For Muskogee County residents who think tragedy will never come their way, Hope Margarit has news for them.

“You can’t just sit at home and assume it won’t happen to you,” said Margarit, director of the local Red Cross. “It’s about keeping your family safe. And it’s not just at home. There are more businesses that could be prepared. It can happen to you. I’ve seen it.”

Margarit said Muskogee County residents can be prepared with some extra effort.

Margarit divided disasters into several categories: single-family house fires, winter storms, tornadoes, and CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation).

• Single-family house fires

“A family can get started on smoke alarms and test them once a month,” she said. “They need a fire extinguisher, a map of the home, two escape routes, and a safe place to meet outside. Also, conduct a fire drill. Schools have been doing it for years, yet we neglect our own homes.”

Margarit said about 7 percent of Americans are fully prepared for a fire.

“We’ve had two fires in the last week where the families were OK, but the houses were destroyed,” she said.

• Winter storms

“Winter storms are really tough when everybody is out of power,” Margarit said. “People can prepare by keeping items of food that they do not have to heat up, keep a blanket in their car in case of a breakdown, and keep some granola bars in the car in case you do get stuck in an ice storm.”

• Tornadoes

“Pick a safe place in your home and be prepared to go there,” Margarit said. “If you live in a mobile home, get out and head for a ditch or sturdy place nearby. Have emergency water supplies available and written instructions on how to turn off your utilities.”

Margarit encouraged the public to get special weather radios that turn on automatically when a tornado alert is issued.

“I’ve been to Picher for tornado relief, and I know that when people are sleeping in the middle of the night, things can happen,” she said. “When these radios come on, they can wake you up and alert you.”

• CPR

“If there’s one thing that gets major use on a day-to-day basis, it’s CPR,” Margarit said. “We offer classes on a local level. They give you a sense of empowerment. You can be in the most random place and be called on to use it.”

In addition to the classes. Margarit said they offer a small kit called “CPR for Everyone” that contains an instructional DVD, compression practice tool and hand placement diagram.

September is National Preparedness Month, and the Red Cross is using this time to urge every family to get a kit and make a plan. One way the Red Cross has made it easier for families to get prepared is by offering a variety of first aid, health, safety and emergency preparedness items.

Proceeds from the sale of these items supports the mission of the organization. During the last few months, the Red Cross has responded to meet the needs of thousands of disaster victims affected by summer floods in nine different states. Local volunteers have responded to large-scale disasters in Picher after the tornado, Miami after the flood and throughout northeast Oklahoma during the ice storm.

During the last year, local volunteers responded to more than 800 home fires in northeast Oklahoma.

Information: 682-1366.