Where will you or your family be when a disaster strikes? You could be any where--at work, at school or in your car. How will you find each other? Will you know if your children are safe? Emergencies and disasters can strike quickly and without warning and can force you to evacuate your neighborhood or confine you to your home. What would you do if basic services--water, gas, electricity or telephones--were cut off? Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone right away. You can cope with a disaster by preparing in advance and by working with your family as a team. Follow these steps to be prepared: 1) Get Informed, 2) Make a Plan, 3) Assemble a Kit, 4) Maintain Your Plan and Kit. Knowing what to do is your best protection and your responsibility.

Contact your local emergency management office and the Oconee County Chapter of the American Red Cross to gather information you will need to create a plan. Ask about specific hazards that threaten your community and about your risk from those hazards. Learn about community response plans, evacuation plans, and designated emergency shelters. Find out how local officials will warn you of a pending disaster and how they will provide information to you during and after a disaster.

Meet with your family members, choose an out-of-town contact, decide where to meet, complete a family communication plan, discuss the escape routes and safe places, plan for those with disabilities and other special needs, plan for your pets, prepare for different hazards.

Know how and when to turn off your utilities, get a fire extinguisher and get trained on how to use a it, install smoke alarms and maintain them, check your insurance coverage, take CPR/AED and First Aid classes at the Oconee County Chapter of the American Red Cross, inventory your home possessions, keep your important documents in a safe deposit box, reduce your home hazards.

In the event you need to evacuate at a moment's notice and take essentials with you, you probably will not have time to shop or search for the supplies you and your family will need. Every household should assemble a disaster supplies kit and keep it up to date.

A kit should include a 3-day supply of nonperishable food and a manual can opener, a 3-day supply of water(1-gal per person per day), portable radio or TV, flashlight, first aid kit, sanitation and hygiene items, matches in waterproff container, whistle, extra clothing and blankets, kitchen accessories, photocopies of identifications and credit cards, cash and coins, medications, eye glasses, infant items, tools, pet supplies, maps, unique family needs and supplies for your car.

Review your plan every six months and quiz your family about what to do. Conduct fire and emergency evacuation drills on a regular basis with your family. Check food supplies for expiration dates and discard, or replace stored water and food every six months. Read the indicator on your fire extinguisher and follow the instructions to recharge. Test your smoke alarms monthly and change the batteries at least once a year. Replace the alarms every ten years.

It's easy to Be Red Cross Ready for a disaster. Just follow these quick steps: 1) Get a kit, 2) Make a plan, 3) Be informed. You can learn more about disaster preparedness by going to http://www.redcross.org/beredcrossready, or, contact the Oconee County Chapter at 864-638-5619.

Preparing for a disaster before it strikes is vital, and the Oconee County Chapter of the American Red Cross is a perfect resource to help you. If a disaster does happen, we will be there to help you get back on your feet. We can also help you be ready to respond to health emergencies--from a skinned knee to a cardiac arrest.

Being Red Cross Ready before, during, and after a disaster could be the difference between you and your families survival. Once you have taken care of your family, you can then help take care of your neighbors. Remember, you may be the only one who is ready for a disaster, and what you do in that time right after a disaster will be the difference. Help will be on the way, but not for a time, so it will be up to you.

If you would like for the American Red Cross Oconee County to conduct a Be Red Cross Ready seminar for you organization, church, business, club, or other individuals, call 864-638-5619 for an appointment.