Aug—————–Cataract Awareness Month
                                    www.preventblindness.org
Aug—————–Happiness Happens Month
Aug—————–National Immunization Awareness Month
Aug—————–National Inventors’ Month
                                 www.inventorsdigest.com
Aug——————What Will Be Your Legacy Month
                                   www.jirehpublishers.com
Aug——————World Wide Web Anniversary (1990)
Aug 1–7———–International Clown Week
Aug 1—————Girlfriend’s Day
Aug 2—————National Night Out
                                  www.nationalnightout.org
Aug 6—————First Quarter Moon
Aug 6—————National Fresh Breath Day
Aug 7—————Professional Speakers Day
                                   www.professionalspearkersday.com
Aug 8–14———Sturgis Rally
                                  www.sturgis.com
Aug 10–16——-Elvis Week
                                   www.elvisweek.com
Aug 11–14——-National Hobo Convention
                                   www.hobo.com/convention.html
Aug 13————-Full Moon (Sturgeon Moon)
Aug 13————-National Garage Sale Day
Aug 15————-National Relaxation Day
Aug 16————-Anniversary Elvis Presley’s Death (1977)
Aug 19————-National Men’s Grooming Day
                                   www.americancrew.com
Aug 21————-Last Quarter Moon
Aug 22–26——–National Safe At Home Week
                                  www.safeathomeonling.com
Aug 26————-Women’s Equality Day
Aug 28————-New Moon

OK, the disaster has passed and you are allowed back into your residential/business area. You are now astutely aware of what you wish you would have had recorded and stored for the disaster you have just experienced. Make some detailed notes while these thoughts are fresh in your mind. Place these notes in a secure area. Once the situation has settled down a bit and life seems a “tad bit more normal” then start working on the notes you made earlier. In addition, if the below was NOT part of your notes, you need to incorporate them into your action plan.

By creating a family plan and setting up an area of your home to be stocked with
non-perishable emergency-need items is an excellent way to organize and prepare for the non-pre-warn disaster. In the area with the supplies….replace items (such as batteries) every 6 months. Rotate the non-perishable foods out and replace them with fresh items. Go over your family plan…there may be updates that need to be documented.

The out-of-state Single-Point-Of-Contact is “a must” in any disaster. So many times a large portion of landline phone-lines are knocked out and everyone is trying to use what is still working thus overloading the circuits…not to mention people who are trying to call into the area from who knows where in the world. Many times, the landline phones that are still working are only working on an “outbound” call format. Then the cell phone situation…more than likely a lot of the cell-towers have been damaged, thus restricting call flow. Also, keep in mind… Emergency personnel should be given TOP priority to those cell phone airwaves. Respect their needs, they are trying to help you and your loved ones!

I want to share with you part of the discussion when the FEMA representative came to my apartment in the Orlando area. I shared with him the two products I had created and was in the process of obtaining the proper paperwork thru the City/County/State governments so that I could work out of my apartment. The FEMA representative thought both products were very valuable but his comments about the Personal Paper Tracking System were the strongest. This FEMA representative said “if the folks I have already seen had had this kit AND completed it, life would be much easier for them and FEMA right now, not to mention the Insurance companies”.

With the tornado season starting so early this year, people are thinking about how they are OR are NOT prepared. As you sit in the comfort of your home and watch the
devastation caused by such disasters as Katrina, or the tornadoes, flooding and fires, that have hit Joplin, Mo; Minot, ND; Tucson, AZ.; you probably say to yourselves “how terrible, just look at that”. Let me tell you something, now that I have been thru 4 hurricanes in just under 6 weeks, I have a different respect for Mother Nature. As the old saying goes “it takes a disaster to bring it to reality” (or something like that)…PLEASE do not let such a disaster hit you “head on” to make you realize that you need to prepare. Even with all the preparing I did, it did NOT stop my life from being turned upside-down and inside-out, but the preparation I did do…truly was a worthwhile. If I was not living thru this ugliness on a daily basis…I would not believe how fast a person’s life can change. Heed the warnings as best as possible, trust me…you will thank yourself after-the-fact.

