Foundation Looks to Next Generation Technology to Help Families Combat Future Katrina

CHICAGO, Sept. 20, 2005 -- In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the American Disaster Preparedness Foundation (ADPF) today announced PrepareYourFamily.org, a free, cutting-edge tool designed to help families formulate personalized emergency plans for disasters.

Created by experts in corporate disaster planning, PrepareYourFamily.org gives families the opportunity to anticipate catastrophes using the same systematic processes employed by large companies. Users are presented with numerous disaster scenarios and are guided through the process of handling each one. The end result, a comprehensive plan, is tailored to family members’ individual needs.

“You turn on the TV in the morning and discover that a menacing tornado is near your home. The kids are at school, your spouse at work. What do you do? According to the American Red Cross, fewer than half of all Americans have set up evacuation and communications plans. Who can ignore the stories of lost toddlers wandering around the Superdome in New Orleans? PrepareYourFamily.org represents an effort to get the American public thinking and planning about how to anticipate and formulate solutions for these types of situations,” states Raj Dandage, Chairman of the ADPF.

PrepareYourFamily.org guides the user through the creation of an emergency plan via targeted questions and interactive feedback. After completing a series of questionnaires in response to personalized disaster scenarios, the user is presented with a complete plan that can be printed in a convenient card form or distributed via email to family members. The plan not only takes into account the points of location for all listed family members, but also provides users with escape strategies tailored to their specific needs.

“The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children states that 1600 children are still listed as missing due to Katrina. And new threats to our safety and security are being uncovered everyday. PrepareYourFamily.org moves beyond just instructing people on how to put together a first aid kit. It is a way for families to increase dialogue about safety concerns and produce tangible strategies to address these concerns in an easy-to-use format,” notes Dandage.

The American Disaster Preparedness Foundation was established in order to help families create comprehensive emergency plans. To learn more, contact Ashwini Nadkarni, Director of Media Relations, at (312) 224-4666.

Contact Information

Ashwini Nadkarni

Director of Public Relations

American Disaster Preparedness Foundation

Contact via E-mail