Disaster Preparedness

Per The Honolulu Advertiser, some tips on what to do follows. Are you prepared?

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In the event of any hurricane or natural disaster, all residents should make sure they have a disaster plan. Here are some disaster preparedness tips:

* Stay informed about the weather and keep in touch with family, friends and neighbors, especially the elderly and disabled.

* Where will we meet? What if children are at school, parents at work and otherwise scattered through daily activities? Plan a backup meeting place, someplace familiar to everyone.

* Consider an off-island telephone contact - a sister in Arizona or an auntie in Las Vegas - so that people here can call there to check in. During the Iniki aftermath on Kaua`i, people could call the Mainland but not across the street. That out-of-danger person can keep track of everyone and offer help and assurance.

Your evacuation plan

* Arrange transportation. Fill up gas tank.

* Plan a safe room. A bathroom, pantry or hallway with no windows or only a small window, where your family could stay safely sheltered through a storm.

* Develop a family plan.

* Plan for special needs. Have what you need to care for babies, family members taking medication, senior citizens and people with disabilities.

* Know how to shut off utilities: gas, water, electricity.

* Plan what to do with pets.

* Assemble supplies and have a carrying case nearby if you need to evacuate. You can buy a cheap duffel bag at a secondhand store or use a cooler or backpack. Each person in the family should have a kit.

* Have important family documents and small valuables where you can grab them.

* Store family photos and things you can't carry in a windowless room above flood risk levels.

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One site's recommendation for the contents of the 72-hour kits.

Here is a link to building
your family's 72-hour kits.

Link to Ready America or Ready Kids.

Hawaii State Civil Defense Disaster Preparedness Kit

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Suggestions for pets in times of emergency:

* Pet carriers or cages.

* Collars that fit, with ID tags and leashes

* One to two weeks of dry pet food

* Spill-resistant food and water bowls

* Unbreakable containers with a three-day water supply

* Kitty litter, newspapers, plastic bags and cleanser to take care of pet waste.

* Pet's special medications, if needed