A TIMELY CHECKLIST FROM THE METEOROLOGIST WHO LITERALLY WROTE THE BOOK ON HOW TO KEEP YOUR FAMILY SAFE
 
Find Out What Your Family Can Do to be Prepared for Severe Weather Events that are Becoming More Frequent
 
We see it on the news almost every day; record floods, earthquakes, crippling blizzards and tornadoes hitting unusual parts of the nation. September is National Preparedness Month, sponsored by the Federal Emergency Preparedness Agency, and it comes at a time when the incidence of extreme weather events seems to be growing. As a network television meteorologist, Bonnie Schneider has been predicting storms and following weather patterns for many years.  Her knowledge of the weather and her concerns for safety inspired her to write the informative and fascinating book, EXTREME WEATHER: A Guide to Surviving Flash Floods, Hurricanes, Heat Waves, Snowstorms, Tsunamis and Other National Disasters. It’s a book with timely information to share with your audience. Find out why this meteorologist has dedicated her career to preparing people to survive extreme weather. It should be a lively discussion.
 
BACKGROUND: Bonnie previously worked as a meteorologist for CNN and HLN, and is currently working as a meteorologist for another network. In local TV news, Bonnie worked for WLVI-TV in Boston as a meteorologist and reporter. She has previously held similar positions at WFOR-TV in Miami; News 12 Long Island; WXII-TV in Winston-Salem; and KPLC-TV in Lake Charles, Louisiana. While in New York, she filled in frequently as a meteorologist for the CBS television network's The Saturday Early Show.
 
FIRST THING WE SHOULD DO TO MAKE SURE WE’RE PREPARED
There are certain things you need in every emergency kit. You have to have a quality flashlight, a portable battery charger, quality batteries. I keep a head light in mine, along with a Powercup inverter and an outdoor lantern. And if you want to get all of this stuff in one place go to Batteries Plus Bulbs. It’s a one-stop-shop for everything you need to make sure you aren’t stuck in the dark without any source of power, lighting or communication. You can go to any Batteries Plus Bulbs store, but you can also get it all online at BatteriesPlus.com. That should be your first step in preparing.

For more information, visit: www.BatteriesPlus.com

POWER OUTAGES HOW TO BEST PREPARE

The best time to prepare for a power outage is well in advance, when the sun is still shining. Generac Power Systems manufactures the Guardian home standby generator, which is the easiest way to keep your family safe when the power goes out. This unit turns on automatically within seconds of a power outage and automatically turns off when utility power is restored.Let’s face it, when the power goes out, even if it’s just for a few hours, life is disrupted. But when it goes out for days, or even weeks, life can be unbearable, and even dangerous. No heat, no air conditioning, no refrigeration, phones and internet stop working. And for some, no running water. We can’t control natural weather phenomena like rain, lightning, snow, ice, wind or even dust, but we can keep the power on and our lives going with help from a Generac Guardian home standby unit.

For more information, visit: www.Generac.com

NUMBERS SHOULD YOU KEEP ON HAND FOR EXTREME WEATHER EMERGENCIES

AServiceMaster Restore is a great resource. They want homeowners to be prepared in case of disaster and are ready to help 24/7. Whether it be a hurricane, flooding or fire be sure to have a solid plan in place that includes documenting possessions, having emergency supplies on hand and a game plan in case of necessary evacuation.  They recommend having a solid plan before a hurricane/storm hits: secure loose items, clean gutters, have emergency supplies and take photos to document possessions.

They recommend having a solid plan before flooding strikes: unplug electrical appliances, have 72 hours’ worth of emergency supplies and gather important documents like passports and birth certificates.  They recommend having a solid plan to prepare for a potential fire hazard: make sure dual-sensor smoke alarms are on each level of your home, frequently test these alarms and have a game plan in case of necessary evacuation.

ServiceMaster Restore is trained, equipped and ready to repair and clean homes and businesses before, during and after a disaster. Homeowners should never attempt to fix severe damage alone; it could make the problem much worse and is a safety hazard so always call in an expert like ServiceMaster Restore if damage has hit your home.

For more information, visit: www.SeviceMaster.com

HELP FROM AGENCIES DURING A BIG STORM 

The American Red Cross Emergency App, sponsored by ServiceMaster, offers resources, tips and more for a variety of disasters. You can download it for free at redcross.org/apps so you’ll be prepared before something happens and have access to information in the event that a disaster occurs.

The app provides shelter locations, weather information, emergency first aid info and what to do in emergencies specific to users’ areas. Users can turn on and off alerts, monitor activity in their area or in the area of loved ones and use the make-a-plan feature to prepare in advance of disasters. All information is in English and Spanish.

For more information, visit: www.RedCross.org