It wasn’t that long ago that Hurricane Ida was wreaking havoc on Chester County. Our communities are still feeling the effects one year later. September is National Preparedness Month, so now is the perfect time to become disaster-ready in case of natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires or floods. Here are some ways you can leave quickly with the items you need most, to help protect your family in an emergency.

1. Gather key documents that may be difficult or impossible to replace. Remember, you may not be home during a disaster, so be sure to store electronic copies of documents on a thumb drive or encrypted in the cloud.

• Banking and financial account information, including account numbers
• Insurance policies
• Driver’s licenses, passports, birth and marriage certificates, Social Security cards and Medicare cards
• Contracts, wills, deeds, and recent tax returns
• Inventory of possessions

2. Create a disaster kit with items including nonperishable food, bottled water, first-aid, flashlights, an emergency radio, batteries, and a wrench or pliers to turn off utilities. Include face masks, soap, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting wipes to protect from COVID-19.

3. Have a list of items to take with you, and pack them in 10 minutes or less. In addition to your home disaster kit and critical documents, remember to take prescription medications, clothing, and bedding for each family member, all mobile devices and chargers, eyeglasses, photos, specialty food, and other items.

4. Enable emergency alerts and warnings on your cell phone. Check the settings on your cell phone to make sure these alerts are active.

5. Plan your safe destination. If you evacuate, where will you go? Will you stay with friends or family in another town, or head to a hotel or a community shelter? Map out a route and plan alternate routes in case roads are impassable. Identify a safe place to meet if family members become separated.

6. Choose appropriate insurance. What kinds of disasters are most likely to affect your home and community? That determines your coverage. Damage from some natural disasters, such as wildfires, hurricanes, and tornadoes, is generally covered under your homeowners policy, up to policy limits. However, damage from floods and earthquakes typically requires separate policies.

Emergency preparedness is part of an effort by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to raise public awareness. For more information, including checklists and the FEMA mobile app, visit https://www.ready.gov/.

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Rebecca Worthington is the Vice President of Community Relations at Benchmark Federal Credit Union. The only federal credit union to exclusively serve Chester County, Benchmark FCU has been serving the community for more than 80 years and is known for providing extraordinary service. To learn more about the products and services available at Benchmark FCU, visit our website at BenchmarkFCU.org. Anyone who lives, works, worships, or attends school in Chester County is eligible to join Benchmark Federal Credit Union.