But then there are many dangers with high probability of happening some time in our lives, that if we know in advance what to do, don’t panic, don’t freeze up, we can survive.

You are in an elevator which suddently plummets … quick you have maybe 10 seconds to do that which will save your life.

You are in a car on a bridge that collapses, then is under water … there’s a way to survive, only if you were prepared in advance.

You are out in the country, get bitten by a poisonous snake. Do you know how you can tell when an animal is rabid? Oh there’s a bear. What do we do?

You are in a building that catches on fire. Will breaking a window (to get out) make it worse?

You get a weather alert … a tornado is coming … you have 5 minutes to take cover.

A really serious weather disturbance arrives & you are without power for several days, must boil water before consuming it, but have no way to get heat.

The response varies with who or what is being prepared for what kind of disaster. If you live deep inland, it is highly unlikely that you need to prepare for a hurricane, since they strike the coasts.

There’s personal protection … periodically we hought to take refresher courses in first aid … what to do before first responders arrive.

There’s home preparation … does everyone know at least 2-3 ways of getting out of the house in a disaster like a fire, that blocks the main way out. After you get out, you do know to do a head count to make sure no one still inside?

I have flashlights plugged into wall sockets … in event of a power outage, I can see where they are, unplug them, use them. The reason they plugged in there is to recharge when I don’t need them.

We can get all kinds of alerts via Internet, TV, etc. but not in a power outage … a weather radio is cheap, and can run on same kind of deal … power goes, out, the battery is good for a while.

Do you have smoke detectors in your home?

Do you test them regularly?

Most homes and cars have SOME kind of preparation … how often do you check it, like first aid kits, to make sure anything used got replaced? Do you know where your nearest fire extinquisher is, how to use it, how to know it is in good condition?

Suppose it is tornado or earthquake … do you know what is the safest place in the house … is it inside the bathtub, or in a doorway? Right after the earthquake, you do know why you should fill the bathtub with water?

There’s preparation at the office.

Suppose there’s a bomb threat, an envelope with mysterious white powder, a computer breach … do you know what to do, who to call?

Then there is preparation at the various government levels but then someone who needs to know about that is not likely to be asking at Yahoo Answers.

Here are some websites to study.

http://www.prepare.org/

http://www.iprepare.com/100sh77ml.html

http://www.americaprepared.org/

http://www.ready.gov/

Do you know where to go to find out about the latest weather forecast and weather alerts?

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/