September is National Preparedness Month. Ozarks at Large’s Jack Travis spoke with the American Red Cross to learn more about how you can stay safe during a disaster, and he offers this report.
Disaster can strike at a moment’s notice.
"Tornadoes, fires, so much of that can happen at any time. Straight line winds, we've seen some of that this year. You don't have to have a tornado; they can happen at any time."
That’s Red Cross Northwest Arkansas executive director Julie Brown. The disaster relief organization is spending this September reminding people how to prepare for the worst and reduce the impact on their lives. She says small projects and a bit of foresight go a long way when you’re caught in the middle of something bad.
"You need to talk to your family, get things organized, maybe prepare a kit, a go kit, in case you need it. Because guess what's coming? Winter, and with winter we see an increase in home fires. But as you know, right now there's so many other disasters going on, whether it's flash flooding, wildfires. We're currently in a drought, so things like that can happen at any time."
She says step one is digital. The Red Cross Emergency app is a good resource and starting place when creating a plan for disasters. The app includes guides to help you prepare, National Weather Service alerts, live weather maps and help locating Red Cross shelters.
"It'll also lead you through any kind of emergency. And of course, the first thing you do if somebody's in cardiac arrest or something going on is called 911, but it will give you all of those prompts. So it's really handy with first aid, incoming disasters, whether it's a tornado or a storm mobilizing. You can set your alarms for different things."
The next step is communicating an emergency plan to everyone in your household. People panic when caught in a disaster, and a solid, previously agreed-upon protocol can be a great thing to fall back on when you’re not sure what to do. Plus, Brown says an emergency kit can be essential.
"We have again lists, and you can find those on the app or on our Red Cross website, redcross.org, which would tell you what you should put in an emergency kit, a go kit, or one that you would leave at home. Something like a list of your medications. So, if you need medications, you have to evacuate to a shelter. You know what those are. Things like if you need snacks for your kids or a change of clothes, baby formula, anything like that. It will help guide you through a lot of those prompts."
The Red Cross has a free service called the Ready Rating Program that you can use to test your household’s preparedness. One thing that Brown says her organization sees a lot of is house fires during the winter. For those, you might need to go a step further than just making a plan.
"Day in, day out, the American Red Cross responds to home fires, so you need to not only have the plan but practice your plan of evacuation with your family. You basically have about two minutes to get out of a burning house. The other thing is don't go back in. So be sure you practice that, especially with your kids, so they know where do you meet up, what do you do. Case of a tornado, where's your safe spot? Do you know where that is? How do you practice and get the kids involved and make sure they understand?"
And speaking of fires, there’s an often overlooked measure that can change everything.
"Test your smoke alarms. Make sure they work. Make sure the batteries are changed. Don't take the batteries out. A smoke alarm is so important. And test and turn. We always say at time change weekends, make sure you test and turn your smoke alarms. A smoke alarm is one thing that will save you in case of a home fire to get out as fast as possible."
At the very least, Brown says she recommends everyone get the Red Cross Emergency App. That’s what she uses herself.
"I have all the apps downloaded. I used to have a dog. We have pet first aid even in our app store, which is really amazing. So if you have pets, what do you do if your dog is choking. I do have a to-go kit. I do have copies of think about your driver's license, your passport, your credit cards, anything like that that might perish in a home fire that you need a copy of. Also, if you have medications, keep a list of those. But just basic things: kit in your car that has an extra change of clothes, maybe some power bars or snacks, water, things like that. Make sure you have them available."
For more information on the Red Cross’ Emergency Preparedness guidelines, you can visit our website KUAF.com for direct links.
For Ozarks at Large, I’m Jack Travis.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline and edited for length and clarity. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
