SHREVEPORT, La. — September is National Preparedness Month, a reminder to ask a simple but critical question: are you ready?
If a severe storm knocked out power for days, if flooding forced you from your home, or if a train derailment filled the air with noxious fumes, would you and your family be prepared to evacuate safely?
Emergency planners say many people are not.
“I think it is because most people think that would never happen to me. I will never have a home fire or I will never have a tornado. That just happens to somebody else,” said Karen McCoy, executive director of the Louisiana Red Cross.
That’s why the American Red Cross is urging families to take concrete steps this month. McCoy said communication should be at the top of the list…