Add this reminder to your calendar and be ready for disasters!

We all have a lot to keep up with these days — pick up tomatoes for tonight’s salad, send a gift card for a relative’s birthday, schedule teeth cleaning. Staying on top of things is important, but life sometimes intrudes.

Creating a schedule for activities, appointments and special days, whether big or small, can help you relax and feel prepared for upcoming events. That’s where APHA’s Get Ready: Set Your Clocks, Check Your Stocks campaign comes in. The campaign advises Americans to use the twice-a-year clock change as a reminder to check your emergency stockpile.

Having an up-to-date stockpile — with nothing missing or expired — comes in handy when the lights are out during a power outage, if your tap water is undrinkable during a flood or you have to shelter-in-place during a storm.

Quick! Add these dates into your calendar right now: March 8 and November 1. Those are the 2015 dates for the clock change. You can even use the handy “Add to Calendar” button on our website to add this month’s reminder to your Outlook, Google or Yahoo calendar. Look at you, already on your way to being prepared!

To be even more ready for a disaster, visit the Get Ready site for a handy checklist of emergency supplies, a grocery list and even delicious recipes. While you’re there, check out our new infographic and share a photo of your stockpile.

You’ve changed your clocks, now check your stocks

Daylight saving time ended last weekend, bringing us one step closer to winter. But before you break out your scarves, mittens and holiday decorations, there’s one more move to make: checking your emergency preparedness supplies.

It’s easy to forget about your emergency stockpile, particularly if you have it tucked away in a closet or basement. But if a disaster occurs, you want it to have everything you need — and that means checking up on it every so often.

APHA’s Get Ready: Set Your Clocks, Check Your Stocks campaign recommends using the twice-annual time change as a reminder to check your stockpile.

You should make sure nothing’s been removed from your emergency stockpile, that batteries or water haven’t leaked and that food hasn’t expired. Use our supplies list to double-check that you have everything you need in your stockpile, and add items as needed.

If your life has changed since you assembled the stockpile, such as a new family member or a change in medical condition, you should add supplies to account for that.

If you haven’t created a stockpile yet, now is the time to put one together. All Americans should have at least a three-day supply of food and water stored in their homes, with at least one gallon of water per person per day. Choose foods that don’t require refrigeration and aren’t high in salt. Your stockpile should also contain flashlights, a manual can opener, a radio and batteries, among other items.

And if you haven’t tested your smoke alarm and changed its batteries, you should do that as well.

Visit our Set Your Clocks, Check Your Stocks page for tools and tips for creating the perfect stockpile.

Spread the word: It’s almost time to set your clocks and check your stocks!

Set your clocks, check your stocks

Daylight saving begins March 9.

How often should you refresh your emergency supplies? At least every six months, experts say. But with everything else that’s going on in life, remembering to do so can be hard.

 

That’s why APHA’s Get Ready: Set Your Clocks, Check Your Stocks  campaign uses the twice-a-year clock change as a reminder. The campaign advises people to refresh their stockpile, such as their emergency food, water and batteries, when they adjust their clocks for daylight saving time.

 

And guess what? The next clock change is just around the corner. Daylight saving time starts Sunday, March 9.

 

Every American should have at least a three-day supply of food and water in case of an emergency, including one gallon of water per person per day, according to preparedness experts. Other supplies that should be on hand include a first-aid kit, a can opener, flashlight, battery-operated radio and batteries.

 

Now that you know to check your stockpile, you can help your friends, family and community be prepared for disasters, too. Here are just some ways you can remind people to check their stockpiles:

• Check out our free materials for info on building and updating an emergency stockpile, including a list of what should be included, information on rotating stored food and water and games for kids. Add a link to your website!
• Share one of our free e-cards to remind people to check their stocks.
• Tell your Twitter followers or Facebook friends. Use our sample tweets and the #clocksstocks hashtag.
• Share our Set Your Clocks, Check Your Stocks video.

Thanks for spreading the word and helping your friends, family and community get ready!

You’ve changed your clocks, now check your stocks

Daylight saving time is over, which means that we’ve all changed our clocks back (except for Arizona and Hawaii, which don’t take part in the practice).

But there’s one more step you may still need to take: checking your emergency preparedness supplies.

It’s easy to forget about your emergency stockpile, particularly if you have it tucked away into a closet or basement. But if an emergency occurs, you want it to have everything you need — and that means checking up on it every once in awhile.

APHA’s Get Ready: Set Your Clocks, Check Your Stocks campaign recommends using the twice-annual time change as a reminder to check your stockpile.

