How To Be Properly Prepared For Emergencies (NAPSA)—You maybe better able to protect yourself and your family in the event of an emergency if you plan ahead and make sure you have what you need before you need it. After all, about ; 1,000 tornadoes, five hurricanes and 400,000 housefires happen in Americaeach year. Here are ideas to help you prepare for whatever emergencysituation comes your way. They come from the experts at the International Association of Fire Chiefs and Energizer. 1.Develop a Family Disaster Plan. Families can cope with a disaster by preparing in advance and working together as a team. Makesure everyone knowshow to get out of the house and where to meet in case of a disaster. Draft and practice an evacuation plan, mapping out your route toward safety and shelter. Make sure you have an out-of-town contact who knowsall the important information about your family in case you are separated duringthedisaster. 2. Gather Emergency Supplies and store them in a covered, waterproof plastic bin that contains: Food. Keep a three-day supply of nonperishable foods and a manual can opener. Important documents: insurance papers, medical records, bank account numbers and Social Security cards, sealed in a waterproof container. One change of clothing and footwear per person; toys and booksfor children. One blanketor sleeping bag per person. A first-aid kit, including necessary prescription medications and eyeglasses. Special items for infant, elderly or disabled family members. In case of emergency, make sure your family has a sufficient store of water, flashlights, batteries, medication and othervital items. 3.Make an Energizer Keep Safe. Keep Going powerkit to include with your emergency supplies: Battery-powered radio or crank radio and LEDlight to keep your family apprised of the current weather-related news. Extra specialty batteries. Hearing aid batteries and specialty batteries can powercritical health devices such as hearing aids and blood glucose monitors. Plenty of extra batteries. Energizer Ultimate Lithium and Energizer MAX batteries (AA, AAA, C, D and 9-volt) can provide longlasting power. Lithium batteries have a long storage life, perform well in extreme temperatures and are good for LED flashlights and other high-tech devices. The other batteries can be the power sourcefor standard flashlights, lanterns and radios that may be pressed into action during a poweroutage. Flashlights for every member of the family. For safety’s sake, use flashlights instead of candles when the power goes out. Many homefires are started by candles left unattended. * Battery-powered cell phone chargerto help stay connected even whenthereis noelectricity. 4,.Additional Emergency Supplies: Water. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says each person should have a supply of one gallon of water per day for three days, as a normally active person needsat least one-half gallon of water daily just for drinking, in addition to cooking and sanitation. Pictures of family members and pets in case of separation. * Pet-care items. An extra set of car keys. * Vehicle fuel tanksfilled. * Credit card or cash. Hammer,nails and duct tape. Waterprooftarp. e Antibacterial wipes. Make sure you check all these items annually—a good time might be the first day of spring— and replace expired batteries, medicine, food, etc. Remember, what you do during the calm before the storm can go a long way toward helping you stay safe and protected during andafterit. Learn More For more tips on preparing for a variety of natural disasters and homefire safety, visit the sites www.energizer.com/preparedness and www.iafc.org.
