Governor declares it preparedness month

Governor Tom Vilsack has signed a declaration making it preparedness month in Iowa, joining in a nationwide push to get citizens to do what they can to prepare for a disaster. Vilsack says the reality is Iowans are far more likely to have to deal with a tornado than a terrorist attack, and the governor says that’s why it’s important to prepare not just for terrorists, but what “Mother Nature may present.” Vilsack says he wants Iowans to focus this month on the role each can play in making the state prepared for whatever emergency may be forthcoming. Vilsack says you can read all sorts of tips on-line, at www.iowahomelandsecurity.com. Vilsack says he hopes Iowans take a look at that website and learn from it. There are suggestions for what to put in a survival kit, as well as suggestions for developing a family communications plan in the event of an emergency that might separate parents from children, or spouse from spouse. Some democrats have charged that National Preparedness Month is a gimmick of the Bush Administration designed to coincide with the Bush campaign’s contention President Bush is better able to lead the war on terror. Vilsack, a backer of Bush opponent John Kerry, says a tornado or the explosion of a meth lab are much more likely to happen in Iowa than an attack from Al Qaeda. Vilsack says that Iowa has to be prepared for all those circumstances, so it makes some sense as the nation stops to remember the victims of September 11th, that folks be given the task of ensuring they’re prepared for natural or man-made disasters.