September is National Preparedness Month #NatlPrep

It is safe to say that the East Coast has been getting their share of extreme weather the past few years. No longer are disastrous weather situations relegated to the Midwest, west coast or south. No! As Mother Nature ups her game, we've been thrown quite a few doozies, what with the sub-freezing temperatures of last winter as well as Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy from a few years past.

It's time to PREPARE, because we never know when the next disaster is coming.

Luckily, September is National Preparedness Month. So what better way to celebrate than to make a Family Emergency Plan? Did you know: according to FEMA, 50% of Americans have not discussed or developed an emergency plan for family members about where to go and what to do in the event of a local disaster? This means 50% of Americans will not fare well should they be blindsided in an emergency.

A Family Emergency Plan is the strategy you make about how to communicate with friends and family in the face of a disaster. You want to be able to answer the questions: How will you get in touch with each other? Where will you meet? It's important to make a plan now so that you will know what to do, how to find each other, and how to communicate in an emergency.

If you want some guidance on how to begin creating a Family Emergency Plan, check out Ready.gov for great resources. It also helps to know what you are up against. The Prepare page on Ready.gov has information about the hazards you may face from natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornados, wildfires and winter storms as well as tips about how to prepare.

How will YOU get prepared this month?