Being better prepared for unexpected events takes effort. But if you look at the list of things you have to do to be prepared, it's not an especially big list, and it's not especially hard to accomplish the items. What it takes is a small amount of relatively constant effort.
 
Ironically, however, most people seem better suited, and hence usually more willing, to make a single significantly larger effort than to make a series of smaller incremental efforts over a longer duration.
 
Fortunately, there is a very simple technique to accomplish a series of small steps along the path to a larger goal in the distant future: Establish a tickler file in your calendar.
 
For each month in 2010, plan one step toward better preparedness. When that month gets here, do the step.
 
If you're already in a state of preparedness, your steps can be such things as checking the condition of the batteries in your flashlights, making sure your fire extinguishers are operational, and rotating any food items in your 72-hour kit that are older than a year or two. Particularly check our water supply. Use the old water on your house and garden plants.
 
If you're new to the idea of being prepared for unexpected events rather than being victimized by them, start small with the easy steps.
 
The first month, try getting your water supply together. You'll need a couple of gallons of water per person per day. If you take the time to read the newspaper about recent disasters like that in Haiti, you'll realize that 3-4 days of water is an absolute minimum. Fortunately 1 and 2.5 gallon plastic containers of water are cheap and easy to store.
 
The next month, make sure everyone in the house has a small whistle and a thumb-sized LED light. Put them on a carabiner or key ring so they are easy to carry and convenient to find.
 
In just two months, with two small steps, you've improved the chances of surviving a disaster tremendously: you and yours won't go thirsty, you won't have to search around with your hands and feet through broken glass and debris looking for something lost in the dark, and if you're trapped in a building, you can toot on your whistle instead of shouting yourself hoarse before your CERT-trained neighbor finds you.
 
So, if being better prepared is something you've always wanted to do and didn't know how to go about it, just tickle yourself.
 
Something else to mark on your calendar as well: the spring CERT training is coming up. For more information boink on the following link:  www.eugene-or.gov/portal/server.pt