Andrew, Northridge, Katrina, and now Haiti. All of these now spell natural disasters of monumental proportions. Even now desperately poor people languish in a county without good infrastructure during the best of times. Relief and foreign governmental agencies are currently rushing to get to the affected areas in hopes of saving lives and preventing an outbreak of disease (such as cholera). It took the U.S. FEMA roughly 96 hours to start working in the area of New Orleans Louisiana prior to this there had been little or no relief to the victims of Katrina.

During this period of time there was no clean water; there was no electricity; there was little suitable shelter; and for the most part there was no policing. These events occurred in The United States where the basic infrastructure and governmental ability far surpass that of Haiti and many other countries in this world. On the radio there were reports of some relief aircraft looking suitable for aircraft landings. Meanwhile, people huddle in the street as there are no houses to return to or they are in fear of returning into their homes. It will probably take a day for the first stages of relief to arrive and up to a week to really get things started. For the time being the people of Haiti have no relief or help they have to depend on themselves.

Flash Flooding ; A serious flood can leave your family without power, clean water, and heat for hours or even days. This means everyone in your household will be cold and unable to eat or go to the bathroom. However, by investing in a simple survival kit your can keep your family safe during the storm with food rations, battery powered lights, and even a snap-on toilet seat attached to a bucket.

Snow-Ins ; As anyone who has every lived in a cold climate will tell you, snow-ins are a very real possibility in the middle of winter. Massive amounts of snow can block streets, and force you to stay in your home for long periods of time. In bad cases, snow can even lead to the loss of electricity in your home and surrounding neighborhood. If you live in a place with lots of snow, then a survival kit with food and first aid supplies is essential.

Have you ever been through a test fire drill while at work and dismissed it as a waste of time or even completely ignored it along with any other fire safety related notion? I admit I have, until I was caught in a fire emergency and had to know what to do to survive in order to be able to help others and, at the same time, minimize the risk of others endangering their lives or even die trying to get me out of trouble because of my incompetence. That was a lot of literally vital stuff I had to make the right decisions on with very little time to spare.

I have since realized that fire safety drills and periodical training and procedures are mostly designed to help you draw a mental map of the steps you should take to protect yours and others lives in case of a real fire emergency. It is imperative that we all pay much more attention to this subject not only in the working environment, but most importantly at home where we are totally responsible for the safety of our loved ones in case of such an emergency.

CPR Training online is one of those skills that one learns in hopes of never having to use it. At any given time someone close to you could become a victim of needed immediate emergency assistance. Being in a situation where you may perhaps be able to save a life, but can’t, because you lack the knowledge and skills can have a devastating effect on the unfortunate victim and will be something you remember for the rest of your life. Learning CPR training online, in the comforts of your own home can be a remedy for providing you with the skills that you need should you be faced in this situation.

Taking CPR courses is a good idea for all ages, this includes not only adults, but it is excellent for kids to gain the education and life saving techniques that can aid someone in a life threatening situation. There are a variety of ways to register for online CPR courses. The Red Cross chapter in your area and the American Heart Association websites are good resources to check. They provide a wealth of information.