Readiness Urged as Storm Approaches HOUSTON, Aug. 30
HOUSTON, Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Gulf Coast residents anxiously tracking
the intensification of tropical storm Gustav and fearing a possible repeat of
the devastation wreaked by Katrina have a new resource that combines modern
technology and time-tested methods to maximize disaster preparedness and
reduce the challenges of recovering. This secure Web-based service can be
accessed at http://www.MyDisasterPlan.com.
Recent hurricanes have exacted over a hundred billion dollars in damages,
left tens of thousands of people without homes and schools, and seen families
separated and lacking items as simple as proof of identification, access to
money, and phone numbers to let loved ones know that they were alive. The
public attention focused on the challenging human experiences of Katrina
survivors has highlighted the almost universally low level of personal
disaster preparedness.
MyDisasterPlan.com's online planning service addresses this problem. By
giving people a user-friendly way to securely store electronic copies of
driver's licenses, birth certificates, credit card and banking data, emergency
contacts, and inventories of valuable possessions, the service alleviates much
of the stress of disaster recovery and can significantly shorten the time it
takes to pull one's life back together.
Incorporating best practices from FEMA and the American Red Cross, and
founder Patrick Krupka's years working as a firefighter, paramedic and rescue
specialist, MyDisasterPlan.com employs an easy-to-follow guided process for
collecting and entering data and using it to build a customized family
disaster plan, printable reports, and wallet cards for each family member with
emergency personal information on the front and family disaster plan on the
back. Storage on a secure remote server enables access to data and reports
after a disaster from any Internet connection. Password-protected versions of
people's information can be stored on a flash drive to be kept in a family's
disaster kit as well.
Having a family disaster plan that codifies where important items are,
where family members should meet or who they should call if separated, and
includes key identification and financial information can reduce fear and
stress leading up to and immediately following a disaster. Having details
about valuable possessions facilitates the process of filing insurance claims
and helps people work with their insurance agents to ensure they have
appropriate coverage for their assets. MyDisasterPlan.com also offers tip
sheets with steps that people can take now to help ready their homes and
families for disaster.
MyDisasterPlan.com puts Web technology and the best of
disaster-preparedness knowledge to work to overcome gaps in readiness that can
save millions of people time, stress and money.
SOURCE MyDisasterPlan.com
