mit·i·gate [mit-i-geyt]
1.to lessen in force or intensity, as wrath, grief, harshness, or pain; moderate. 2.to make less severe: to mitigate a punishment.
One of words that is used in Emergency Management circles is MITIGATE. The officials in every city want to find ways to take preventative action so that, in the case of severe weather, disasters or industrial accidents that the loss of life, property is reduced.Being prepared is an important life skill that helps us retain peace of mind and reduce our potential loss, in the event of a disaster. We found that there are great resources that have already organized what you need to do, all you have to do is copy, print and start to fill in the boxes. Here are the top three sites that you can use, based upon your preference. They all have similar lists but specialize in different areas. Some have apps, videos, or training opportunites. We have used the lists and suggestions from all three sites in various ways.
Red Cross has strong visual menu for all types of emergency and the tools and resources page has checklists. The medical prep lists are thorough. (But what would you expect. There is a great library of disaster preparation one sheets in multiple languages under Tools and Resources. The Food and Water resource is 16 pages and great. Red Cross also offers mobile apps for your phone – for medical emergency, shelter finder, tornadoes, hurricanes and more.
Ready.Gov has just added a new feature to their front page which links directly the emergency situation of your choice. This is the FEMA site so it has strong lists (even tho a bit long), Citizen Corp information, Training Opportunities (CERT Certified Emergency Response Training) and an excellent Family Emergency Plan that you can fill out. FamEmePlan_2012. They have an Emergency Build a Kit as well as a new App so that you always have your list at the story.
Other features include a signup for weekly tornado tips and lots of activities so you can build a kit with your children. http://www.ready.gov/kids This has got some games, puzzles, activities, coloring books, stories that you can do on line or print off for kids or a classroom. For Elementary school children you might want to see Flat Stanley and Flat Stella are cutout characters that are used in many classrooms. Like Dora the Explorer they even have their own website with maps, lesson plans for teaches
KnoWhat2Do is an Emergency Preparedness Site was a collaberative effort of the North Central Texas regional governments with a grant from Homeland Security. It is a very colorful and visually appealing site. It combines great visuals with the lists, videos and is easy to read. You can order books and dvds which are really great. I have even given them to relatives in other parts of the country who loved them.
They have kids training with activities, coloring sheets you can download. The kids at our church loved the coloring books.