A couple that lived in the apartment building I am in, moved to Windsor, CO in early 2008. A fierce tornado tore thru Windsor on Thursday, 22 May 2008. This couple came into the Denver area for Memorial Day weekend and stopped by. They sat in the Community room with several of us and explained how they never thought they would experience such a storm, the sounds, the devastation and how it was so sporadic around town. The
experience was beyond belief—oh…how I could relate to what they were saying.

Not only do I have a greater respect for Mother Nature but a greater respect for the importance of donating and volunteering. With the current tragedies so much on everyone’s minds the donations and volunteering are in full swing everywhere. I fear that in a month or two the rest of the country is going to go back about their everyday lives and forget that their donations have run dry and need to be replenished.

Food and clothing banks need to be replenished continually!
PLEASE do not forget this!

• Discuss with the entire family the various hazards that could affect your family. Be well aware of your home and vehicle’s vulnerability to the storm or hazard.
  
• Purchase a small floor safe (mine is maybe 2ft x 1ft x1ft) store valuable documents in this safe and keep it by an exit door. I have a decorative cloth over mine with photos on top. No one realizes what it truly is. What is inside? Birth
  certificate, copy of Personal Paper Tracking System, photos of contents of my apartment, Social Security Card, etc. This safe is heavy but not so heavy that I can NOT lift it (yes I have a copy of my PPTS stored off-site also). Do you get the idea of what should be stored here?
  
• Locate a “safe” room or THE safest area in your home for each hazard identified in the previous step. In many circumstances, the safest area(s) may NOT be in your home BUT within your community.
• Determine escape routes from your home and places for loved ones to meet. Keep the mileage just “outside” the storms expected “initial target” spot, rather than hundreds of miles away.
• Designate an out-of-state family or friend as a “Single-Point-Of-Contact” for family members to check in with.
  
• Make plans for pets
  
• Make certain your pets are well identified with tags. You might even consider the “chip”
  
• Post emergency telephone numbers by the phone, placing a copy in each person’s wallet/purse. Make certain that children know HOW and WHEN to call 9–1-1.
  
• Check your insurance policies. Many homeowners insurance policies do not include flood damage. Beware that many insurance companies have a “cut off” time for any changes to policies prior to a major storm season arriving.
  
• Stock up on non-perishable emergency supplies
  • water
  • food
  • blankets
  • pillows
  • clothing
  • first aid kit
  • toiletries/hygiene items
  • flashlight/batteries
  • radio – battery operated
  • cash
  • keys
  • toys, books, games, special stuffed animal
  • important documents (place them in a waterproof
    container)
  • tools
  • full gas tank in all vehicles
  • pet care items
  • diapers (adult/infant)
• NOAA weather radio…this is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information direct from a nearby National Weather Service office.
  
• First Aid kit….be certain to include prescription drugs be certain that you have written down the drug name, strength, dosage, prescribing Dr., pharmacy name/number…place this information in a waterproof container (just in case something happens to the First Aid kit)
  • It is wise to have a copy of the original prescription

Let’s say you had these items together and the disaster is growing nearer and nearer and the decision is made…do we stay in our home or do we leave? (if the situation is a
“voluntary evacuation”).

If the situation is at a “mandatory” evacuation status, PLEASE…DO NOT play “macho” and say “we can stick it out”. Emergency Preparedness folks study these disasters for a living and get paid BIG BUCKS for what they do, PLEASE…DO NOT
second guess them!

Make a list of things to take with you if evacuation is determined, categorize for the following:

• 24 hour notice
• 12 hour notice
• 6 hour notice
• 2 hour notice
• 1 hour notice
• 0 notice

These lists will differ and you really need to give some serious thought to these lists.
Be realistic!

