2022 Fall Home and Garden

2022 Fall Home & Garden LINCOLN DAILY NEWS Sept. 23, 2022 Page 5 EVERYONE Should Have Emergency Food and Water Storage T hose of us in central Illinois might not think much about natural disasters or the need to be prepared for one. It is unlikely that we will ever experience hurricanes, tsunamis, or damaging earthquakes, but we have suffered our fair share of severe storms, floods, tornadoes, and power outages. Every time a disaster happens, there is an abundance of people who are affected; some are left homeless, without food and water, and occasionally some even lose their lives. Yet, most of us do very little to prepare ahead of time for such events. No one can know for sure when disaster will hit, but experts agree that having a plan and being prepared is the answer for making it through emergencies successfully. Launched in 2004, September is National Preparedness Month, an outreach program sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to encourage people to prepare for and respond to all types of emergencies. FEMA desires that every family make an emergency plan by talking about what disasters might occur, how to prepare an emergency kit and where it will be located, and where to go or who to call should you be separated from your loved ones. If disaster of any kind strikes, will you be ready? If your family is not prepared for a natural disaster, there is no time like the present to get started. Some basic steps for safety seem obvious: get to higher ground when flooding is predicted, have warm clothing and blankets in the car when severe winter weather is forecast, or wear sunscreen, stay hydrated, and pace yourself during extreme heat. Other steps, however, take time and can be painstaking. Food and water are necessary when disaster hits but so are personal care items like contact solution, hand sanitizer, and battery-operated flashlights. CONTINUED u