| Whether it is a natural disaster like hurricane Katrina or | | | | withdrawal sickness. Concentrate on meals (e.g. beef |
| an unnatural catastrophe like an upwind industrial | | | | stew, spaghetti) and carbohydrate foods like cereal |
| chemical explosion, what you do now to protect | | | | bars and dried fruit leathers for energy.6) If you eat a |
| yourself and your family can make the difference | | | | protein drink (or power bar) regularly, throw in a big |
| between life and death. After you survive, rebuilding | | | | container (or a 12-pack of cans/bars) and enough liquid |
| your life and business quickly becomes critical.Please, | | | | to mix it up. This is a good concentrated food |
| do not for one moment think that Federal Emergency | | | | source.7) Include another plastic sealed container with |
| Management Agency (FEMA) is going to be able to | | | | all of the basic medicines or vitamins you and your |
| get to you in time, unless you have already taken | | | | family must have. Some doctors will give you double |
| these steps to rescue yourself. Tragically, even 10 | | | | prescriptions once if you ask. Clean out your bathroom |
| days after post-Katrina rescue efforts began, there | | | | cabinets and make sure to pack first aid remedies like |
| were still people starving to death in New Orleans.It | | | | ibuprofen, tylenol, aspirin, bandages, anti-bacterial |
| can happen anywhere (here), and it is not if, it is when | | | | ointment, etc. You can get cost-effective home |
| it will happen. No one can predict the future, but you | | | | emergency kits at Costco.8) Important: a battery radio |
| can take measures now so you know that you have | | | | for emergency broadcasts; ideally a CB radio or |
| done what you can to prepare.Check out these | | | | Nextel-type network phone; your Family List with |
| Catastrophe Survival Tips for You and Your Family" | | | | names, essential medical and contact information, as |
| that you can use to buy yourself and your family more | | | | well as local emergency numbers. Call friends/family |
| time. Time is the second most important factor in | | | | outside your state to leave update info. Local phone |
| surviving a catastrophe. Water is number one, so our | | | | access is often turned off or destroyed during |
| first tip is:1) Without water you lose your ability to make | | | | emergencies.9) Maintain a Catastrophe mini-Kit for |
| clear decisions within 24 hours. Thirst kills you faster | | | | your car(s). Always have a blanket, food (e.g., power |
| than famine. At Work: Keep a backpack at work with | | | | bars) and water in sealed containers. You can buy |
| as much bottled water as you can carry. Plus, put in | | | | quality car emergency kits at Costco, too.Create |
| dried fruit, power bars, your daily medications or | | | | regular backups of your personal and business |
| vitamins and a small first aid kit. Keep a Family | | | | computer systems. I use Norton Ghost to image copy |
| Emergency Numbers List inside too. At Home: Put at | | | | my entire drive onto an external hard drive and store it |
| least enough water in sealed containers so that your | | | | in the trunk of my car parked in my driveway. You |
| family will have one gallon per day for two weeks. I | | | | probably won't be thinking about your business in the |
| just bought shrink-wrapped cases of quart-sized | | | | middle of a disaster, but when you survive you will |
| plastic water bottles and stacked them under the | | | | need to rebuild your life and business as soon as |
| backyard picnic table. Even if some of it is | | | | possible.It's more fun hassling re-creating your working |
| compromised you will still have other bottles intact. | | | | drive than it is to go out of business. You can also do |
| Swap water out every six months - put a reminder in | | | | regular backups to remote sites on the web. I highly |
| your calendar.2) Create a Catastrophe Kit on your | | | | recommend my backup 'guru' Sallie Goetsch's weekly |
| property outside your house and garage (in a back | | | | Backup Reminder ezine. For essential backup tips visit |
| corner of your yard, for instance). It is as easy as | | | | the FileSlinger(tm) Backup Blog ( you and yours be |
| getting a plastic 55-gallon trash bin with clips on the lid | | | | safe and well." But, do your family's Catastrophe Kits |
| to hold it shut. Or use a small plastic/metal garden | | | | this weekend anyway, OK? Organizing cannot stop a |
| 'shed' in your yard.3) Clean out your closets and put in | | | | catastrophe, but after you survive it will help you and |
| layered clothing AND tough shoes for each family | | | | your family in recovering quickly.If you like, sign up for |
| member. You need a complete change of dry clothing | | | | more free tips at |
| that you can be warm enough in to sleep while | | | | by Eve Abbott, the Organizer ExtraordinaireEve |
| dressed.4) Clean out the camping gear you are not | | | | Abbott's entertaining new book, "How to Do Space |
| using: this is the perfect place for it. Tents, Tarps, | | | | Age Work with a Stone Age Brain TM" is guaranteed |
| Ponchos, Sleeping bags or Wool blankets (wool will | | | | to save you time while reducing your stress. The |
| keep you warmer even when wet), cooking gear, | | | | Organizer Extraordinaire pioneered in offering free |
| Lighters, Utensils, Can-openers and a pan to boil | | | | online assessments to help you make your new |
| water.5) Make a separate sealed container with food | | | | personal organizing solutions match your individual work |
| in it. Canned goods as complete meals are ideal. Dried | | | | style.For more proven tips, articles, interviews or |
| foods will use precious water to reconstitute. Instant | | | | teleseminars please contact Eve at: 877-528-4950 or |
| coffee keeps withdrawal headaches away. If you | | | | You are welcome to discover more productivity |
| smoke, put a carton of cigarettes in to prevent | | | | resources at Eve's website organizer-extraordinaire. |