Neighbor News
Get Ready for the Unexpected With a Disaster Go Bag
— Don't think you need an emergency kit? Think again, say families who needed one.
Flashlights, jugs of bottled water, a first aid kit, and ready-to-eat meal packs line the Thyraks’ family’s living room floor. The family isn’t going camping—they’re preparing fordisaster by putting together a “go bag.”
Preparing in advance with a disaster-ready kit has helped families nationwide through
extreme and abnormal weather events, which experts warn are on the rise.
Retired Fire Captain Rob Thyarks and his wife, Diane, have lived in Clearlake, California for
the last 23 years. "Wildland fires are a regular and common threat. Floods, earthquakes,
and other disasters are also possible. As a family project each spring, we review our
disaster preparedness plan and inspect our go bags by using the checklists, articles, and
videos found on jw.org," said Thyarks. Since his retirement, Thyarks and his wife
volunteer in disaster relief efforts organized by Jehovah's Witnesses.
“Having a personal preparedness plan increases your chances of staying safe,” according
to a training program from the Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster
Preparedness.
Jolted awake by a neighbor’s urgent knocking, Aaron and Jacqueline Pate were horrified
to see the encroaching flames of the fast-moving Woolsey fire that had been miles away
when they went to bed. It burned to within 100 feet of their Westlake Village home in
2018 as part of California’s deadliest wildfire season on record.
"Because we had go bags, we weren’t running around trying to pack things at the last
minute,” said Jacqueline. “We had the time we needed to comfort our kids and get
everyone safely into the car.”
The Pates credited the disaster-preparedness help they received as Jehovah’s Witnesses,
both through periodic reminders at their congregation meetings and from tips for putting
together go bags on the organization’s website, www.jw.org.
"Life is precious, so we encourage all to heed the Bible’s advice to take practical steps to
protect ourselves from danger,” said Robert Hendriks III, spokesman for Jehovah’s
Witnesses in the United States.
Go bags also have proven useful in the opposite circumstances as “stay bags.”
Disaster-preparedness suggestions and tips for putting together a go bag are available
from FEMA at ready.gov and from Jehovah’s Witnesses at
https://www.jw.org/en/library/...
