National Preparedness Month puts focus on household readiness

September is National Preparedness Month, and this year’s federal theme, “Americans Stand Ready,” frames disaster planning as a matter of self-reliance. Households that can get by on their own for the first few days free up first responders to reach those who cannot.

Laurens County learned the value of that in September 2024, when Hurricane Helene tore through the Upstate, blocked roads with fallen trees and left much of the county without power for days. Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30, and the county also faces tornadoes, ice storms and flash flooding.

“Helene showed us that a storm does not have to come ashore in Laurens County to shut it down,” said Sonny Ledda, Director of Laurens County Emergency Management. “We had crews working around the clock, and the families who came through it best were the ones who had water, medicine and a plan before the lights went out.”

Make a plan

Agree on a meeting place and a backup. Pick an out-of-state relative everyone can text if local lines jam, since texts often go through when calls will not. Write the numbers on a card for each wallet and backpack. Decide in advance who picks up children from school and how pets and livestock will be moved.

Build a kit

A gallon of water per person per day, three to seven days of food that needs no cooking, a flashlight, extra batteries, a hand-crank or battery weather radio, a first-aid kit and cash in small bills. Card readers do not work without power.

Commonly forgotten: a week of prescription medications, a manual can opener, baby formula, pet food, a phone battery pack and a car charger.

Stay informed

Sign up for local emergency alerts. Download the SC Emergency Manager app or the FEMA app. Keep a weather radio in the bedroom, since many tornado warnings in South Carolina arrive overnight.

Protect the paperwork

Photograph every room and the contents of closets and cabinets for insurance purposes, then email the photos to yourself so they exist off site. Store insurance policies, deeds, birth certificates, vehicle titles and a current medication list in a waterproof container or a secure cloud folder.

Small steps that matter

Keep vehicles above half a tank when severe weather is forecast. Fill bathtubs and jugs before a storm if the household is on a well, since well pumps stop when the power does. Learn where the water shutoff and breaker box are. Know how to open the garage door manually. Freeze water bottles to keep the refrigerator cold longer during an outage.

Check on neighbors

Older residents living alone are the ones most likely to be stranded. A phone call before the storm and a knock on the door afterward costs nothing.

“Neighbors are almost always the first help to arrive in a rural county,” Ledda said. “Know who on your road needs a ride, needs oxygen or needs someone to check the door.”

Residents with questions about alerts, shelters or evacuation routes can contact Laurens County Emergency Management. Additional checklists are available at ready.gov and scemd.org