The United States has been hit by two devastating hurricanes in recent weeks. First, Hurricane Harvey battered Texas and Louisiana, including the greater Houston area — the fifth largest metropolis in our nation. Then, Hurricane Irma came barreling through the Caribbean, devastating the U.S. Virgin Islands before making landfall in Florida.

These natural disasters have brought at least 100 deaths, and uprooted or ruined thousands more. The lives lost and homes destroyed are tragedies. But the power of those storms has been met by the generosity of Americans all over the country, including right here in Maine, who have given blood or donated to relief funds through organizations such as the Red Cross, the United Way and the Salvation Army.

Here in Maine, the horror of these two storms was remote. We read about the catastrophes in the newspaper and saw the footage on the TV news. We may not have been directly affected by Harvey or Irma, but our state is no stranger to extreme weather. Anyone who lived through the Ice Storm of ‘98 knows that our state is not immune to disaster. Over the decades, Mainers have borne the brunt of extreme snow and ice, wildfires and flooding. And other emergencies are also possible at any time.

We can’t predict the future with 100 percent certainty, and we cannot live our lives in constant fear. But we can do our part to be prepared for potential emergencies. That preparation will make it more likely for you and your family to weather the storm, so to speak, of any emergency that may arise.

September is National Preparedness Month — a good time to consider how to protect yourself and your loved ones in case of disaster. Having a plan in place in case of emergency will not only help your family stay safe, it helps those in your community too. Your preparation will free up valuable first-responder resources for those who may not be in as good a position to help themselves as you are, such as seniors, children and the disabled.

Preparedness saves lives. There’s a whole toolkit available at ready.gov that includes the information and resources you need to be prepared. It’s good to stock up on emergency supplies such as bottled water, flashlights and fresh batteries, blankets and nonperishable food. But one of the most important steps can take to prepare yourself and your family is this: Make a plan.

That instruction seems simple, but it can be difficult. It means answering a few questions: How will you receive emergency alerts and warnings? What is your evacuation route? Where will you seek shelter, if you have to leave your home? How will your family stay in touch with one another if you are not together, or if you become separated? Think about your family’s particular needs: Do you have young children or elderly relatives for whom you’re responsible? How about special medical needs that will need to be accounted for if you have to evacuate in a hurry? 

These questions can be difficult — not because the answers themselves are difficult, but because it can be uncomfortable to imagine yourself or your family in an emergency situation. We can all hope and pray that day will never come, but we must also be responsible enough to take steps to make sure we’re ready if we does. In the horrible event that you need a plan, you’ll be happy to have one. 

Disasters don’t plan ahead, but you can.

— Sen. Susan Deschambault represent Senate District 32, which includes Alfred, Arundel, Biddeford, Dayton, Kennebunkport and Lyman.