Officials urge public to prepare for disasters during National Preparedness Month

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - The flare-up of the Tiger Island Fire is another reminder that disaster can strike at any time. That’s why staying prepared for disasters and having a plan is a good idea; that’s what officials want to remind you, with September being National Preparedness Month.

If you live in Louisiana, you know just how important it is to stayed prepared. Whether a hurricane, freeze or wildfire, natural disasters can happen in a second.

Those situations often leave little to no time to respond. That’s why being ready ahead of time is crucial.

Taking time out of your day to prepare for an emergency situation will help benefit you and ease the stress for future circumstances, and as you may know, natural disasters can be stressful.

Officials with the Calcasieu Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (OHSEP) encourage everyone to plan ahead of time.

Dick Gremillion, the director of OHSEP, said one thing you can do to say prepared is check on your insurance policies and make sure you understand them.

“Pull it out and look at the coverage’s and make sure that you understand what that means. If you get your policy out and you read it and you don’t understand, maybe one section or what your deductible is, you might want to call your insurance agent and get them to help walk you through that,” said Gremillion.

Gremillion said to look into your deductible and be aware of any changes made as well, as making sure your insurance is still in effect.

Another tip when it comes to preparing for disasters is to make sure you are keeping the emergency alerts on your phone turned on, so that you know when announcements regarding your safety are sent out.

Jarred Maze is the assistant director and said turning on your emergency notifications could be enough to help save your life.

“A lot of people will turn it off because they get to many alerts and find it annoys them so they turn it off we’re starting to discover that more and more. Turn that on and pay attention to any public safety announcements that come out,” said Maze.

In case of any emergency, it’s good to have an easily-accessible evacuation bag ready and in a place. This would include things like extra clothes, cash, personal documents, photos, and anything you might need.

A emergency kit is a must when planning for any potential disasters. It’s also important to stay stocked up on water and canned foods.

“If you get cans get the tab tops where you can open them without using a can-opener,” said Gremillion.

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