Are You Ready?

This Is A Test

If a natural disaster struck your hometown today, would you know what items to take with you to safety or to a shelter? Learn why an emergency plan is important and how to prepare your own emergency kit for your family in this article.

You just heard on the radio that your neighborhood is being evacuated because of out of control fires. You have twenty minutes to be out of your home. What do you take with you?

• Your pet

• Clothes/toiletries

• Pictures

• Medicines

• Passport

• Birth certificates

• Deed to your Home

• Insurance Information

• Laptop or Discs

The recent natural disasters America experienced have caused both individuals and health care providers to take a hard look at our current systems and preparedness. While organizations and the governments at all levels are busy getting ready for future issues, so should we.

Be Prepared

While we all know that our Service Benefit Plan coverage is active wherever we are, there are certain measures we can take to make sure we can maintain our health care. In case of an emergency, would you gather all of the medication you might need for several days? Weeks? Do you have a list of your doctors? A shot record (immunizations) or know for sure when you had your last tetanus shot? If you or a family member needs a nebulizer for their asthma, can you find it easily? What about insulin? And if someone in your home is on oxygen, do you have an emergency plan that the local fire department and EMS know about?

Fortunately, there are ways for you to increase your preparedness. There are suggestions available for you to review and select what is appropriate for you and your family. You can and should get the family together to develop your own Family Plan using tools found on-line or from other trusted resources. Below are some websites where you can find reliable information about developing your own “kits” that meet your particular needs.

When thousands of Americans and many federal employees found themselves evacuated after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, they found themselves for months and some, forever, away from the doctors and hospitals that had provided their care. The folks who “knew” them. Medical records were destroyed and lost forever in some cases. Consider protecting your information by maintaining your own record either through an online service or in a password protected personal file. You can keep it with you in a key ring portable drive.

How To Get Reliable Information

By going to reputable sites, such as those related to Homeland Security or WebMD (and there are others as well) you will find the framework for generating your own medical record. Critical items of information include medication and environmental allergies, current medications and the reason you take them, any diagnosis that you have. Then include any information that your regular doctor always discusses with you.

By thinking and planning ahead, you can guard yourself and your family from panic when you must leave the safety of your own home.

Suggested Searches And Websites For Additional Websites:

Search

• "personal emergency preparedness"

• OPM Emergency Guidance

• personal health record

Websites

• www.ready.gov/america/supply_checklists.html

• www.opm.gov/emergency

• www.ready.gov/america/make_a_plan.html

• www.checkupsoftware.com/Features.html

• www.recordsforliving.com

Written by Cheryl Harris, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Originally appeared in the July 2006 issue of Straight Talk. Resources include www.webmd.com.