Be Prepared for Severe Weather

MISSION, KS--(Marketwired - Jun 6, 2013) - (Family Features) Thousands of people are impacted by severe weather threats every year, yet many are unprepared to handle Mother Nature's wrath. Before storms strike, families should have an emergency supply kit on hand and a crisis plan in place.

Create a Crisis Plan

Busy families spend most of their days apart, at school, work, sports practices or other activities, so your family may not be together when disaster strikes. Before an emergency occurs, gather your family to make important decisions about what to do in the event of a crisis:

• Establish meeting places in your home, neighborhood and a nearby town.
• Discuss the best ways to communicate. Make sure to share cell phone numbers and email addresses with family members, school personnel and close neighbors.
• Schools, daycare providers, workplaces and apartment buildings should all have site-specific emergency plans that you and your family need to know about. Keep a copy in a readily-accessible location.
• One of the most difficult things to do in an emergency is establish communication between family members. The Link2Cell feature on select Panasonic telephones links up to two cell phones to the cordless telephone. This allows consumers to make and receive cell calls anywhere in the home, with or without a landline connection, and allows access to your address book even when your cell phone is out of reach. 
• In your cell phone's address book, label the contact information for one person as "ICE" or "In Case of Emergency." If you are in an accident, authorities are trained to check phones for an ICE listing.

Keep Emergency Supplies On-Hand

An emergency supply kit is made up of basic household items that become critical in a crisis. Essential supplies include:

• Each family member will need food, infant formula, pet food and water for three days. The average person needs one gallon of water per day for drinking and sanitation. Check your supplies every six months for expired food or water.
• Extra cash and copies of personal documents.
• A battery-powered or hand crack radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert are essential.
• Stock a small toolbox with a flashlight, extra batteries, wrench for turning off utilities, manual can opener, and whistle to signal help.
• A cordless telephone. Select Panasonic phones have an intercom feature that ensures easier communication flow throughout the house. The noise reduction element suppresses background noise and enhances the user's voice at the same time, making voices easier to understand in loud conditions. Additionally, unlike most cordless phones which stop working when there is a power outage, the handset batteries will power the base unit for up to three hours of talk time when the electricity fails.
• Medications and measuring spoons for each family member.
• Dust masks, plastic sheeting and duct tape to create a safe room in a damaged home.
• Change of clothing for each family member, along with personal hygiene items, diapers and trash bags.

For more information about Panasonic telephones, visit www.panasonic.com/phonestuff.

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