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Every night I’ve watched the news coverage of fires in California and flooding in Louisiana and wondered what I would protect if our family was forced to flee our home in the event of a natural disaster. Would we grab the photo albums that Emily has lovingly put together to chronicle special family moments, treasured heirlooms that have been passed down to us from generations before us, or would we want to preserve the future by safeguarding our digital files that could help us rebuild our lives? The truth is that everything is important and disaster always strikes when least expected.
98.6 million people were affected by natural disasters (tornados, hurricanes, wildfire, and floods) around the world and since these occur when least expected, it’s important to think about being prepared. Preparations to personal safety and securing irreplaceable items is imperative.
Protect Your Family from Natural Disasters by Entering Master Lock’s “For Everything Worth Protecting” Twitter Sweepstakes
To encourage consumers to think about being prepared, Master Lock is partnering with the American Red Cross for the third annual “For Everything Worth Protecting” Twitter sweepstakes and fundraiser. Through August 31, Master Lock is donating $10,000 to the Red Cross and will donate an additional $1 (up to $10,000) for every consumer who tweets #MasterLockProtectsSweeps with the personal item they’d most like to save in case of fire or flood.
Each Tweet with #MasterLockProtectsSweeps enters the participant for the chance to win one of 5 grand prize bundles worth $300 and consist of the following:
- $75 Visa Gift Card
- (1) SentrySafe Extra Large Digital Fire Safe SFW123TTC
- (1) Red Cross Emergency Preparedness Kit.
While you’re thinking about what you’d protect, here are some helpful tips on how to prepare your family and home in cast of a natural disaster.
How to Protect Your Family from Natural Disasters
Stay Informed
To be aware of the natural disasters that can affect you at home or where you’re travelling, download the free Red Cross Emergency App (compatible with iOS and Android devices) that lets you set alerts for different types of emergencies in your area and where loved-ones live. Text “GETEMERGENCY” to 90999 for a link to download the app.
Keep Your Valuables Safe
69% of North Americans said they would be devastated to lose personal identification documents – social security card, passport, financial documents – and photos in case of a natural disaster. Since these items are nearly impossible to replace, a fire- and water-resistant safe like the SentrySafe SFW123TTC Extra Large Digital Alarm Fire Safe allows valuables to stay intact for recovery post-disaster. You can also use the Master Lock Vault app to safely store electronic copies of critical documents you can’t afford to lose such as birth certificates, passports, wills, and tax returns.
Create a Family Disaster Plan
Since your family may not all be in the same place when disasters hit, create a family disaster plan so each person knows how to react. Make sure each family member knows emergency telephone numbers, the safe spots in your home, and the best escape routes. It’s also important to choose an emergency contact and establish multiple meeting places.
Prepare an Emergency Supplies Kit
Many grocery stores quickly sell-out of basic necessities due to the increased demand before and after natural disasters. Prepare an emergency supplies kit for your family in case disaster strikes. The Red Cross recommends that a kit should have enough supplies to cover three days, per person and include: water, non-perishable foods, manual can opener, health supplies, personal care items, first aid kit, flashlight, extra batteries, radio (battery-powered or hand-crank), multi-purpose tool, emergency blanket, map(s) of the area and extra cash. Be sure to check and replace your items throughout the year and pack for your pets, too.
Master Lock will be sharing disaster preparedness tips on their website and social media channels throughout August. Join the conversation with the hashtag, #MasterLockProtectsSweeps and visit www.masterlock.com for more information. For complete rules, go to
As a member of Master Lock’s Live Secure Safety Squad, I have been compensated for my time in writing this post and receive samples for review. Amazon affiliate links included in this post.
I think the Master Lock idea is quite innovative. Pretty helpful especially that we can’t perceive any mishaps.