In the event of a fire, remember that every second counts, so you and your family must always be prepared. Escape plans help you get out of your home quickly. In less than 30 seconds, a small flame can get completely out of control and turn into a major fire. It only takes minutes for a house to fill with thick black smoke and become engulfed in flames.
Prepare and practice your fire escape plan twice a year with everyone in your household, including children and people with disabilities. It’s also a good idea to practice your plan with overnight guests.
Those who make New Year’s resolutions are 11 times more likely to report continued success in achieving a goal than individuals who have not made a resolution, according to the Journal of Clinical Psychology. The Ready Campaign would like to make an emergency preparedness resolution easy to keep by providing the tools and resources needed to take four important steps: be informed about the different types of emergencies that can happen in your area and their appropriate responses, make a family communications plan, build an emergency kit, and get involved in community preparedness.
This application allows you to create an e-mail with basic emergency information. You can cut and paste the generated text into an e-mail and send to the family and/or friends who you’d contact in the event of an emergency.
Family pets should never be left behind in an evacuation. As families in evacuation areas prepare for hurricane season, they also need to plan for the family pet, according to state and federal emergency management officials.
With the official start of hurricane season on June 1, the Texas Department of Insurance encourages you to take some time to refamiliarize yourself with your insurance policies and to address any questions with your agent or company.
Source: Kansas State University Research and Extension News Media Services
VIDEO: Veterinarian offers tips on evacuating with your pet in a disaster. In this short video (4:07), K-State veterinarian and professor Dr. Susan Nelson offers advice on evacuating with a pet. Whether the emergency is weather-related, a house fire or other disaster, Nelson tells pet owners the main things they’ll need to get their dog, cat or other pet to safety.
Learn how to better protect your property this weekend at Texas Forest Expo 2009, April 24 to 26 at Lone Star Convention Center in Conroe.
Five wildfire prevention classes will be offered this weekend at Texas Forest Expo:
* How to Become a Firewise Community: 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday
* Better Plants for Firewise Landscapes: 1 to 1:45 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
* Family Fire Safety & Prevention: 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 to 2:45 p.m. Sunday
* Safe Burning Practices: 3 to 3:45 p.m. Sunday
* Avoid a Second Strike from Hurricane Ike: 9 to 9:45 a.m. and 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 1:45 p.m. Sunday
Even though valuable photographs and family heirlooms have been damaged by flood waters, they can sometimes be saved if certain procedures are followed, say emergency managers and restoration experts.
