As we commemorate the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 this week, we have to ask ourselves – what have we done in the last decade to make ourselves better prepared to deal with an unexpected crisis or disaster?
Natural disasters like the tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes we’ve witnessed in our communities or seen on the news over the last few months prove that we ALL need to do our part to be prepared and act as our own first responders.
September marks “National Preparedness Month” and I am collaborating with the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL) and the Safe America Foundation to make grassroots resiliency real.
NFWL’s Disaster Relief and Preparedness Task Force has joined forces with Safe America Foundation’s “be prepared, not scared ™” initiative to get 1 million Americans to practice what they would do and rehearse how they would communicate during or after an emergency.
This year, the focus is on getting Americans to conduct a “texting drill.” It’s easy and involves two steps. The first step is pre-determining who you would contact in any emergency and pre-loading their cell numbers into your phone. The second step is conducting a text drill using safety shorthand developed by Safe America. For example, parents can initiate the drill by sending all their children the message ‘R U OK’. The person receiving the text message replies with the short ‘I M OK’.
For millions of Americans, the idea that they can rely on texting in an emergency is a new concept, but it is a practical consideration. During 9/11 as well as the recent earthquake on the east coast, wireless networks that were unable to transmit a cell voice call could STILL send and receive text messages.
The first responders who serve in our community are our heroes, but they can’t get the job done all on their own. Let’s ease their burden by taking common sense steps to prepare our family, friends, employees and neighbors. Visit the Safe America website (safeamericaprepared.org) and “pledge to drill.” Taking 5 minutes to “drill” today could save you hours of distress as you try to reach loved ones during the next disaster.
Representative Sharon Beasley-Teague represents the citizens of District 65, which includes portions of Fulton County. She was elected into the House of Representatives in 1992, and currently serves on the Games, Fish, & Parks, Reapportionment, and Ways & Means committees.
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