September Is National Preparedness Month: Are You Ready?

September is National Preparedness Month, but there is no time like now to make sure that you are ready for any type of disaster, not just hurricanes.

Ready.gov

You can do several things immediately to make yourself ready for any disaster, starting by visiting Ready.gov, which provides information on disasters, such as volcano eruptions, active shooters, and cybersecurity. Think about the disasters you may encounter and learn what you can do to plan accordingly. Ready.gov covers each category in simple and easy-to-understand sections of “Before, During, and After,” followed by links to useful resources. Be sure to take the critical last step after creating a plan, which is to communicate it to others (your rally point is not helpful if you are the only one aware of where it is). Although we spend most of our waking hours at the office, readiness is not just a workplace exercise—champion readiness at home and in your community.

United Policyholders

It is also worthwhile to educate yourself on insurance basics. United Policyholders (UP) is a nonprofit organization and partner of the Young Lawyers Division Disaster Legal Services Program (YLD DLS). UP’s mission is to be a trustworthy and useful information resource and an effective voice for consumers of all types of insurance and does not take money from insurance companies. The only thing not difficult about insurance is finding a way to put off learning about it. For example, what if your home is flooded by rain after your roof is destroyed during a storm? Will this be covered under your homeowner’s policy or through a flood policy? Do you need both policies? Thankfully, resources such as UP are available to help you make informed decisions.

National Disaster Legal Aid

Legal issues undoubtedly arise after a disaster. Survivors may have consumer claims, issues with an insurance company, or need to appeal denied Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) claims. Many times, especially after floods or hurricanes, survivors must replace legal documents, such as titles to property and social security cards, which may be needed to make an insurance claim or apply for disaster benefits. You can circumvent the need to replace these legal documents by keeping separate copies in a safe place, such as a safe deposit box or electronically on the cloud. National Disaster Legal Aid is also a partner of the YLD DLS program, and its website has a wealth of resources for disaster survivors, from replacing legal documents to how to talk to children about disasters.

Hopefully, this information gives you a nudge in the right direction. Just remember—when you fail to plan, you plan to fail.