If you need to evacuate quickly, and as we know from recent news coverage in our country, many Americans have had to.

For emergency preparation, keep the following six M's in mind-

MAKE A PLAN- Plan ahead where you would go in an emergency- have a Plan B. Always try to keep your gas tank at least half full. Each family member can pack a small duffel bag with extra underwear and changes of clothes. Underwear is most important. Recently, trucks of donated clothing went down to our hurricane victims, but no one thinks of the underwear needed.

MEDICATIONS- Obviously take your medications with you. If your meds need to be refrigerated have a small ice chest and cold packs available. Ask your doctors for copies of your prescriptions that you can keep in a file.

MEDICAL HISTORY- It is important for you to have a medical history written up, in case you need to see another doctor who is not familiar with your case. Include a list of all your doctor's addresses and phone numbers. Place these in your emergency file.

MONEY- It is important to keep some "mad money" at home and available. In the event of power outages, you will not be able to use your trusty and reliable nearby ATM machine.

MEMENTOS AND MEMORIES- Think now about what you would take if you had to leave your house quickly, so that there is no waste of valuable time in trying to make decisions. Most people would grab not only expensive but heirloom jewelry- perhaps you would just grab your entire jewelry box. Many would want to have old photos that could never be replaced. If you are like my family- we have so many photo albums that they alone would fill our trunk, so I would grab the wedding albums and those that had the older pictures.
Make a list of things you don't want to forget- any treasured hand me down, and put that list in your file. It is hard to think clearly under stress.

MEALS- Who wants to be caught in an emergency evacuation, without something to eat and drink? No one, but especially not someone who might need to eat or drink on a regular basis while taking medication. In an emergency bag, stock up on bottled water and snacks that will not necessarily go bad quickly like; dried fruit, peanut butter, crackers, etc. They should be changed every six months- mark it on your calendar.

These six M reminders are important, but there are many more good ideas. Check out the following websites which will give you even more information. Hopefully you will never have to use an emergency file and an emergency kit, but being prepared will give you a certain peace of mind.

Here are some helpful links:

http://www.ready.gov/water_food.html

http://www.redcross.org/services/prepare/0,1082,0_91_,00.html

-written by Janet Miserandino, © 2005 Butyoudontlooksick.com