And in the case of preparing for an impending attack - you can't be overprepared. Communities in Hawaii will soon begin the discussion with neighbors on Friday, when the state prepares to resume a monthly statewide test that warns residents of an impending nuclear attack.
[Ads /]
"For example, with earthquake preparedness we talk about having seven days of supplies at home - food, water, clothing, accommodations for your children, medications and things like that. You would want to have the same type of stock supply at home for a nuke incident," said Michelle Constant, with Constant Associates.
The 50-second attack warning tone was last used in the 1990s, which was part of a Cold War era early-warning system.
"The main thing is if you as an individual are prepared there's a wonderful website called ready.gov that's produced by FEMA. It has a lot of fantastic information for individuals. If you pull down the checklist from ready.gov, it will tell you exactly what kind of supplies you need to have on hand," Constant said.
[Ads /]
A Ventura County PSA, which was launched a handful of years ago, was made to help neighbors in the county feel safe and give them tools to prepare.
Constant said shelter-in-place is key and so is finding the place with the thickest, densest walls to do so - concrete or otherwise. Her company is the next generation of emergency management.
But the most important item Constant said to keep in mind is to keep yourself as informed as possible about the needs of your family and those around you.