Since I have lived in Florida for my entire life, I have been through my fair share of natural disasters in the form of hurricanes. Only months after we built our house back in 2004, we were hit with three major hurricanes in a row, and we were not prepared when the first one whipped through here and caused some serious destruction. When most of the city lost power for many days following Hurricane Charley, we had a hard time finding a decent meal. We learned our lesson, and we were definitely more prepared when the next two came through.
Our lack of food for a few days does not even compare to what the residents of Louisiana lost during Hurricane Katrina, or what New York City residents went through after the devastating events of 9/11. With Hurricane Isaac currently pounding the Gulf Coast, the anniversaries of Hurricanes Irene and Katrina on the minds of many, and September 11th just right around the corner, we are reminded that emergencies can happen anytime.
September is National Preparedness Month and a time to get ready for emergencies. Everyone should check their disaster kits and make sure you have enough food, water and supplies for at least 72 hours. You should also go over your emergency plan with your family so everyone knows what to do and where to go if you are not together in the event of an emergency.
OEM (Office of Emergency Management) is urging New York residents to sign up for Notify NYC, the city's official emergency notification system. Subscribers receive text messages, e-mails, phone calls or Tweets about significant citywide events, as well as smaller events happening in their own neighborhoods. These notifications cover topics such as severe weather, school closures, subway disruptions, and traffic advisories in all areas of the city. The most recent alerts are regarding road closures, and West Nile Virus spraying.
This is such a great notification system, and every city should have one! Anyone can sign up and customize the alerts they would like to receive by visiting nyc.gov/notifynyc or following @NotifyNYC.
To learn more about Notify NYC and OEM, check them out on Facebook and follow on Twitter, or visit nyc.gov/oem.
Notify NYC wants to help one of my readers stock up on home preparedness supplies...
~*~Giveaway~*~
~*~$50 Gift Card to a National Home Improvement Store~*~
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I was not compensated in any way to share this information with you. A big Thank You to the representing PR agency for providing the giveaway prize!
124 comments:
We are definitely more prepared than we were last October/November after losing power for 5 days after that weird Halloween blizzard here in NY. But I know we could do more re bottled water, batteries.
maggie at literary winner dot com
I am not as prepared as I need to be and it is something that we consistently work on, especially since we have moved back to Oklahoma. After going through the May 3, 1999 F-5 tornado with only a Fisher-Price flashlight, I have more flashlights and lanterns than you can shake a stick at!
I am not as prepared as I need to be and it is something that we consistently work on, especially since we have moved back to Oklahoma. After going through the May 3, 1999 F-5 tornado with only a Fisher-Price flashlight, I have more flashlights and lanterns than you can shake a stick at!
I have an earthquake kit and a supply of food and other things need if the power goes out because of wind storms.
kerrie@mayansfamily.com
We have some extra supplies of water and caned/dry food. we also keep a lot of flashlights and candles around, carawling(at)hotmail(dot)com
About all I have is flashlight, batteries and plenty of my meds. But we really only have the occasional earthquake.
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
We keep plenty of flashlights, candles, lanterns, batteries, and non-perishable foods stocked up :) *Thanks* for the giveaway!
We have flashlights and candles but should have water and food stored.
We could be more prepared. we do have bottled water, flashlights and a battery powered radio in our kit.
I have extras of all the basics, i could be better prepared!!
I am pretty prepared. I have actually worked with the federal and local goverments on getting prepared for a pandemic.
I have the basics and PLENTY of food, after reading this i think i can do better :(
I do have some things but could use more
Have lanterns ready with extra batteries and lots of bottled water.
Kathy Davis
kdavis1@centurytel.net
FB fan as Kathy Newsom Davis
Kathy Davis
kdavis1@centurytel.net
I have a lot of supplies but I would like a hand can opener and one more flash light. Thanks!
romapup at gmail dot com
we are sort of prepared...we have food and water for 3-5 days, I have camping stove/fuel. I have supplies in my car in case of emercency (blanket, clothes, food, flashlight)
I've been collecting jugs of water and storing them in my basement for years.
Not prepared.
water and canned food and flashlights
We are fairly prepared- flashlights, radio, candles and food & water. I think everyone can do more though- and I hope we never need to use these supplies!
We have extra water and batteries ready. I would like to stock up on more food just in case.
We have a first aid kit and we keep a radio, flashlight and batteries.
I can food in jars and keep them in my basement to keep us supplied with food!
we have a bag of emergency supplies
We're having the shed out back anchored and we have the supplies ready for if we lose power.
We have emergency supplies stored in our basement that includes food, water, batteries and some cash etc. We also have a generator with enough gas to run it for several days.
abfantom at yahoo dot com
I keep extra water on hand for a power failure because we're on a well. I also keep batteries and flashlights handy.
