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" Recently, natural disasters have been making huge headlines, and rightfully so: The victims of the earthquakes in Chile and Haiti (as well as the less-recent Hurricane Katrina and Asian tsunami) found their lives devastatingly changed in a matter of minutes. Perhaps you&amp;#039;ve wondered, what would you do if a disaster struck close to home? &amp;quot;Preparing for disaster can be overwhelming, but taking the first step is essential,&amp;quot; says Kara Desmarais, preparedness expert for the American Red Cross. Since disaster can strike at any time, here&amp;#039;s a handy guide to help you and your family before you need it.  1. Have a Kit Make sure you have everything you need on hand.  &amp;quot;You&amp;#039;ll first want to gather your supplies and keep them in an easy-to-carry kit in an accessible location that you can use at home or take with you if you need to evacuate,&amp;quot; says Desmarais. To find out what items you absolutely must have, check out 8 Emergency Kit Essentials. Include medications and medical supplies. You&amp;#039;ll want to have a seven-day supply on hand for every family member. It&amp;#039;s very important to keep refills up to date. It&amp;#039;s often hard to keep extras on hand because of insurance rules, but do your best. Keep a list of family and emergency contact information.  Each person should have a copy of your family&amp;#039;s emergency contact information. Preprogram important numbers into your cell phone as well and leave yourself a note in the kit to grab your cell phone and charger on the way out the door. Don&amp;#039;t forget other essentials. You may also want to include a map of your area, an extra set of house and car keys, any needed baby supplies (diapers, etc.) or pet supplies (carrier, leash, food, etc.) and games and activities for kids.   2. Make a Plan Hold a family meeting. Discuss how you would respond in the event of an emergency. Each family member should know each other&amp;#039;s schedules, school and work addresses and phone numbers. You also want to identify responsibilities for each member of the household (such as who&amp;#039;ll pick up the kids from school) and plan to work together as a team. Designate meeting places.  &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s important to pick two different places to meet loved ones after an emergency,&amp;quot; says Desmarais. The first place should be around the front of the house, like the mailbox. Everyone who is safe should meet there after a sudden emergency. You&amp;#039;ll need a second meeting spot that is outside of your neighborhood, like a restaurant in a nearby town. This is where everyone should meet if you can&amp;#039;t return to your home, or are forced to evacuate. Stay connected. Choose an out-of-state emergency contact person, and keep that person&amp;#039;s contact information in your phone or wallet. This is the person that everyone in your family should reach out to. You may also want to keep contact information for doctors, veterinarians and other important individuals on hand. Also, since texting places less of a burden on the cell system, teach everyone in the family how to send and receive text messages.  Plan ahead. Choose where you will find shelter (pick a friend&amp;#039;s or relative&amp;#039;s house) in an emergency, and know how you will get there. Also, you can come up with an evacuation plan for your home and practice it with your family.  3. Be Informed Know your area. What type of disaster is your area most prone to? Are you in an area that is prone to tornadoes or do you live on or near a fault line and experience earthquakes regularly? Do you live in a coastal region that is prone to flooding? It&amp;#039;s a good idea to be familiar with your geographic area and the most likely disasters that could hit close to home. Then you can find out any specific actions you need to take for that particular kind of disaster. Take classes.  Being trained in first aid and CPR could prove beneficial in an emergency situation. You may be able to respond to someone in need if help isn&amp;#039;t available or is delayed. Check your local YMCA (YMCA.net) or Red Cross chapter (RedCross.org) to find classes that may be offered in your area. Reach out to others. You can find out how local authorities will notify you regarding what&amp;#039;s going on by visiting the emergency management office in your area. Also, share everything you&amp;#039;ve learned with neighbors as well as extended family members and friends so that they can be prepared too. All photos by Shutterstock. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/a1333/is-your-family-disaster-ready-104025/>