With September being National Preparedness Month and with the seemingly increasing slew of natural disasters in current times, I thought it would be pertinent to come up with an emergency plan for my family. I hadn’t realized it beforehand, but doing so is a pretty daunting task. When you read the websites and literature on the subject it can be overwhelming to say the least. I’ve taken the liberty of narrowing the process down to the bare-bones necessities so that maybe someone can benefit from my frustration. Here are three simple steps to preparing your family for the worst:
Step 1: Have a family meeting to discuss and agree upon emergency contacts and meeting places. You will need to talk to your spouse and your kids (permitting they are old enough to understand) and decide on people and places that you are all comfortable enough using in the event of an emergency. You should come up with a person outside of your region or state that you can all call in case you get separated from one another. This way, that person can reassure you that they’ve talked to your other family members and act as a liaison to set up a mutual place at which you and your loved ones can reconnect.
Also, you need to choose places your family members can meet at in the event anything goes wrong in your immediate area. These places should be familiar enough to all family members that directions aren’t required. You should come up with three places in total: a neighborhood meeting place, an out-of-neighborhood place (somewhere that is still within walking distance, though), and an out-of-town meeting place.
Step 2: Create plan cards for each family member, and one master plan for a central emergency kit. Print out cards for each family member that lists the emergency contact person from step 1, the locations you have decided on, and any important numbers that they may need in the event you become separated (family cell phone numbers, medical centers, police and fire departments are all good ideas to list on the card).
Once the cards are prepared, put one in each adult’s wallet or purse, a copy in any school-age child’s backpack (you may want to laminate this copy!), and one copy to go in an emergency kit. If you have any young children in your family you may want to go over this information with them on a regular basis, or even walk with them to the emergency meeting places; that way if they are in a panic they will be better prepared to cope.
Step 3: Assemble an emergency kit with essentials you would need if you had to stay cooped up in your home, evacuate your city, or couldn’t access your house. There are a considerable amount of things that the major authorities suggest that you pack into your kit. If your kit contained everything they said you should have, it would be the size of a mid-size car. The bare necessities are
Important documents (Social Security cards, birth certificates, medical cards, banking information, passports, etc.) in a waterproof bag First Aid Kit (include baby aspirin for your younger children) Water (one gallon per person per day is standard) Cash Flashlights with at least 3 sets of batteries Any prescribed or necessary over-the-counter medications Three days worth of food (pack a manual can opener for any canned goods) Necessities for baby (if you have one) including diapers, wipes, formula, and food. Radio (hand-crank, preferably) Hand sanitizer and/or bleach
It would be a good idea, but may not be essential to pack:
A change of clothes per person – one warm weather and one cold weather outfit and appropriate shoes for each. Waterproof matches Batteries (whichever size your gadgets take) Pens and paper Flares Whistles on lanyards Tools (including a utility knife) Blankets or sleeping bags Tarps, ropes, and duct tape Games, playing cards, and books to keep children occupied
When you make this kit, it’s a good idea to check it every so often to make sure the perishables are not out of date and that the clothes still fit your kids. Should a real disaster strike, you wouldn’t want to find your food or medication unusable because it expired last month or have shoes too small to fit little Timmy. You may want to set a reminder on your phone or mark a day every month on your calendar when you will go through your kit and check dates and sizes.
Depending on your family and your personal preference, you may want to store different items in different places. For instance, the items you would need to hunker down in downed power would probably serve you better if they were stored inside the home; whereas items necessary for evacuating your city may be better off left in a kit in the trunk of your car.
Speaking of cars, it is often overlooked and quite essential to keep a full tank of gas in your car as often as possible – especially if you know that a storm or other emergency situation is looming in the distance. Another common afterthought is the aftermath of a major catastrophe. If you know something big is coming your way it may be a good idea to use your phone or digital camera to take pictures of your property just in case you have to deal with an insurance situation down the line.
The thought of an emergency of any type is enough to scare even the most steel-nerved parent. If you follow these few steps your family should be generally well prepared to handle whatever is thrown your way.