Naval Station Rota is spending the entire month of September promoting the importance of being prepared for a natural or man-made disaster. It's all part of National Preparedness Month.

Disasters often strike at the most inconvenient time. You may be at the market, while your spouse is at work and your children are attending school. All of a sudden, your family needs to be together, but isn't. For situations like this, it is important for you and your family to be prepared with a communication plan and an emergency kit.

Here are some things you can do to help your family communicate in the event of an emergency.

Fill out contact cards for each family member and keep them in your wallet or purse. For younger children, the cards can be kept in school backpacks. It is a good idea to laminate your contact cards to preserve them in case of accidental contact with liquids. In addition to a calling card, cash (dollars and euros) and a cell phone are always helpful. It is not uncommon for cellular phone networks to be disrupted during emergencies, but text messages and SMS will often still transmit even when voice calls fail, so ensure all family members know how to use this technology. It's also a good idea to notify any friends and family stateside of the situation to ease their mind.

Since Naval Station Rota is a host nation base, the Spanish military has control over base access. If base access is restricted due to a disaster or emergency, it is possible you could be on one side of the gate and your family members on the other. For this reason, it is important to have a back-up plan. Talk with your family about safe meeting places at the homes of trusted friends. Make sure your children know which adults can help them get back in touch with you if an emergency does cause a physical separation between you and your family, and communicate with your friends and ensure they are listed as an emergency contact for your children.

Preparing for an emergency should also include making a kit of emergency supplies. You need enough supplies for every family member for at least three days. You may not have the time or access to search or shop for essential items your family will depend on during an emergency. Your supplies should contain items that help you during electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment and telephone outages. Help may come in just hours or it may take days.

It's important to have not only an emergency kit at home, but smaller kits at work or in your vehicle. Your kit should include water, food and first-aid supplies. Copies of personal documents -- birth certificates, titles, insurance information, medications -- should be stored with your kit or electronically on a thumb drive for easy access. Be prepared and stay connected.

Naval Station Rota enables and supports operations of U.S. and allied forces and provides quality services in support of the fleet, fighter and family for Commander, Navy Installations Command in Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia.

For more information on emergency family plans, visit http://www.ready.navy.mil/make_a_plan/family_plans.html.

For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Naval Station Rota, Spain, visit http://www.navy.mil/.