Resolve to be Ready
This year, many people will make at least one New Year's resolution. Today, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) wants you to make a resolution that is both important and easy to keep: preparing for emergencies.
Many people agree that taking some simple steps to get ready will help when an emergency happens. But, only some of us have taken any of the steps. PDPH suggests that all families:
- Get an emergency supply kit.
- Make a family emergency plan.
- Stay informed about the different types of emergencies that could happen and learn what you should do.
PDPH encourages us all to take these simple steps to get prepared. Here are some ideas on how to get started.
Visit www.ready.gov or call 1-800-BE-READY to learn how to get ready for all types of emergencies. Free information, like family emergency plans and how to make an emergency supply kit, are on www.ready.gov. These materials will help you make a New Year's resolution that will bring peace of mind to you and your loved ones.
If you want to help your community get prepared, join Southeastern Pennsylvania (SEPA) Volunteers Active in Disaster (VOAD) or Citizen Corps. Through SEPA VOAD, you can learn how to help your community when a disaster happens. SEPA VOAD offers free training. They will match community needs with trained volunteers after a disaster hits.
Citizen Corps brings people together to prevent, plan for, respond to and recover from emergencies. Visit www.sepavoad.org learn about training and volunteering with SEPA VOAD and Citizen Corps.
Wishing you a happy and safe New Year - and remember - Don't wait. Set a date. Resolve to be Ready in 2008!
Get ready: easy steps to get prepared
Get an emergency supply kit.
Don't forget to add things for people in your family who may have special needs. Remember to include:
- A list of all current medicines.
- Eye glasses.
- Baby formula, diapers.
- Pet food, extra water for your pet, leash and collar.
- Important documents (copies of insurance policies, ID, bank account records). Keep documents in a waterproof, portable container.
Make a plan.
- Before an emergency happens, sit down together and decide how you will contact each other, where you will go and what you will do in an emergency.
- Choose a meeting place. Pick one in your neighborhood and one outside your community, in case you have to leave your home (evacuate).
- Choose an out-of-town emergency contact. (See below for more.)
- Ask about emergency plans at places where your family spends time (work, school, etc.). If no plans exist, ask how you can help make one.
- Talk to your neighbors about what you will do during an emergency. You will be more prepared if you think ahead and plan with others before an emergency happens.
Stay informed.
- Learn about the types of emergencies that can occur in your community.
- Visit www.readyphiladelphia.org to find out what to do in different situations.
For more tips and ways to get prepared, visit www.ready.gov or call 1-877-READY-11.
Call Cousin Tammi in Miami
As you dream of warmer weather this week, remember your friends and relatives who live outside of Philadelphia. Even if they don't all live in places like Miami, they can be an important part of your disaster plan.
During an emergency, Philadelphia phone circuits may be busy. It may get hard to make local calls. But, long-distance calls may be easier to make. If you are separated from your family members in an emergency, your out-of-town contact may be able to help you communicate.
Be sure every member of your family knows the out-of-town phone number and has coins or a prepaid phone card to make the phone call. You may have trouble getting through, or the telephone system may not be working, but be patient.
For more information, contact Ms. Deborah Knorr in the PDPH Division of Disease Control
at 215-685-6459 or deborah.knorr@phila.gov, or go online to www.phila.gov/health.
Return to the "Health Bulletin" page to view the newsletter in English, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Russian, or large-print formats.
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