No matter how organized you are and how great your time management skills are, it is difficult to handle emergencies, especially natural disasters.  They affect both your business and your family, so the stress is more than doubled.  Anything you can do to organize now will help to mitigate the toll, if and when you are affected.

We all want to think nothing will happen to us, but waiting until it does is not the way to get through.  A new social media campaign from the Department of Homeland Security and the Ad Council called the “Ready” Campaign is seeking to help Americans better organize their emergency preparedness plans. 

In the wake of natural disasters like Hurricanes Katrina, Gustav, and Ike, many Americans find themselves entering into crisis mode with little preparation; thus, DHS would like to provide people with as much information as possible to prepare them for such an emergency.

Basically, the idea here is to encourage people to:

• Get a Kit
• Make a Plan
• Be Informed

For families with young children, the “Make a Plan” item is very important, and the Web site contains several useful documents for families–including a “Family Emergency Plan” document with contact information and meeting place information that individuals can print out.

In addition, the “Ready” campaign has created a video blog which features testimonials from Americans about the importance of being prepared for emergencies and natural disasters.  Individuals can actually submit their own testimonials by uploading their own video and then e-mailing to let DHS know you’ve made a submission.