I just wanted to share with you some interesting tips on being prepared from NASA Senior Engineer Dr. Arthur Bradley, who literally wrote the book on the subject — on emergency preparedness, that is. He’s the author of “Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family.” Written with a family-friendly style that’s easy to read and understand, Dr. Bradley delivers must-have information for personal and family safety without scaring anyone.
Published via the CreateSpace self-publishing, print on-demand platform, the 450-page “Handbook” is a guide for families everywhere, and is filled with lots of useful details that everyone can use, from evacuating their home and their general area during a disaster, to purifying water, storing food and protecting themselves and their property.
In preparing the book, Dr. Bradley, a former paratrooper and college professor with a PhD in engineering, consulted “every reference and preparedness plan” available, collected information from various agencies, conducted searches and tests and referenced 260 sources for his book. Important to him was helping families pull together a plan that works for them, including special needs for people with disabilities and the elderly as well as providing details on how to create an effective network (ie, teaming up with neighbors and friends to help one another survive the disaster). He also provides websites for useful information and exercises families can practice to help them prepare for the unexpected emergency.
Nearly four years in the making, Dr. Bradley is committed to updating the “Handbook” yearly so the material is as fresh and useful as possible to readers. I’m passing along a Tip Sheet of 13 key points for every family’s preparedness below. This is really something that is beneficial for all families! The book is “available on Amazon.com via CreateSpace.”
1. Start paying attention. Get a weather radio. Monitor local and national events. Be more aware of your surroundings and things that may affect your family. Stay Alert = Stay Alive!
2. Make a simple list of dangers that you are most likely to face, many of which are dependent on where you live. Next, assess the shortages or hardships that these dangers might cause, such as loss of electricity, water contamination, or inability to travel the roadways. Finally, make a few basic preparations to mitigate the effects of those hardships (perhaps keeping a generator in your garage or installing a water purifier).
3. Stock up on consumables that might end up in short supply: food, water, candles, batteries, generator fuel, ammunition, diapers, etc.
4. Shore up your shelter. Take time to inspect your dwelling to make sure it is in good repair and capable of protecting your family.
5. Plan your possible evacuation. Identify where you will go, at least two ways to get there, and what supplies or valuables you will take with you.
6. Put together a small emergency kit for your automobile.
7. Review your insurance policies and adjust or supplement them to have an adequate safety net in place.
8. Have ready a properly-sized backup heating system (if appropriate to climate).
9. Establish an emergency fund that can be quickly accessed when a financial hardship occurs.
10. Learn first aid, and put together a well-stocked family kit.
11. Maintain a minimum 30-day supply of important medications and medical supplies.
12. Create a network of like-minded individuals committed to working together to survive dangerous events.
13. Consider the special needs of those within your household, including children, the elderly, those with disabilities, and pets.
Source: Arthur T. Bradley,PhD, Author of “Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family” (CreateSpace)
