“MOMMY! It’s a tornado!! I’m SCARED!! Are we going to die?!”
That’s your terrified child pleading for your help, your reassurance.
Think about it. If YOU are frightened or concerned, simply imagine the terror it strikes in your children.
Empowering Your Family By Preparing For Bad Weather
You can change that. And it’s all about being PREPARED – and empowering your child in the process.
It’s bad weather season for many in the U.S. – and we have been particularly hard hit in Texas in the last several weeks.
TODAY the warnings have started early, remained constant and infact, are urgent:
The National Weather Service calling this a Hazardous Weather Outlook.
Alerting that this is a Particularly Dangerous Situation for Texas.
The Red Cross even issuing an urgent message:
Red Cross Urges North Texans to Prepare for Storms Now
Empower Your Children and your family by taking steps ahead of time. Like NOW. You can take action right now by first becoming and remaining WEATHER AWARE.
Have your kids actively involved in the process – the entire process. And explain WHY. Of course, make
- HAVE A FAMILY “SAFETY PLAN”. Go over this with your kids. And GET THEM INVOLVED. So when they say, “Mommy, I’m scared!” You are equipped with answers that reassure them, their safety and reminds them that you already have a safety plan in place to protect them. A safety plan should include: identifying the family ‘SafePlace’ or “Storm Shelter”, stocked with water, shoes, helmets, blankets, weather radio, flashlights, and games or toys to keep the kids active (and distracted), extra batteries, extra electronic chargers, car keys, wallets, and of course – don’t forget to bring your PETS with you into your “SafePlace”. Again,have a basic emergency kit consisting of water, snacks, first-aid kit, flashlight, batteries, prescription medicine and important paperwork. Parents can help reduce the effect of disasters on children by adding a few simple kid-friendly supplies such as books, games, a favorite toy or comfort item and medical items such as infant/child fever reducer to the kit. Those with babies should consider a three-day supply of formula, diapers, antibacterial wipes, non-perishable baby food and sealable plastic bags for soiled items. EMPOWERING!
- DO NOT PANIC. There is a difference between panicking and being PREPARED. Your kids WILL sense your fear – and the whole point is assuring their safety. They need to know they are safe – and are looking to you for that sense of security.
- GET PREPARED. Have your NOAA Weather Radio accessible. Have ALL computers, phones, Ipads, etcetera FULLY CHARGED. If you lose power and have a low battery on a device you are depending on for the latest storm updates, tornado warnings, storm track, etc. – you do NOT want to be without the latest information and ability to communicate. Also charge items such as the ‘quick chargers’ for all of your devices.
- DOWNLOAD Weather Apps and services. They are numerous. Most television stations have them readily available and you can actually input your specific location for the most accurate and up-to-date storm information. Typically, they are free Apps you download to your IPhone, IPad or Android device. Have your tech-savvy kids involved with this as well – it will empower them knowing they are valuable in the process of being prepared and will serve as a reminder that your family has the latest information to keep you safe.
Check out some of these examples: Here’s the NBC 5 mobile app download. As well as Weather Tools From WFAA-TV. Here’s the download for the WFAA-TV News and Weather App. Click here for the FOX4News app – called WAPP. Right here is the weather app from CBS 11. Don’t forget radio stations also, such as KRLD 1080 and 105.3 The Fan. - Follow all your local stations and meteorologists on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can receive literally up-to-the-minutes updates and often watch live-streaming of their forecasts and warnings.
Here’s some more tips on Taking Shelter from the Storms and Preparing for a Tornado from the National Weather Service.
Empower and educate your children and all of your family by involving them in the process and educating them at the same time. Your children need to feel safe and taking these steps with them allows them to understand your family is prepared in the event severe weather strikes.
Stay Weather Aware, Stay Safe and Stay EMPOWERED.
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