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, bottled water, a first aid kit, and ready-to-eat meal packs line the Triscell family’s living room table. The family isn’t going camping—they’re preparing for disaster by putting together a “go bag.”
In Sonoma, California, Isaac and Diana Triscell know firsthand what it’s like to experience a natural disaster. They consider preparation essential as they live in a wildfire-prone area. The Triscell family stated, “The fire disasters of 2017 and 2020 were heartbreaking challenges we won’t forget. We were so thankful to have the resources on jw.org, which provided practical steps to be prepared in advance.”
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.
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“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.
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"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.
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/magazines/awake-no5-2017-october/disaster-steps-that-can-save-lives/.
