Real Estate Matters - News and Issues for the Senior Market May 2011

Prepare for Disaster
No one can prepare for a disaster like the one Japan recently faced. But the crisis serves as a good reminder to be ready for less shattering events, such as blizzards, hurricanes, and earthquakes that toss a bit of chaos into your life.

Being prepared can make the difference between cruising through a crisis or being completely at the mercy of fate. Here are a handful of essentials culled from groups that know best--emergency planning organizations.

Cover the Basics:

Food--Have a three-day supply of non-perishable food on hand. The emergency stash should include food that requires no refrigeration, preparation or cooking, and little or no water. Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, and vegetables, protein or fruit bars, and dry cereal or granola all work. If you don't want to put your own kit together, many warehouse clubs sell complete kits.Water--Include a three-day supply of water per person. One gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation

Toolkits

Know where and how to shut off the water, power, and gas and have the tools and flashlights in place at each key utility spot.

Have a first-aid kit at the ready. Be certain to plan for special medical needs, by having prescription drugs, glucose monitors, and so forth, on hand.

Event-specific planning

If you live in areas prone to certain natural disasters, such as earthquakes in California or blizzards in Quebec, you can find specific recommendations for such events. FEMA (www.fema.gov/plan/index.shtm), for example, offers advice about what to do for everything from dam failures, wildfires, and landslides, to volcanoes, floods, and tsunamis. Find American state-specific information at www.ready.gov/america/local/index.html

Family planning

Point person--Identify an out-of town person who can serve as a communications point person. After a disaster, often you can make long-distant calls, but not local ones. Every family member should know how to reach the contact, who can help to coordinate among separated family members. Be sure the point person knows of the plan and has contact information for each family member.