Playworks sells toys that invite play and enhance early childhood development [fun for all ages]

We've all heard the maxim, "if it's not one thing, it's another." Heidi says her family took the saying a step further, to "it's always one thing and another." Both ring true when thinking about natural disasters. Depending on where we live, we've experienced one thing or another this year ~flooding or drought, raging wild fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, or earthquakes as well as one thing and another when one disaster set the stage for another, as happened when hurricane driven wind and rain veered inland causing historic flooding in landlocked Vermont. High wind and rain left people stranded when roadways crumbled and bridges were swept away. Live downed power lines presented deadly hazards and created power outages that lasted weeks in remote areas.

What's a person to do? Prepare, prepare, prepare. Getting ready for the unexpected takes planning. Too often we acknowledge what we need to do to get prepared while failing to act, leaving us unable to respond to an emergency. As adults, we are responsible not only for our own safety but also for the safety of our children and elders, and that includes educating them about what to do when the unexpected happens.

Fortunately guidance is at hand. Go to www.Ready.gov for information on how to survive a natural or a man-made disaster, such as the one that recently caused power outages affecting six million people in parts of Arizona, California, and Mexico. Ready offers a three step action plan complete with downloadable instructions for dealing with specific situations, allowing us to focus our attention of those we're most likely to experience where we live.

Ready? Set? Go! 1. Get a Kit, 2. Make a Plan, and 3. Be Informed. Knowing what to do in an emergency, having a plan, and being prepared could make all the difference when seconds count.