Emergency Preparedness – Christian duty

May 5 -11 is a Canada-wide Emergency Preparedness Week.  It is an initiative to increase awareness of individuals and families.  Since 1996 this effort had been at work.  This year a special focus is on seniors and older adults.  While they have the ability to help themselves and others, they are also more vulnerable during emergencies.  How prepared are you for an emergency situation?  Are you aware of what it means to be prepared?  First level of responsibility is upon individual. Let me share just a few tips.

1.        It takes about 72 hours for rescue operations to be organized and help to be offered in cases of a disaster.  Your family has to be prepared at least for 72 hours survival.  Organize an emergency survival kit to be sufficient.

Essentials

• Food & can opener (non-perishable & easy-to-prepare items)
• Water (4 litres per person for each day)
• Flashlight & extra batteries
• Radio (crank or battery-run)
• Hand sanitizer or moist towelettes
• First-aid kit & Medication(s)
• Important papers (identification, contact lists, copies of prescriptions, etc.)
• Cash (and extra car keys)
• Whistle (to attract attention, if needed)

Special Considerations

• Medical supplies & equipment (cane, walker, hearing aid, breathing device)
• Prescription eyewear and footwear
• Dentures and supplies
• Pet food and supplies if you have a pet

Extra Supplies for Evacuation

• Clothes, shoes, Sleeping bag or blanket
• Personal items (soap, toothpaste, other toiletries)

Place all these items in an easy-to-carry bag or case on wheels, and keep your emergency survival kit in a place that is easy to reach.  Keep your cell phone or mobile device fully charged.

2.        Have a corded phone (cordless do not work when power is out of satellite communications are interrupted).  Do not discard that old phone with a cord.  And if you don’t get one from a garage sale for a buck, but make sure you have a phone with a cord to plug in.

3.        Your household needs to have an emergency plan, for every member of the family to know what to do, where to meet up if people get separated, and how to contact each other.  If you made a plan before – update it every year as things change.  What is the safe place to meet near your home?

4.        Public Safety Canada offers downloadable brochures from their website http://www.GetPrepared.ca

5.        Make copies of birth and marriage certificates, passports, licences, wills, land deeds and insurance. Take photos of family members in case a lost persons record is created. Keep them in a safe place, both inside and outside your home. You might want to put them in a safety deposit box or give them to friends and family who live out of town.

Today we will distribute brochures and guides.  Please take this seriously, so you would not be a burden to others, but be able to offer help in time of need to your neighbour.  As believers we should be more prepared, and take seriously possibilities of future disasters.