Perhaps the most important thing to bring with you: A “go bag” full of emergency supplies. The contents of a family’s go bag could mean the difference between life or death, depending on how bad a situation becomes, according to Jonathan Sury, project director for field operations and communications at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University’s Earth Institute. Your must-havesMost of the items disaster preparedness experts suggest you include in a go bag are things you can find around your house. Just because someone puts together a “go bag” does not mean that person is prepared, Montano warned. “Your social network, your economic situation, the preparedness of your local government (and) other factors all influence how ready you are to go through a disaster.”

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Persons: Jonathan Sury, ” Sury, Samantha Montano, ” Montano, Sury, you’ve, don’t, ”, Eric Alberts, ” Alberts, it’s, Rosie Monson, Alexander, Monson, ” Monson, Montano Organizations: CNN, National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Earth Institute, Preparedness, FEMA, Swiss Army, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, US Centers for Disease Control, Orlando Health, Nintendo Locations: Columbia, Boston, Florida, Sonoma County , California