This New Year's Eve, Americans who make New Year's resolutions are eleven times more likely to report continued success changing a problem than comparable individuals who have not made a resolution, according to the Journal of Clinical Psychology. ReadyWisconsin wants to encourage you to make preparing for an emergency a resolution that is both important and easy to keep.

1. Create a family emergency plan Your family may not be together when an emergency happens, so it is important to plan in advance: how you will contact one another; how you will get back together; and what you will do in different situations.
   Click here for more information and a family emergency plan template

   

2. Put together emergency supply kits for home and car You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least three days. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours, or it might take days. In addition, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment, and telephones may be cut off for days, or even a week or longer. Click here for a checklist of supplies for your home.

   Also make sure you have a winter survival kit in your car. Click here for tips on creating a Winter Survival Kit.

3. Be informed about the different types of emergencies that can happen in Wisconsin. Learn about the hazards that may strike your community, the risks you face from these hazards and your community's plans for warning and evacuation.
   Click here for winter survival tips.

   Click here for other ways to be informed.

4. Get involved in emergency preparedness

   Here are some ways to can encourage friends, family and co-workers to be ready:

• Display the contents of an emergency kit at your employer's reception desk. This will serve as a great visual reminder of the importance of emergency preparedness for your employees or office visitors as they come into the establishment. Next to the display, provide handouts of ReadyWisconsinemergency supply kit checklist so that people know how to assemble their own kits.
  Click here for the checklist.

• Distribute Family Emergency Plan templates to your neighbors at home and at work. Emphasize the season's communal focus and encourage your neighbors to plan what they will do in different situations. Printer friendly versions of emergency plans are available on our website and can easily be included in a holiday card or mailer.

• Include an Emergency Preparedness quiz in your company's year-end newsletter. The quiz can be included in an e-mail, on your Web site or you could give it to your members, employees or customers at local events.
  Click here for our ReadyWisconsin quiz.

• Plan preparedness programs at your local school. After winter vacation, January is a great time to work with school officials to make emergency preparedness a part of their efforts. For example, families can be invited to hear from local officials about the school and community emergency plans. Consider having a local first responder teach parents how to assemble an Emergency Supply Kit and develop a Family Emergency Plan.

• Check on your senior neighbors and those who may need additional assistance. Seniors and individuals with disabilities may need a little extra help in getting prepared and during a disaster or emergency. Next time you are visiting, tell them about your own preparedness efforts, ask about their needs and how you can help.

• Partner with an Organization that Works with People with Access and Functional Needs like Seniors, People with Disabilities and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Populations. This could include meal delivery or faith-based organizations to help communicate emergency preparedness messages. Work with your local hospital, mental health center, library, church, community center, independent living center, or nursing home to host a training or event.

• Spread the Word about Financial Preparedness. Your organization can help those who rely on Federal benefits learn about safer, more convenient ways to access their money. Switching from paper checks to electronic payment is a simple but significant step people can take to protect themselves before disaster strikes. The Go Direct® campaign gives people who have checking or savings accounts a fast, free way to sign up for direct deposit. The Direct Express® Debit Master Card gives people without bank accounts a secure, convenient and the U.S. Department of Treasury-recommended way to receive their Social Security payments. Visit www.godirect.org for more information.

• Organize a Scavenger Hunt. Organize a scavenger hunt at a local community center for kids to search for items that should be included in an Emergency Supply Kit. While the kids are hunting for supply kit items, it's a great opportunity to hand out Family Emergency Plan templates to their parents and/or caregivers.

• Plan Preparedness Activities for Scouts and Other Youth Organizations. Make preparedness a priority throughout the year for scout meetings and activities. Conduct preparedness quizzes, download and create personalized checklists; draft family plans. Girl Scouts can work toward achieving the new Preparedness Patch and Boy Scouts can work toward the Emergency Preparedness Award.

ReadyWisconsin encourages you to use these tools to make a New Year's resolution that will keep you and your loved ones safe.