GUEST COLUMN: Take the time to develop an individual 72-hour emergeny plan

September is National Preparedness Month, a nationwide effort sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Ready Campaign, in partnership with Citizen Corps.

I am pleased to announce the City of Colorado Springs is taking part in this nationwide effort. It is time for families and businesses to take a good look at their preparedness efforts.

In 1935, a flash flood swelled Colorado Springs’ waterways, as reported by the then Gazette-Telegraph. Just south of the confluence of Monument and Fountain Creeks (somewhere right below today’s Cimarron St. bridge) flood waters spread out until they covered an area one mile wide. The city was split in half because Monument Creek was so high.

If we had a similar event today, hundreds of businesses and residences would need to be evacuated. We could probably count on extended utility outages.

The city would certainly face damaged bridges and transportation routes along with massive infrastructure damage. As with any disaster, both cell phones and land lines phones would almost certainly be impacted.

And help would take time to arrive. The City of Colorado Springs is primarily funded to address day-to-day events, not catastrophic disasters.

In addition, it may take several days for federal support and resources to arrive after a catastrophic event. Consequently, it likely would be the responsibility of individuals and families to be self sustaining for the first 72 hours of an emergency.

But before an emergency occurs, individuals and families can take simple steps to make sure they are ready.

Prepare a kit with food, water and supplies needed to survive for 72 hours. Update the “72-hour kit” often to make sure supplies haven’t expired. Store the 72-hour kit in a conspicuous location and make sure everyone knows where to find it. And create and share an evacuation plan with a meeting place away from your home or building.

Financially, it may be a tough time for individuals and families to prepare all at once. A good strategy is to buy a few items every month to eventually complete a 72-hour kit.

It may seem small, but consistent preparedness efforts can reap massive benefits in an emergency situation.

Now is the time to prepare. Please join other homes, businesses and communities across America in taking important actions in being more prepared during the month of September.

The City of Colorado Springs Emergency Management Office has developed an Emergency Preparedness and Safety Guide that is located at www.springsgov.com and can help with getting started with individual and family preparation.

Bret Waters is the Office of Emergency Management Division Manager for the City of Colorado Springs. Readers can contact Waters at bwaters@springsgov.com.