Whether it's multiplying microorganisms attacking the body, a man-made disaster on the interstates or even an act of Mother Nature really makes no difference. Trying to deal with an emergency situation at the time of the event is very, very difficult. In each case, those who are prepared always have the best outcomes.

So in this, the final article of four from the Henry County Pandemic Preparedness team, we wanted to emphasize the key word in our name isn’t the scary one - pandemic. It's the practical one, the one that can get you through any emergency you might face - preparedness.

Chances are, anything you might do to prepare for a pandemic  - a rare occurrence  - would also be valuable in case of a tornado, a snow emergency, a flood or a man-made disaster, things that unfortunately do happen to us from time to time. Typically, we don't think about these things until they occur. Obviously when they happen, it's too late to prepare for them.

In this series, we've heard from Dr. Lynn Bowers, who emphasized the simple, yet powerful, practice of frequent hand washing. Dr. Daniel House has stressed the importance of honest communication. Gary Maitlen, Henry County's emergency preparedness coordinator, reminded us perhaps the most important group of people in any emergency are the volunteers.

All of the above will help you no matter what emergency comes your way in 2009 or beyond. We hope you'll join us in making a New Year's Resolution to develop a plan with your family that can help you in any emergency. Is any plan perfect? No, but an incomplete plan is better than no plan at all. Organized chaos is better than chaos. So give it a shot, even if you’re not sure of what you should do.

We are indeed blessed to have wonderful emergency medical, fire and law enforcement services in Henry County. They take good care of us. But you have to realize in any major emergency, it might be awhile before someone is able to get to you.

As Mr. Maitlen stressed in his article earlier this year, you are the first responder in many cases. Hopefully, the plan you come up with can take care of your family so you can then help others.

You should make an emergency kit with basic medicines and first aid. Have canned and dry goods available. Plan as far ahead as you can, particularly on medications.

Think of as many aspects of life that you can - things that will be difficult to get during an emergency, such as utilities, banking, school, health care and stores. Make a kit with basic items you'll need for any emergency.

It's also helpful to have a plan in writing - including a place to meet if the family gets separated for any reason. Such a plan should have each family member''s name and date of birth, work or school address as well as which family member would be an emergency contact.

You should also plan for a different lifestyle in the short term and adjust your expectations if you should need to go to a hospital. The room most certainly won't be private - if you have a room at all. You could end up in a hallway setting. Then there will probably be no televisions, an item most people expect. There may only be cold food available after a certain time.

Every hospital in the state has been planning for a pandemic. Experts say they seem to occur in 30 to 40 year cycles, so the time may be right. It's not a pleasant topic, and we've tried not to be fear mongers in these articles.