You should make sure nothing’s been removed from your emergency stockpile, that batteries or water haven’t leaked and that food hasn’t expired. Use our supplies list to double-check that you have everything you need in your stockpile, and add items as needed. If your life has changed since you assembled the stockpile, such as the addition of a new family member or a change in medical condition, you should add supplies to account for that as well.

If you haven’t created a stockpile yet, now is the time to put one together. (And if you haven’t tested your smoke alarm and changed its batteries, you should do that as well.) All Americans should have at least a three-day supply of food and water stored in their homes, with at least one gallon of water per person per day. If you have the space, experts recommend a week’s supply of food and water. Choose foods that don’t require refrigeration and are not high in salt. Your stockpile should also contain flashlights, a manual can opener, a radio and batteries, among other items.

Visit our Set Your Clocks, Check Your Stocks page for tools and tips for creating the perfect stockpile. If you are on a budget we have you covered. See our fact sheet for compiling an emergency stockpile without spending a fortune.

Today’s the day: Remember to check your stocks!

Did you remember to turn your clocks ahead for daylight saving time this weekend? We hope so!

There’s one more thing we want you to remember to do: Check your stocks. It’s easy to forget about your emergency supplies until a storm or power outage happens, but that’s no time to find you’re out of something important.

That’s why today is a perfect day to check your emergency stockpile. Make sure that you have flashlights, fresh batteries and a manual can opener. Check your canned food to make sure that nothing has expired. Have at least one gallon of water on hand for each person in your household for at least three days — and have extra for your pets!

If you don’t have an emergency stockpile, you can start today. We have great fact sheets with tips on stockpiling food and water, and advice on how to stockpile on a budget.

After you’ve taken care of your own stockpile, remind your loved ones to check their supplies, too. Send them an email, post it on Facebook, send out a tweet!  A few minutes of preparedness today can make a big difference the next time an emergency happens!

Spread the word: It’s almost time to set your clocks and check your stocks!

How often should you refresh your emergency supplies? At least every six months on any easy-to-remember date. That's the reasoning behind the Get Ready: Set Your Clocks, Check Your Stocks  campaign: To remind people to refresh their emergency stockpile twice a year when they adjust their clocks for daylight saving time.

We've created a range of free materials to remind people to check their emergency preparedness stockpile — from logos and e-cards to sample tweets and a video.

And for those who don't have an emergency stockpile, we also have fact sheets about stockpiling food and water, as well as tips for stockpiling on a budget. If you run a health center or agency, library, business or other organization, you can even add your own logo to our fact sheets!

Check out the Set Your Clocks, Check Your Stocks materials on our website.
Don’t forget to spread the word!

Help us get the word out: It’s time to Set Your Clocks, Check Your Stocks on Nov. 4!

When daylight saving time ends this Sunday, Nov. 4, it’s a great time to check your emergency stockpile for expired items. That’s the idea behind Get Ready: Set Your Clocks, Check Your Stocks!

The campaign uses the twice annual clock change as a reminder for people to check that nothing in their stockpile has been misplaced, is expired (leaky batteries, anyone?) or needs replenishing.

You can help your friends, family and community be prepared for the next disaster by spreading the word. Here are just some of the ways you can get the word out:

1.  Check out our free materials to educate people about building and updating an emergency stockpile.
2. Share one of our free e-cards to remind people to check their stocks.
3. Remind your Twitter followers or Facebook friends! Check out our sample tweets for some ideas.
4. Share our Set Your Clocks, Check your Stocks video!
5. Get logos for your blog or website as well as more resources and ideas at our clocks and stocks page.

Thanks for spreading the word and helping your community get ready!

Did you remember to set your clocks this morning?

Daylight savings time started this morning - did you remember to set your clocks? Chances are, you did.

Now for a more difficult question: Did you check your stocks?

Here at Get Ready, we believe that the time change is also a perfect time to make sure you're prepared for a disaster. If you have already created an emergency stockpile, today's the day to make sure that nothing is missing or expired. If you haven't created one, today's a great day to start! Head over to our Set Your Clocks, Check Your Stocks page to learn everything you need to know about creating and maintaining  an emergency stockpile - even on a budget (PDF)!

We've also created some fun ways to remind friends and family to check their stocks. Check out our new YouTube video:

You can also send one of our new Set Your Clocks, Check Your Stocks e-cards for free. (click through to see all of the designs!)

There you have it:  a whole host of resources to help you get - and stay - ready. Enjoy!