KENTUCKY, USA — While Kentuckiana is looking forward to a nice dry spell for a bit, two major natural disasters have hit the commonwealth in the past year so it's never too early to prepare for severe weather.
The Red Cross has some suggested actions you can take to prepare yourself and loved ones before a natural disaster potentially hits.
First, they say make a kit that you can take with you quickly if you have to leave your home.
This is the minimum they suggested should be in the kit according to their website:
- Water: one gallon per person, per day (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
- Food: non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Battery-powered or hand-crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
- Family first aid kit
- Medications (7-day supply) and medical items
- Multi-purpose tool
- Sanitation and personal hygiene items
- Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)
- Cell phone with chargers
- Family and emergency contact information
- Extra cash
- Emergency blanket
- Map(s) of the area
Second, make a plan with family members that spell out what you will do if you can't get to your home, and practice the plan.
"We're going to want to make sure that everybody knows where we're all going to meet up," Red Cross spokesperson Dan Halyburton said. "And then that's part of our plan, a very important part of the plan. We need to know where our family is going to be and where we're going to go."
Finally, they want people to be informed of which disasters are likely to happen in the area and what people need to know to be safe.
They also suggest people know the difference between watches and warnings, and what to do in each.
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