Get Healthy Carson City: Be prepared, be aware and help your community

National Preparedness Month is an annual reminder to ask yourself if you and your family are prepared for any emergency. Emergencies are not planned, and we do not get a heads up of when they will happen but aiming to be prepared helps ease the situation by alleviating stress and anxiety to help you make better, informed decisions. Emergencies such as natural disasters can be devastating and can cause significant amounts of damage, which is why it is important to do your best to stay prepared.

What are natural disasters?

Natural disasters are events that occur without warning and typically involve the effects of weather. Whether it is tsunamis, wildfires, flash floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, or tornados, all of these can occur at any point in time. Although these natural disasters do not happen in every community, it is important to understand the proper protocols and what you can do to stay safe.

What does it mean to be prepared?

Preparedness does not mean that you or the community will escape the damages that come with a disaster, but it can help reduce the impact. Being prepared means you have emergency kits and communication plans in place with your family. Have an emergency kit ready and available with nonperishable foods (this includes baby food and pet food), enough water supply for you and your family, emergency tools like flashlights, batteries, can openers, satellite radio, and a whistle.

Preparedness also consists of understanding what your local government agency processes are when it comes to natural disasters. Be aware of your community evacuation locations as well as backups in nearby communities in case your local shelters are affected and unavailable. Not only should you be aware of your local communication plan, but you and your family should also have a communication plan in place in case you were to be separated. Community members should sign up for alerts from your local emergency management department to stay updated and informed of any changes during an event.

Individual family preparedness

It is important to understand that preparedness is not a one-size-fits-all process; every family is different, and every family member has different needs. Though documents such as copies of birth certificates, updated photos of family members, a physical list of phone numbers, and medical history records are important, every household will have other essential necessities to consider. These necessities may consist of wheelchairs, medications, durable medical equipment, communication boards, pet accessories, and any other specialized necessities that you absolutely need. Be sure to include a communications plan in your family preparedness processes.

Where does preparedness start?

Preparedness starts at home. Starting the conversation with your family can be the most important step in ensuring that you and your family stay prepared. When everyone knows what to do when an emergency occurs, it can make the situation less stressful and allow for all family cooperation. Initiating the planning is not always fun, mostly because it is important to have a serious conversation, but that is what emergencies are. Emergencies can be difficult on any family; disasters will happen, but being prepared can lessen the impact on you and your family!

Carson City Health and Human Services urges everyone to take steps to be better prepared for a disaster.

For information about services and programs available to you through Carson City Health and Human Services, go to gethealthycarsoncity.org, follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cchhs, or call us at 775-887-2190. You can also find us at 900 E. Long St., in Carson City.