My basement it stocked with supplies because we get a lot of tornado warnings here.
after losing power quite a few times we bought a generator
We are totally prepared - we could be on Dommsday Preppers. :)
elysesw@aol.com
We are somewhat prepared - we have a good stock of flashlights, lanterns, and batteries, but we are lacking in other supplies.
We have a lot of thunderstorms and power outages. We keep fresh batteries in our flashlights, and have a battery-powered radio handy.
marcia.goss@gmail.com
Solar lighting, flashlights, battery powered radios
We have water, food, flashlights, battery-powered radio
pkildow at gmail dot com
Ive stocked up on essentials from using coupons for years for both financial reasons and just in case of emergencies
We're not nearly as prepared as we should be. We do have flashlights and extra batteries for those and the portable radio.
I've prepared for a hurricane by stocking up on water, and lots of canned foods. Also plenty of batteries and a flashlight
Nathansmommy619(At)aol(dot)com
We have a generator, stored water and extra batteries
Lots of home canned food and firewood!
We are prepared and stay prepared. We live along the gulf in South Texas. The last thing we need is a generator. We had one during our last storm and it was a life saver.
We're preparing for tornado season with bottle water and non-perishable groceries.
keep a water supply, flashlights, radio and cash on hand
Thank you for hosting this giveaway
Louis
pumuckler {at} gmail {dot} com
In my basement I have bottled water and cans of food.
jcarrturq5@yahoo.com
I have to invest in a generator. Not only did we lose groceries 2 times in 6 weeks from not having power for a week at a time ...but I have asthma and need a nebulizer when there is no AC
ababe28 at hotmail dot com
We have lots of bottled water, canned goods, flashlights (including a hand powered one), and an escape plan should we need to leave in a hurry.
Oh man, I think we are overprepared! We have a whole-house automatic generator that runs off of our own huge propane tank. It can power everything in our house for 3 months straight. We also have a 2 year food supply. Our house is made of steel (not wood or concrete block)... so it has a much higher hurricane rating. (we live in FL). We get our water from our own well... and if for some reason the power is out and the generator doesn't work, we have the ability to pump water out by-hand. I could go on and on... but we have a lot! Ha!
We have lots of batteries, flashlights, candles, water and a generator.
I have let my emergency supplies go for a while. I have the basics but it is time to stock up, especially because winter is coming.
beh2351@frontier.com
we have a one-week supply of water and food in case of emergency (which i think is not enough)
Lots of water and non perishables. No generator because I live in a NYC apartment.
I need to get my 72-hour kits organized and packed straight - I have all the stuff, but not in a central location where I could get at the supplies easily.
Bottled water, canned food, and lots of candles!
HORTON111@AOL.COM
BOTTLED WATER
Over here we get tornadoes. If there is a watch I make sure to have flashlights, batteries, blankets, etc ready. We keep an eye on the radar and if the weatherman says to go to the basement (or if we hear the siren) we go right away.
I want to have more food storage!
I have more canned food on hand and flashlights in certain places around the house.
tarter95 athotmail dot com
We live in an area that gets hurricanes so we have a stocked emergency kit. It contains flash lights, cranked radios, bottled water, plenty of canned food, first aid kit, tarps and ropes and extra batteries, etc.
we currently have car emergency kits and stocked up on mre's for our home in case of an emergency
christinejessamine at hotmail dot com
I've got an emergency food stash in my shed. I'd like to collect water and batteries next.
Woefully unprepared - need new smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and emergency food/water supplies!
We have food saved up but need to add water
(jen487@Hotmail.com)
We have a food supply and water saved!
I am definitely not prepared but will need to work on coming up with a plan.
we have a lot of food saved up and other supplies. Cheryl Abdelnour cjabdelnour@hotmail.com
We have saved up non perishable items, batteries, blankets and spare towels, flash lights, candles. Everything is packed neatly in our garage with easy access to it.
We're also in FL so we try to be prepared as well.
We keep bottled water on hand. I know I should really have a kit with a lot more items! This is a good reminder!
No, we are not prepared.
Shaunda.Eppes at gmail dot com
We have bottled water, canned food and dry food, can openers, flashlights, batteries, candles and a lantern, matches, lighters, books and hand gel.
We got a generator, because we have alot of bad storms/Ice storms where we are!
I'm not prepared; I need to get candles, flashlights, batteries, canned food, and a first aid kit.
-Miranda M
We have flashlights and cases of water
rtrexel@gmail.com
I think we a somewhat prepared I do keep fresh batteries, flashlights and bottled water on hand. I think we probably could do a litte more though.
tderosa142 at gmail dot com
i wish I had more items on hand...we have a flashlight, but having a wind-up radio and the like would be great
We always keep lots of batteries, candles, flashlights, and canned goods. I also have a battery operated radio and a generator.
