Ten Tips on Creating Your Disaster Plan

Articles on Emergencies | Topics: emergencies, emergency, disasters, disaster

by Bryant Ingram

Most of us spend a good deal of our day making plans. We plan in which order we'll do our need-to-do things, to help keep order in our lives. We plan what we're going to say to friends, family members and co-workers, as well as how we will say it. We plan our meals, our routes and make daily schedules, but how many of us have planned for the possibility of an event that may find us separated from our homes or our loved ones or, conversely, an event that makes us and our families virtual prisoners in our homes.

If you haven't planned what to do if a disaster, natural or not, disrupts your life you are far from alone; you are, in fact, in the majority. No one enjoys even considering that a devastating event may hit them or their families and very few of us have planned what to do if it did. If the hurricane seasons of the past few years have taught us anything, they should have taught us that its time to stop procrastinating and start planning.

Following are ten actions (presented in no particular order) you can take to help assure that your family survives intact if that unthinkable disaster strikes.

Find out about any natural disasters that have occurred in your community in the past.If you've spent the better part of your life right where you are, you probably know better than anyone what challenges nature may present to you and when they might occur. If, on the other hand, you are a relative newcomer to your area you need to do some simple research -- talk to some people who know! Some people to ask are: neighbors who have lived in the community for a number of years; established retailers you've patronized; the librarian at your local library, the local newspaper's editor or a reporter. If you live near a University, find (or call) their Science, Earth Sciences or Meteorology department.

Talk with employers and school officials about their emergency response plans.It's important to learn about and understand what plans your employer and/or your spouses employer have in place in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency situation. Equally important is finding out your children's school's emergency procedures.

Have family planning meetings to discuss what you've learned and to develop a plan. It's important to make sure that everyone has the same understanding about what may happen and what everyone is supposed to do if it does. It's also important that everyone feels they have contributed to the plan.

Plan how your family would stay in contact if you were separated.

You should have two meeting places identified, depending on the type of emergency. One meeting place near your home, in the event everyone had to get out of the house fast and one meeting place away from your neighborhood, in a situation where your neighborhood or community became unsafe

Set up an emergency phone contact.

Arrange for a friend or relative who lives away from your community to be the person everyone will call in the event of an emergency situation when your family scattered at work, school and etc.. Make sure this 'contact person' is aware of your plans. Also have an alternate person identified in case the first one can't be contacted or consider setting-up a voice mail account or a message service account.

Have two escape routes from each room in your home.

Historical Quote

There were times when I felt that I could bear no more. It was the Emergency Ward which almost broke me. I stood one night beside a man who had been caught in a flywheel, and whose body felt like jelly. I wanted him to die quickly, not to go on breathing. Oh, stop breathing. I can’t stand it. Die and stop suffering. I can’t stand it. I can’t.

—Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876–1958)

Every room with a door and a window has two ways out! Second floor rooms need a ladder or rope escape device for window escapes if the hallway becomes dangerous.

Post emergency telephone numbers.

A complete emergency phone list should be posted somewhere in your home; this includes phone numbers for emergency services, workplaces, schools, pre-arranged emergency contacts and everyone's cell phone numbers and.or pager numbers. Make sure all the younger members of your family understand how and when to call your city emergency service phone number(s).

Identify "shut-offs" for your utilities.

Every adult and all but the youngest children in your home should be aware of the locations of the main controls for your home's water supply, gas supply (if used) and electrical supply and how to turn these utilities off in an emergency. Make it a very clear point that no one is to put the safety of the house above the safety of their lives or their family members lives; if it comes down to shutting off the electricity or helping the little kids get out of the house, the house has last priority.

Develop first-aid and lifesaving skills.

Find a local resource where you (and everyone else in the family who can participate) can learn basic first-aid, CPR and other lifesaving skills. In some emergencies you may have to be self-sufficient until you can get to a place for professional medical care.

Think about your neighbors and your pets.

If you have a neighbor who might need extra help in the event of a natural disaster, include them, if possible, in your emergency plans. Also, don't forget your pets -- they depend on you for their survival and may not be welcome in public emergency shelters; arrange for a temporary home for them if the need arises.

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Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "Ten Tips on Creating Your Disaster Plan" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by BellwetherPress.com.

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