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When disaster, like Hurricane Sandy, strikes, you want to be ready. Do you have the emergency preparedness skills for a disaster?

Every year during hurricane season, I'm reminded that it's important to be ready for an emergency. It's true that natural disasters can strike at any time, and strike anywhere, but hurricane season seems especially visible. Perhaps it's because each year there seems to be a major disaster.

Plus, since my husband and I both have close relatives on the East Coast (his parents and most of his extended family and my brother), we worry when a storm like Hurricane Sandy threatens.









Part of good financial preparation is being ready for emergencies. Whether it's a financial emergency that results in fewer money resources for you, or whether it's a natural disaster, being ready for an emergency is vital. I've written quite a bit about emergency preparedness because I think it's important.

First of all, you can get a lot of good information by visiting Ready.gov, which provides emergency preparedness resources. Of course, for those about to be hit by Hurricane Sandy, it might be a little late to start preparations. For the rest of us, who never know when earthquake, tornado, flood, or mudslide will strike, and for those who need to be ready for the next hurricane, here are a few resources on emergency preparedness:

Basic Emergency Preparedness

Here are a couple of resources, from what I've written and from other sources, about basic emergency preparedness, including for financial emergency:

Emergency Food Storage

I'm a huge believer in having some sort of emergency food storage. Even if you don't have a ton of room for your food storage, it's still a good idea to be ready for an emergency, whether it's natural or financial. You can get a little help starting out with a Food Storage Calculator, and then begin building your food storage a little bit at a time:

You want to be ready for an emergency. You never know when one will strike, you never know when you will need to rely on yourself until someone else can get to you. Create a plan with your family so that everyone knows what to do. Put together an emergency kit for your home and for your car. Learn First Aid.

And, realize that you might need to live off what you have in your home for a few days. The day before a hurricane strikes is not the time to head to the store to buy supplies. Build your stock over time, and you won't need to panic.