Paula Michele Hafner
We're in FL, and no, we are definitely not prepared.
I didn't add this to my comment...
We really would like to put together a realistic supply check list so we're not caught off guard.
We have a woodburning stove. Losing power and heat in the winter is horrible.
We have food, water, flashlights, batteries and candles and a weather radio in the basement. (Roxann)
We have some food storage but we definitely need to have water stored!
hiwendyhi at yahoo dot com
We put our important documents in a portable safe.
I am not totally prepared, I would love to get my son a escape latter since he is on the top floor of our home.
We are always stocked with non-perishables and water. We also have plenty of candles, batteries and flashlights. The only thing we should buy is a battery powered lantern & propane portable stove.
Wanda McHenry
We have bottled water, canned goods and flashlights under our stairs!
I do have an area in the basement ready for a tornado. We have blankets, a radio and flashlights in a little area under the stairs. I really should get more ready for other disasters that could happen.
i have an emergency kit both by the front door and in the car
We get tornadoes here so we have our emergency kit in the basement
s2s2 at comcast dot net
We have extra food and water in our food pantry.
amber porter
we have extra candles and batteries
we have extra candles and water bottles
we live with hurricanes every year so we stock up on Batteries, water, flashlights and food
hebb dot julie at gmail dot com
julie h
We have flashlights, candles, and a generator.
we have a battery radio, candles water and food
Since we get tornadoes and flooding we keep an emergency kit ready- candles, flashlights, food, radio, water, first aid, stuff for pets, etc.
I have a small supply of canned food and bottled beverages but we definitely need more!
We need water and food, plus food for animals and flashlights.
spcale at yahoo dot com
carol lewis
to prepare for an emergency we have a kit ready and we make sure that the flashlights work monthly!
susansmoaks at gmail dot com
we basically have lots of candles,canned foods and bottled water..but I know I can do much better :(
we have candles, matches, batteries, water, and non perishable food all stocked up
cb_shorty2003@yahoo.com
We have a generator and plenty of gas in case the power goes out.
I need to have more in place!
I still want to get a generator, since the most common problem is loss of power, but generally have food & water available for emergencies.
cgclynsg0 @ gmail dot com
We have all our important papers in one easy to access place so we can grab them on the go.
We are buying a generator.
Honestly, we're not prepared at all except for setting up a meeting place with nearby family.
We actually have a backpack that I won in a giveaway that is full of preparedness goodies like water, food rations, batteries, flashlights, etc.
not totally prepared, but we have 3 cases of water at all times ..
We live on the beach in south Florida, so we're always prepared. Obviously, food, water, papers,etc. and we also have battery operated fans and a battery operated tv.
mybeachylife at gmail dot com
We are somewhat prepared. We have tons of flashlights and batteries stocked up. Battery operated weather radio and scanner. A solar charging battery that will power anything we need including jumping my car off. We also have tons of bottled water. Food is where we are lacking. I suppose I need to get some more canned items and a hand crank can opener.
I have a blackout kit with flashlights and candles for when the power goes out.
We have supplies prepared.
I keep plenty of bottled water on hand but would like to do so much more. :-) Thank you.
Because we're in an area where tornadoes are common, we have family plans and a quick grab bag to take into our safe place with us that has things like flashlights, a battery-powered radio and some snacks.
I would like to have a discussion with my kids about what to do in case of an emergency.
We live in hrricane country so we are prepared. We keep water,flashlight,candles,lighters, canned goods, blankets, first aid kit in pantry.
I try to prepare by having the necessary insurance and having an emergency plan.
tridingermckee at gmail dot com
I would love to get prepared by stocking up on emergency supplies. garrettsambo@aol.com
Not real well prepared :( We do have flashlights and extra batteries, a first aid kit and some extra water and canned goods (enough for 3 days not including any "regular" food in the house). We also keep a small backpack in one of the cars with a change of clothes, flashlight, $10, a bottle of water and some lifesaver candies as well as a xerox of our photo id's. We also keep lap blankets in both cars. Very minimal...
adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks for the giveaway...we need to pick up a few more lanterns & a solar battery charger, otherwise we have all the supplies we need !
senorpiero [at] yahoo [dot] com
I have a first aid kit, bottled water & canned foods. tylerpants(at)gmail.com
We keep emergency supplies in the car in case we have to travel unexpectedly and we recently bought a generator in case we lose power.
We have water and flashlights on hand in the house. In the car we have a few more supplies. trixpixel[at]gmail.com
We have just the basics, extra water, flashlights with extra batteries, etc. We need to do more.
Post a Comment