What happens if a tornado hits your town in the middle of a Tuesday, while you’re at work, and the kids are at school? Do your children know where you’ll be if a winter storm suddenly paralyzes the town?
Because your entire family may not be together when a disaster strikes, it is important to create a plan in advance that will cover all situations and make it easier for you to regroup in the event of an emergency. Think ahead about every possible scenario to keep your family from panicking at a moment where poise is practical and important.
The Basic Steps to Developing a Disaster Plan
If you haven’t already, you’ll want to begin creating your disaster plan by finding out what type of disasters are most likely to strike your community. Identify all the factors for human-caused or technological disasters too, and remember to consider major chemical emergencies that can occur anywhere that chemical substances are stored or manufactured. Consider how you should prepare for each situation, and take each season into account.
Once you know what disasters are possible in your town, talk about how to prepare and respond if one occurs. Here’s how to create a family disaster plan:
1. Meet with your family and discuss why it’s important to prepare for disaster. Explain the dangers of severe weather to your children, and plan to share responsibilities as you work as a team. Keep the plan simple enough that everyone can remember what to do, as a disaster is an extremely stressful situation that easily creates confusion and panic. The best emergency plans are often those with few details.
2. Discuss the types of disasters that are most likely to take place in your neighborhood. Everyone should know exactly what to do in case the family is not together when the disaster strikes.
3. Pick two places to meet:
• The first meeting place should always be right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency like a fire.
• The second meeting place should be a little further away, like outside of your neighborhood in case you can’t return home or are asked to leave your neighborhood. Everyone in the family must know an address or phone number of the meeting location so they can easily find it.
4. Develop an emergency communication plan. If the family becomes separated during disasters, you should have a plan to get everyone back together. Separation is a very likely possibility during a disaster since children are at school while the parents are working.
5. Ask an out-of-town relative or friend to be your “family contact.” Your contact should live outside of your area so that after disaster strikes, you can place a long distance call to tell them where you are. During or even after a disaster, it’s much easier to place a long distance call than a local one. Every family member must know the contact’s name, address, and phone number.
6. Discuss what to do if you must evacuate. Where will you go? Find out where all the shelters are located, look into hotels if you prefer, or make arrangements to stay with a friend or family member.
7. Be familiar with escape routes. Depending on the type of emergency or disaster, it may be necessary for you to evacuate your home. Plan several escape routes in case certain paths are blocked or closed off, and remember to follow the advice of local officials and trained personnel during these situations. They will direct you to the safest route as some roads could also be blocked or put you in further danger.
8. Practice, update and maintain your plan. Practice makes perfect, after all. Not only will it help the family instinctively make the appropriate responses during a real emergency, but they will also be more calm and collected if they have done it before. You’ll also need to review your plan periodically and make any appropriate changes as they arise. Try quizzing your children ever six months and conducting emergency evacuation drills at least twice a year.
Important Points to Consider When Creating Your Plan
- Talk to children without overly alarming them. They need to know what to do in the event of an emergency as well, and they need to be involved in the process. Teaching children what to do and how to respond to emergencies will give them a sense of what to expect, helping the entire family to stay calm when you’re faced with an emergency.
- Keep a disaster kit in the car and one in the house so you’re prepared whether you’re home or on the go.
- Have a nearby friend’s phone number at the ready in case you need some outside assistance.
- If there is widespread destruction of your community, you may need to pack up and leave town. Talk to a friend of family member that lives elsewhere and would be willing to help, even if it’s just to offer a place to stay for a night. This out-of-town emergency contact should know you‘d be relying on them if there’s an emergency.
- You can also reduce the impact of emergencies and disasters by keeping your home up to housing codes, checking for any hazards in or around your home at least once a year and making the repairs routinely. During a disaster, ordinary objects in your home can also cause injury.
- Anything that can move, fall, break, or cause a fire is considered a home hazard. For example, during an earthquake or tornado, a water heater or a bookshelf could fall or pictures hanging on the wall could fall and hurt someone.
- Look for any and all electrical, chemical, and fire hazards. Contacting your local fire department can help you learn about home fire hazards.
- Make sure you are protected with adequate insurance coverage and make a complete inventory of your home and property. This inventory can be written, digital, or videotapes.
- Just make sure to include information such as serial numbers, make and model numbers, physical descriptions, and the price of the purchases along with receipts if possible. The list will help you prove the value of what you owned if your possessions were damaged or destroyed, which can help you claim deductions on your taxes as well.
- Be sure to include expensive items like sofas, chairs, beds, tables, wall units, and any furniture too heavy to move. Go through your entire home on all levels, then store a copy of the record somewhere away from home, such as a safe deposit box.
- On the other hand, you will also want to check out your car, which could help you flee a disaster. Keeping your gas tank at least half-full will ensure you are fully prepared.
- Some shelters and hotels forbid pets to come in with families, even in during disasters. To save yourself the added stress of getting turned away empty handed, find a local hotel ahead of time that will accommodate all your needs in case your house becomes uninhabitable.
- Meet with your neighbors to plan how the neighborhood could work together during a disaster. Working with neighbors can save lives and property, and some of these neighbors could have a special skill that could come in handy, such as Community Emergency Response Team training or Emergency Medical Training.
- Practice always makes perfect, and in the event of a weather disaster, any mistakes can have serious consequences. Families should be sure to practice their disaster plans well before disaster strikes, for as many situations and any “what-ifs” possible.
Predicting where or when the next emergency or disaster will strike is impossible, but getting ready now can help save lives when the time comes.
With a little discipline and creativity, you and your family will be able to create a disaster plan that is perfect for you, no matter where you live or what possible disasters may strike.
Start small and work your way down the list. Before you know it, you’ll have a solid plan that will help you sleep easy knowing your family is prepared.
Get online for more information:
You can also research information specific to your state/area through local agencies and CERT programs.