WHY DO WE THINK IT WILL NOT HAPPEN TO US



Why do we think it will not happen to us

Why do we think it will not happen to us

Introduction

People think it will not happen to them because they thought that government had done enough for them. Before Hurricane Hugo swept through Georgia and North and South Carolina in 1989, the insurance industry in the U.S. had never suffered a loss of more than $1 billion from a single disaster. Hurricane Bill, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2009, now offers a vivid—and somber—reminder of the East Coast's vulnerability to severe weather events, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Living in a hurricane prone area in Georgia means that people should always have some level of preparedness at all times on when, where and how to obtain the needed supplies well in advance of approaching storms. Everybody has heard of a 72-hour kit. These kits contain enough food and water for each member of the family for 72 hours. Generally, this is enough time for emergency personnel to get into an area that has been hit by a hurricane in order to provide needed services to the victims of the storm. (Perreault, 2005)

Explanation

There is a lot of advice on how to prepare for a hurricane which can be overwhelming. Fortunately, there are several things that can be done in advance that have consistently proved to be worth the effort. Living in a hurricane prone area means that people should always have some level of preparedness at all times on when, where and how to obtain the needed supplies well in advance of approaching storms. (Perreault, 2005)

Everybody has heard of a 72-hour kit. These kits contain enough food and water for each member of the family for 72 hours. Generally, this is enough time for emergency personnel to get into an area that has been hit by a hurricane in order to provide needed services to the victims of the storm. These kits should be made well in advance of approaching storms and should be placed into a waterproof container. The recommendation is for a large plastic bin with a lid. This gives plenty of room for the needed food and water as well as other necessities. (Perreault, 2005)

The types of foods that are going to be needed are those that will not require any refrigeration and that can be eaten without being cooked. Many recommendations are for items with high calories in a small package such as energy bars or granola bars. These take up little room but pack the needed calories, vitamins and minerals the body needs. For water, the recommendation over the years has been one gallon per person per day. However, for preparing for a hurricane, the more water, the better as hurricanes hit at a very hot time of the year when additional water intake is needed. Other items that are essential when preparing for a hurricane are lights, batteries, and a ...