Will You Be a Blessing or a Burden

When Disaster Strikes?

What is the number one way you can help, rather than hinder, your community in a crisis? Be prepared yourself! Plan to take care of your own family to free up necessary aid for the injured and the vulnerable that will need it most. “Nothing can be more detrimental to the response to a catastrophe than if first responders must waste vital time and resources taking care of those who could have taken care of themselves.” (“After Hurricane Sandy: Time to Learn and Implement the Lessons in Preparedness, Response, and Resilience,” Special Report #144 on Homeland Security by the Heritage Foundation, October 24, 2013)

With only what you have on hand today, how would your household cope if you lost communication, water, electricity and transportation services for 2 or 3 weeks? Richland County Disaster and Emergency Services’

“Dare to Prepare at the Fair” campaign is here to help! Visit our booth in the Agriculture building for helpful ideas, tools and information, and a chance to win some great prizes to help you prepare. Earn prize tickets by: Completing the PLAN form and contact cards available at our booth and Richland County/Sidney Public Library. Downloading preparedness apps at http://www.redcross.org (up to 10 available) bringing us a photo of “What’s in Your Kit?” for our display. Answering daily quiz questions at our booth.

As Tennessee tornado survivor Evonne Richards points out, “Just because you’re prepared doesn’t mean it’s going to happen to you…” Richards is glad she followed advice from a ready.gov billboard and stored up water, food, fuel and other emergency supplies for her family. She says that when a midnight tornado struck their home, “It was nice to know that I could take care of my family and free up rescue workers to go help somebody else instead of trying to bring us water.” The Richards family also contacted friends to report that they were safe. “By us being okay, the rescue crews could go on to help other people like our closest neighbors that needed help. That was a blessing because it may have saved our neighbors’ lives.” (www.ready.gov/testimonials)

Get a Kit. Make a Plan. Be Informed. Please take these steps to prepare yourself, your family and your business, so no one will go without aid on your account. Join others this week in the Dare to Prepare challenge and help us build a more resilient community in Richland County.

Lynn Sloan is a preparedness specialist volunteering with Richland County’s Dare to Prepare campaign.

 

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