MNN - Mother Nature Network

A natural disaster is possible anywhere around the world. You see headlines every week talking about an earthquake, tornado, wild fire, or hurricane somewhere in the world. Being prepared is a good way to feel ready for any natural disaster that might happen in your location. Dealing with a natural disaster is much easier if you have everything thought out before it happens. Trying to get through a disaster without a plan makes a difficult time even harder to handle.
Here are a few tips for preparing for a natural disaster:

Prepare your home
Your home needs some basic attention to prevent a bad situation from becoming worse. If you have large furniture, secure it to the wall. It will prevent it from toppling over. Make sure your electricity and gas is in good condition. Keep your heater and other appliances in good shape. Don't store heavy objects on high shelves. Keep windows, doors, and hallways clear for easy access.

Put together an emergency plan
Every home and office needs an up to date emergency plan. Keep in mind all the common disasters that can affect your area. If you live in a tornado prone area, prepare for that. If you live in an earthquake zone, prepare for that. Have a general plan for those things that you cannot predict. Know where all shutoffs are for water, gas, and electricity. Have a local and an out of area person to contact in case of separation during a disaster.

Get essential supplies together
Water and food supplies are the beginning. Have a change of clothing also. Add a blanket for each person. Make sure to have prescription medications and basic first aid supplies in the kit. Add copies of all important documents. Be sure to remember special supplies for children and pets. All of these need to go into easy to carry containers that you can load and go with.

Make sure your car has its own emergency supplies
Every car needs basic tools and booster cables. A tire repair kit, maps, flares, and a shovel are also nice to have. A fire extinguisher is a great item also. Non perishable food and water is essential for survival in many cases.

Prepare the family
Everyone in the family needs to have the information on how the emergency plan will work. The children need to know who to contact if the parents are not available. Everyone needs to know how to evacuate the house out of each room. Children need to know how to dial 911 and when to do it. Everyone needs to know where to meet in case of separation.

Run drills
Every once in awhile everyone needs to practice how to respond to an emergency. Make a game out of it for the kids. It will prepare everyone in the family for responding to different situations. It will also give you an indication if there is something not working with your plan. Making changes due to practice is better than finding a problem during a real emergency.

Review plans at least once a year
Life changes. Children grow. You take a new job. You move to a new house. Make sure everyone knows what to do every year. If you need to change plans, do it when you think about it. It is a good time to inventory your documents and make sure you are ready to handle problems.
 
Lawrence Reaves writes for Mesotheliomapage.com, a great resource for learning about the horrible results of asbestos exposure, one of the many unfortunate things that can happen in a natural disaster. 
 
References:
http://www.usna.edu/FamilyServices/NaturalDisasters.pdf
http://theepicenter.com/howto.html
http://learningcenter.statefarm.com/safety-2/severe-weather-1/
http://smallcelllungcancer.net/small-cell-lung-cancer-treatment/