The Gazette-Enterprise

While it may seem that everything has a day or a month — Saturday was “International Talk Like A Pirate Day” — there are some that serve as a perfect opportunity to focus on important things.

September marks National Preparedness Month, a time where the federal government hopes Americans will take steps to be able to deal with emergencies and disasters.

History has shown us time and again that they will happen whether we’re ready or not — and they can come in a variety of forms.

There were the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. There were the hurricanes that battered the Louisiana and the Texas coast. Closer to home there is always a chance for flash flooding along the local creeks and serious flooding if the Guadalupe River leaves its banks — the flood of 1998 is still fresh in the minds of a lot of local residents.

A look around those crowded shelters showed plenty of people who weren’t ready to leave when the water started rising.

How ready are you if a flood forces you to leave your home? Do you have the important papers you might need? What about key medications?

Americans have shown that we are extremely resilient when faced with hardship — and are quick to bounce back after any disaster — but it’s far better to be ready than it is to spend unnecessary time recovering. If you’re looking to get better prepared for disasters, the federal government offers a handy online resource — ready.gov .

Visit it and come up with a plan that can help you and your family when disaster strikes.

Make National Preparedness Month more than just another empty national month.

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