest inside your car.

We have compiled a lot of info to help you get your 72-Hour Kits together for your family. Click HERE for that page.

DON’T GET CAUGHT UNPREPARED!!!!

Make sure you have what your need it your home and in your vehicle. Check the tabs above!

Emergency preparedness is just one of my obsessions. My husband is doing that whole “eye roll” thing right now and saying “no shit”! We’ll see who’s doing the “eye roll” thing when we’re having one of our power outages (or worse) and he has a full belly!!!

Hurricane Hanna and Ike again remind us of the importance of having our 72-hour kits updated and ready to go. Go to my 72-Hour Kits Page (tab at top) or just click HERE for information on how to put your 72-Hour kits together.

I noticed the hit rate on my 72-Hour Kits page went up about 1000% just before Hurricane Hanna and hasn’t stopped yet. DON’T WAIT UNTIL YOU NEED ONE. Put your kit together now and put it away. Then it will be ready when you need it.

If you already have a kit, check it for expiration dates. Make sure everything is good and then put it back where you can easily get to it!

And…a quick note on your gas tank. Get in the habit of filling up at the 1/2 full mark. I am really bad about that. But, it will cut down on a whole lot of panic if you have to evacuate.

The photo above is a summer shot of what’s left of Mount St. Helens in Washington State after her infamous blow on May 18, 1980. 61 people died. We may not have hurricanes in Washington but I live less than 30 miles from the summit of Mt. St. Helens!! So, I have my own little things that can wreak havoc on my day!!

Don’t Be Scared…Be Prepared!!

Ms Sparky

A recent AP article came out discussing the 2008 hurricane predictions from NOAA, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. READ IT!

“US GOVERNMENT: UP TO 9 ATLANTIC HURRICANES IN 2008″ published by the Associated Press on May 22, 2008.

Wildfires, floods, and weird weather has been occurring all over. Hurricanes predicted in the East, earthquakes predicted in the Midwest and California, tsunamis predicted on the west coast, tornadoes happening everywhere. These are all being “scientifically” predicted. If they are going to happen there is nothing anyone can do to stop them. Hoping these things never happen to you is normal. Not planning for them is naive.

A little pre-planning doesn’t make you a “doomsday-ist”. Being just a little bit prepared could alleviate a whole lot of stress and aggravation and could possibly save your life or the lives of your family members. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to use your 72-Hour Kits, then they will be available. If you find you never have t use them, better yet! It’s kind of like the seat belts in your car. You put them on just in case. Putting them on after an accident is too late.

I have several pages (tabs at top) designed to help you get your 72-hour kits ready. It’s free. I’m not trying to sell anything. It’s information that I have gathered from the internet, Red Cross and my own personal experiences. I truly believe in this. I give you information to put them together yourself a little at a time or you can buy them already put together from hundreds of suppliers and be done with it.

Every time there is a disaster, people are unprepared and “can’t believe this happened to them”. They have to wait for State, Federal and charitable organizations to bring them supplies. Wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to wait for food and water to arrive to feed your hungry children?

Anything can happen anytime, anywhere. Please take the time to inform and prepare yourself and your family.

Ms Sparky

Watch out for the sales and take advantage. Get those 72-hour kits stocked up.

Debbie