September = National Preparedness Month

Basic information can be found at Ready.gov, including making a preparedness kit.


Unofficial nudges from me (not the .gov):

• Have your important documents copied or scanned and backed up? I carry mine (encrypted) on one of those flash drive dongles, but that might be overkill for Normals.
  
• Have a bit of water on hand in case we get into a no-water situation as happened in a nearby town this year?
• Have a bit of food in the pantry in case a distribution infrastructure problem prevents the local supermarket from getting restocked? (note: many grocery stores are an extreme case of Just In Time and have about 3 days of inventory at any given moment).
• Have a way to cook if your power/gas goes out unexpectedly? Or at least have a few meals that require no cooking?
• Have a plan to prevent spoilage in your freezer/fridge if the power goes out for a couple of hours? Days?


• Have an agreed-upon plan for housefires and tornado?
  

My most recent preparedness efforts included making a Get Home Bag (GHB) to stay in the trunk of my car. I picked up a serviceable, used Jansport daypack for $2 at a garage sale in Heights this summer and it goaded me into action.

Note that a GHB doesn't have to be all 'tacticool' or $$$; do the best you can with what you've got. You probably have all the items already, or can find them at garage sales or dollar stores. Something is better than nothing. Build one, then build another for your mate's car, kids' cars, etc. Hopefully you'll never need it.