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The Dollars and Sense of Emergency Preparedness
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WhyPrepare?
Emergencies and disasters can occur at any time. It doesnt
necessarily take a major
disaster to critically impact your life, family and property.
Preparing for emergencies and
disasters can help protect our families and community and
ultimately it helps to reduce
the impact of any emergency.
Hazards
A hazard can be defined as any situation or event that has the
potential to cause harm,
damage or loss. Some hazards like a flood, or hurricane, you may
have time to prepare
or evacuate. Other hazards, like a tornado, chemical spill, or
terrorist strike can leave you
little time to respond. Unless you are aware of the hazards in
your area and are prepared
for an emergency, your family could be basic necessities for a
number of days.
PreparingFinancially
To prepare financially for emergencies, consider the basic
financial management
concepts taught at Fleet and Family Support Centers:
Emergency savings: emergency savings should be able to cover one
to threemonths of your monthly bills and debt payments.
Living within your means: Not spending more than you make is a
fundamentalaspect of good personal financial management for every
season and reason.
Keep your credit in check: Keeping your debt level low and
maintaining a good
credit history can help to prepare you for any emergency. And in
an emergency yourcredit might be needed to evacuate from a storm,
replace damaged or lost
belongings or cover short-term lodging due to an emergency.
ActionItems
Do a home inventory: Take an inventory and keep a copy of the
list somewhere safe.
Photos or videos of each room and its contents will help you to
settle a claim in the event
of a loss. Additionally, make a list of the make, model and
serial numbers for appliances
and electronics.
Check your insurance policy: The purpose of any insurance is
protection fromfinancial loss. Life, health, auto, homeowners, and
renters insurance products are all
designed to protect you from losses you cannot afford to cover
yourself. The right
insurance coverage can prevent financial ruin in the event of a
disaster. When you
complete your inventory, check your insurance policy(s) to make
sure that you have
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adequate coverage. You might want to get appraisals on high end
items and speak with
your insurance company about special riders or insurance
coverage to protect these
items.
Pack your grab and go kit: Another aspect of being financially
prepared is having
your financial documents organized so that you can quickly
assemble important
documents in case of an evacuation. Refer to the Operation
Prepare Financial and
Insurance Records handout for a list of documents to have in
your grab and go kit. Also,
since power outages can limit access to your emergency savings
so its a good idea to
always keep a small amount of cash and coins on hand. A rolling
briefcase or backpack
can be a good storage solution but dont forget to make sure to
place documents in
waterproof bags or containers.
Resources
Operation
Prepare:http://www.cnic.navy.mil/CNIC_HQ_Site/WhatWeDo/EmergencyManagement/Op
erationPreparedness/CNICD_A064354
American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/
FEMA: http://www.fema.gov/
National Flood Insurance Program:
http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/
NMCRS: http://www.nmcrs.org/
Ready.gov: http://www.ready.gov/
NFAAS: https://www.navyfamily.navy.mil/ Storm Pulse:
http://www.stormpulse.com/
National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/
One Storm (hurricane preparedness and
planning)http://publix.onestorm.org/Default.aspx?ReturnUrl=/OnePlan/
Disability Preparedness:
http://www.disabilitypreparedness.gov/
Pet Finder: http://www.petfinder.com/index.html
Prepare in a Year:
http://www.emd.wa.gov/preparedness/prep_prepare_year.shtml USAA
Educational Foundation (free preparedness and inventory
booklets):
https://www.usaaedfoundation.org/default.asp
