They are at risk for disasters such as floods, hurricanes and winter storms.  They are also at risk for home fires, medical emergencies and missing pets.  Managing risk is all about planning ahead and being prepared.  You can help the dog lover in your life with that plan and those preparations by giving them the Mutt Mitigation gift box.

We don’t leave young children home alone but we do leave our pets.  What happens to pets in a house fire? 

A plan to save pets and families includes having the right information ahead of time as well as during a disaster.  Dog lovers need to know how to save themselves and their pets. 

After learning about risk and making plan, a pet owner needs to have the right supplies on hand to respond to any emergency that they and their pet may encounter.  We have carefully chosen the emergency supplies we include in the Mutt Mitigation gift boxes to meet these needs.

Learn about the Mutt Mitigation gift box and other ways to protect your pets at www.givingpreparedness.com.

So you put it off, ignore the guilt of not being prepared and move on to more pressing matters.  You have not had dinner, the house needs cleaning and you really should send a thank you note to your mother-in law for that too large multi-colored itchy sweater she sent for your birthday.  (What an insult!  She thinks you are obese and look good in a combination of pink, green and brown geometric shapes.  The holidays are coming; maybe it is time to return the favor.)

You are not that revengeful of a person, and it would take too long to find such a hideous gift.  Besides, money is tight this year, and you want to give people something they can really use.  You do not want to be the person that gets a hesitant thank you response when their gift is opened.

Actually, all homes can flood.  Growing up, I can remember an upstairs neighbor who let their bathtub overflow.  A whole line of apartments flooded and had water damage.  A friend of mine recently moved his family into a trailer next to their home because they had a flood.  Their upstairs washing machine water hose disconnected and while everyone was at work and school, water ran through the walls and pooled in the kitchen and basement, damaging 75% of their home.

We are all likely to experience flooding at some point when we are driving.  Our aging infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable to floods.  Pot holes turn into lakes when it rains, and the trenches next to roads are overgrown with weeds which forces water onto roadways.

In fact, we are all at risk for flooding.  We must be especially careful when driving during heavy rain or near swollen rivers.  The National Weather Service has a campaign called Turn Around Don’t Drown.

They state: Each year, more deaths occur due to flooding than from any other thunderstorm related hazard. Why? The main reason is people underestimate the force and power of water. Many of the deaths occur in automobiles as they are swept downstream. Of these drownings, many are preventable, but too many people continue to drive around the barriers that warn you the road is flooded.  Whether you are driving or walking, if you come to a flooded road, Turn Around Don’t Drown.  You will not know the depth of the water nor will you know the condition of the road under the water.[1]

Help your friends and your family be prepared for a flood or other disaster by giving them the gift of preparedness for their home or car.  You can choose from the Ready Car gift boxes or the Safe House gift boxes; each includes the essential supplies needed to lessen the impact of any disaster.  Plus, you do not need to be the person who sends another box of mixed nuts or an ugly sweater.

Maybe the baby had a bad night or the dog had to go out at 3:00 AM because she got the remaining birthday cake, or you tossed and turned all night because your mind was racing with business-related pressures.

My philosophy is to hold on to Plan A, to strive for it but for goodness sake be ready for reality.  We are all too tired.  We are juggling family, finances and work 24/7.  We have odd stress-related ailments that may turn into chronic illnesses.  The bottom line is: we are pushed and pushing beyond our limits every day.

But it is our responsibility to be prepared for the inevitable disaster or incident.  This may mean your child falls off his skateboard and needs his wounds cleaned and bandaged.  It may mean you are stuck in a major traffic jam on the way to a ski resort and need blankets, flashlights, food and water to survive several hours in the cold and dark.  It could mean there is a blackout in your city which cripples public transportation and leaves you wondering how to pick-up your toddler from daycare on-time.

When we watch television, we see terrorism, natural disasters and war in places far from us.  What is local may seem manageable and still not close enough to touch us.  But the old saying it is not if but when truly applies to disaster in our lives.  House fires, car accidents, hurricanes and winter storms do happen.

Finding yourself in a situation that requires you to act without the right supplies is devastating.  We know how to bandage skinned knees, but where are the band aids?  We know how to use flashlights in the dark, but has anyone seen the flashlight?  Do the batteries work?  We know to pick an emergency meeting place in case we cannot get home, but did we pick the middle school or the grocery store?  The fact is we are not ready.

We have many excuses for why we have not prepared.  We are too busy, our finances are stretched, and we live in a safe place.  But the excuses will not protect us from the inevitable.   So why not help your family, co-workers and friends be ready for disasters?  It is the best gift you can give them.  It shows you truly care about them and that you understand the risks in their lives, because they are the same ones in your life!