National Preparedness Month

9/15/2016 (Permalink)

Be prepared with SERVPRO

If disaster does strike, leaving fire, water or mold damage in its wake, area SERVPRO emergency restoration specialists offer an assortment of services to help local residents quickly restore damaged property.

This fall, in recognition of the annual National Preparedness Month (NPM), activities and events took place across the country to highlight the importance of emergency preparedness and to promote individual involvement in preparation for emergency response. Area franchises of the restoration company SERVPRO continue to offer free preparedness materials for NPM.

The focus of this year’s campaign: “Be Disaster Aware – Take Action to Prepare” is to encourage Americans to work together to take concrete actions toward emergency preparedness. SERVPRO often sees the benefits of emergency preparedness.

SERVPRO suggests residents throughout the country begin to prepare for a natural or man-made disaster by taking the following steps to lessen the impact on their families and their communities if disaster strikes.

Prepare an Emergency Supply Kit – Families should plan for 3 days of supplies, including water (a gallon per person per day is recommended) and non-perishable foods. Basic tools (wrench, pliers, can opener, matches), fire extinguisher, flashlight and radio with extra batteries, a first aid kit, extra clothing and hygiene items, garbage bags and duct tape, copies of important documents (insurance policies, ID, bank accounts), cash and local maps should also be included.

Establish a Family Emergency Plan – An out-of-town contact should be noted as a centralized, emergency communications facilitator in case a disaster strikes. That person’s number should be included in emergency contacts on each family members cell phone. If that person cannot be reached with a call, texting should be tried.

Stay Informed – Most communities have established emergency procedures and participate in activities planned to communicate those procedures. Checklists and other disaster preparedness tools are available from SERVPRO or at ready.gov.

While it’s common for individuals to insure their homes, cars and possessions, and even to prepare living wills to protect their families in the event of some unthinkable accident, only 36 percent believed there was a high likelihood of a natural disaster ever happening in their community, according to a Citizen Corps National Survey. And yet disasters can and do happen every day. In fact, FEMA has recorded more declared disasters to date this year alone, up from last year.

If disaster does strike, leaving fire, water or mold damage in its wake, area SERVPRO emergency restoration specialists offer an assortment of services to help local residents quickly restore damaged property.

SERVPRO OF ENC is here to help 694-7776