“Tis the season”….. Hurricane, Fire, Flood, Tornado Season…of which hundreds of thousands of people are effected every year.   

*********FOR THOSE FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH ME FOR AWHILE—YOU ARE WELL AWARE OF MY PASSION FOR BEING PREPARED; SO YES, THIS IS A REPEAT, BUT THERE ARE MANY NEW READERS WHO HAVE NOT READ THIS INFORMATION, THUS I REPEAT THIS VALUABLE INFORMATION*********

September is PREPAREDNESS MONTH….HOWEVER, with what Mother Nature has already thrown at us this year…I do believe this information needs to be shared NOW!  There have been fires in AZ., tornadoes and flooding have hit several areas of the U.S. this Spring and Summer. Hurricane season started in June and has yet to start to rock n’ roll. 

Seven years ago I was located in the greater Orlando metropolitan area.  Hurricane Charley hit us hard on Friday, August 13^th.  Residents’ along the Gulf coast were evacuated
and many came to the Orlando area for refuge.  Then Charley made a last minute turn, came ashore in the Punta Gorda area and then tore up Polk County as he headed over Osceola and Orange counties.  Charley continued on a north-easterly route devastating the areas around Daytona Beach.

Labor Day weekend hurricane Frances was heading towards central Florida.  Depending on which news station one listened to or watched, Frances was due to be in the greater Orlando area anywhere from noon Saturday to 8AM Sunday.   What a Labor Day weekend that was!

Not knowing exactly where all this blogs readers reside; I want to devote a lot of time on preparing for such a disaster.  L-O-N-G before a disaster is thought, once
the disaster is a true possibility AND the aftermath.

One should ALWAYS prepare for an evacuation to make that actual event go as smooth as possible but continue those optimistic prayers for the best.  The family evacuation plan
should be developed LONG before the storm or disaster hits. In other words—DO IT NOW! Don’t wait!  Do it while everyone Involved is under a relaxed manner, minds are thinking rationally, there is plenty of time to locate a “designated Single-Point-Of-Contact” (aka SPOC), evacuation routes can be determined.  The plan can be reviewed and revised in a calm and logical manner.  In other words, the more organized you are now, the easier you and your loved ones will tolerate the emergency event.

OK…let’s get started.   I cannot address everything in this blog so will address the most important…like anything in life…let’s start AT THE BEGINNING.

Everyone should have an emergency family plan. This plan can be utilized for any type emergency, (i.e.: earthquakes, floods, fires, tornadoes, blizzards)

Experts from each of these fields (gerontology, geriatric medicine, elder law, financial planning, accounting, and other age-related specialty areas) determined that the issues facing seniors are so complex and diverse, that professionals who serve the 50+ market need a single credible source of information and training.

The Society of Certified Senior Advisors developed a comprehensive training program that delves into virtually every aspect of the aging issue: from the aging process itself, to common illnesses affecting the elderly, to strategies to help seniors plan their retirement years.

Code of Professional Responsibility

A CSA is required to conduct their business to the highest of ethical standards. There is a very comprehensive CSA Code of Professional Responsibility that all CSAs must adhere to, to remain in good standing with the Society of Certified Senior Advisors.

The CSA Board of Standards has established the CSA Code of Professional Responsibility (Code) for [us] to live by. The Code embodies six fundamental principles of ethical conduct. They are:

1. To conduct your business according to high standards of honesty and fairness and to render that service to your clients that, in the same circumstances, you would apply or demand for yourself.

2. To provide competent and consumer-focused sales and services.

3. To engage in active and fair competition.

4. To provide fair and expeditious handling of client business, complaints and disputes.

5. To provide your clients with advertising and sales materials that have a clear purpose and honest and fair content.

6. To maintain your competency through continuing education. Being competent means having the skills, knowledge, commitment and attitude to do a professional job as a senior advisor.

(SOURCE: Society of Certified Senior Advisors)