Are You Prepared For A Disaster?

DANBURY — Being prepared for any disaster or emergency means being ready with what you have in your head, your hands, and your home. It means having an escape route and family disaster plan, having the right tools in a “go bag,” and equipping your home with the basics for survival.

“[It means] taking responsibility for yourself and taking it now,” said Andy McGuire, director of emergency management at Danbury Hospital.

Mr McGuire gave a presentation on “Community Disaster Preparedness: Are You Ready?” at a recent Medical Town Meeting sponsored by Danbury Hospital. He spoke along with Danbury Fire Marshal Barry Rickert and Rocky Tomlinson of the Western Connecticut Chapter of the American Red Cross. The panel discussed fire safety, evacuation plans, and the importance of having a Family Disaster Kit, a Go Bag, and a plan.

“Disasters can strike quickly with little or no warning,” said Mr McGuire, especially in Connecticut, where fires, power outages, floods, and winter snow storms can cause havoc.

Mr McGuire urges families to discuss and prepared a Family Disaster Plan and Kit. Any plan begins with communication, he said. Know how you will get in touch with family members and loved ones.

A kit should also contain disaster supplies, home escape routes, transportation plans, home safe zones, emergency telephone numbers, and home health care services. Emergency medical supplies should include a first-aid kit, prescriptions, doctors’ names, a spare pair of eyeglasses, extra hearing aid batteries, spare oxygen, and other items as needed. Copies of important household papers should also be in the kit.

A kit should also contain one gallon of water per person, per day, nonperishable food, manual can opener, nonperishable pet food, a change of clothes, battery-powered radio, flashlight and extra batteries, wet-weather gear, blanket or sleeping bag, extra set of keys, cash, credit card, spare change, personal hygiene supplies, phone list, and contact information for the insurance agency.

Go Bags can be bought all ready assembled, or put together yourself from the list of basics.

Mr Tomlinson also urged residents to know where the nearest Red Cross shelters are.

Members of the community are also encouraged to get involved with Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), volunteers who work with government agencies like OEM and FEMA and the American Red Cross in going door-to-door to alert the neighborhood.

The panel also reminded residents of the need to know what to do in the event that you have to shelter in place. Sheltering in place means going to an above-ground room with the fewest windows, taking disaster supplies with you, closing all windows, turning off fans, heating units and air conditioning, closing fireplace dampers, and sealing off doors and windows if possible.

For more information, visit the hospital website at www.danburyhospital.org or the Red Cross website at www.redcross.org.