The news media and government agencies keep reminding us that we will have a flood or other disaster and should be prepared now.  You cannot see experiencing a flood unless you win the lottery and move to the beach or buy lakefront property.  Those people have floods.

Actually, all homes can flood.  Growing up I can remember an upstairs neighbor who let their bathtub overflow and a whole line of apartments had water damage and flooding.  A friend of mine recently moved his family into a trailer next to their home because they had a flood.  Their upstairs washing machine water hose disconnected and while everyone was at work and school water ran through the walls and pooled in the kitchen and basement damaging 75% of their home.

Driving is a time we all are likely to experience flooding.  Our aging infrastructure increasingly floods.  Pot holes turn into lakes when it rains and the trenches next to roads are overgrown with weeds forcing water onto roadways.

In fact we are all at risk for flooding.  Be especially careful when driving during heavy rain or near swollen rivers.  The National Weather Service has a campaign called Turn Around  Don’t Drown.

“Each year, more deaths occur due to flooding than from any other thunderstorm related hazard. Why? The main reason is people underestimate the force and power of water. Many of the deaths occur in automobiles as they are swept downstream. Of these drownings, many are preventable, but too many people continue to drive around the barriers that warn you the road is flooded.  Whether you are driving or walking, if you come to a flooded road, Turn Around  Don’t Drown. You will not know the depth of the water nor will you know the condition of the road under the water.”[1]

Help your customers, friends and your family be prepared for a flood or other disaster by giving them the gift of safety.  All of our Ready Gift Boxes include educational information and essential supplies that can be immediately applied to lessen their impact of any disaster.  Plus, you really do not need to be the person who gives another bottle of wine.

[1] NOAA National Weather Service information

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano spoke yesterday about holiday travel safety and specifically the spread of germs. She was joined by representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Together these federal agency super powers recommended that we practice good hygiene, get flu vaccines and stay at home if we are sick.

It all sounds a bit simplistic. But — it’s true. That is what it takes. Wash your hands, cough into your elbow and stay out of public places when you are sick.

I have explored the idea of selling pandemic flu gift boxes. My research shows that they might sell well, but I can’t see how they will really help people. We put hand sanitizer and tissues in our Ready Auto Gift Boxes because these are the two emergency essentials that everyone needs for multiple situations.

The idea behind the Ready Home, Ready Auto and Ready Dog Gift Boxes is to help you be prepared today and tomorrow for the many hazards that you may experience. Tissues and hand sanitizer just makes sense in so many circumstances. The cheap face masks and alcohol wipes, we see promoted in some e-commerce stores, just don’t.

My suggestion for holiday travel: try and have some fun, don’t panic if someone near you sneezes, and keep practicing good hygiene.

During the four years I spent in college, I frequently opened the pool at 6 am. One morning, just as I arrived at the athletic complex, a woman was dropped off in a cab. She wore shorts and a t-shirt and had big cuts and scrapes on both hands and knees. She said she had fallen running. The cab dropped her off at the athletic complex to get her car. She was parked right next to me, and I’d seen her there before.

My first aid training was sufficient to clean and bandage her wounds. However, the pool was a quarter mile away, and I didn’t have any first aid supplies in my car. She didn’t have any either. I felt so horrible and useless. I didn’t even have a bandage.

Personally, I don’t want to end up in a situation like that again. So I maintain a kit of emergency supplies in my car, in my home, and in my office. It’s easy and it comes in handy. I can’t list the number of times I’ve given another mom a bandage at a playground or used my car flashlight to find something under the seats. Preparing for potentially big disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes and floods also helps us prepare for little disasters such as short power outages, flat tires or skinned knees.

The emergency preparedness supplies that I have chosen for the Ready Auto gift boxes will help you to be ready for unexpected emergencies or incidents. Many people literally spend hundreds of hours in their cars. Depending upon the day my car can look like and function as a playroom, restaurant, library or entertainment center. As a driver, I may face hazardous road conditions, accidents or traffic jams. Or my passengers may experience injury or illness. As the driver, it is my responsibility to keep myself and my passengers safe. Emergency supplies that I keep in my car help me to fulfill this responsibility.