If disaster strikes, will your family be ready?

Making an emergency plan for you and your family can prepare you in case of disaster. By drafting a simple plan, you can better your chances of safe evacuation, financial stability, and proper communication. The first step in making a family emergency plan is knowing what kinds of emergencies you may be susceptible to in your area. It’s time to level-up from simply setting a meeting place next time you go to an amusement park with your family.

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Step One: Establish Your Needs

Whether you live alone, with a partner, your parents, kids, or roommates, being on the same page in case of an emergency is a vital part of staying safe in times of hardship. There are a few main questions each member of your family or household should be able to answer in case of an emergency. How will each household member get emergency alerts and a warning system? How will you contact your children’s school or daycare, or vice versa?

Having an established family or roommate group chat will help your household keep in touch in case of an emergency. If you’re a tenant, be sure to have your landlord or property manager’s contact information saved in your cell phone, and know who to call if you need assistance at home. Keep important documents in a central place in your home for easy access.

What’s our shelter plan?

Needing to seek shelter may be a necessity for a variety of emergencies. When outside conditions require you to seek protection, this may require you to stay inside your home or flee to another source of shelter. In any case, it’s important to closely follow the direction of local authorities. Regardless, you’ll need to prepare by managing the most important resources, water, and food. So, when possible, always keep a supply of bottled water and non-perishable goods in a cool, dry place, like a closet, basement, or the trunk of your car.

There is a variety of sheltering options depending on the emergency situation. These include stay-at-home orders, mass care shelters, or sheltering in place. Again, in these situations, it’s vital you carefully note the instructions of local officials to ensure the safety of you and your family

Stay-at-Home Orders

A stay-at-home sheltering order restricts residents’ movement throughout a certain area. All around the US and many other countries around the world, stay-at-home orders have been put in place in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. This has been seen during the COVID-19 response around the United States and the world. Stay-at-home orders are generally used to mitigate an epidemic or other contagion for a more long-term sheltering solution. It’s vital you only leave your home if absolutely necessary. Check with your local government to see what restrictions might also be in place for outdoor activities, like jogging around your neighborhood or even eating dinner on your patio.

Mass Care Shelters

In the case of a natural disaster, mass care shelters may be set up to provide shelter and necessities to local people in an emergency. Often providing food, water, medical care, and beds, these mass care shelters may be available after a hurricane, flood, or other types of disaster which makes it impossible for people to return to their homes. Even knowing a mass care shelter may be available to you in case of emergency, it’s still important to create and carefully store your own emergency supply kit. The federal government has a text line to locate shelters near your location by texting SHELTER and your ZIP code to 43362 (standard text messaging rates apply).

Sheltering in Place

The third type of post-emergency shelter is “sheltering in place.”In the case of a shelter in place order, which is generally due to uncertain circumstances, like sudden natural disasters or active shooters, people must stay put and enter the nearest shelter, regardless of where they are. This could occur while you’re at home, but you might be at your local shopping mall, a restaurant, or your place of work. Calling the police or local authorities in this type of situation may not be helpful, as phone lines could be clogged. Do your best to seek shelter as soon as possible. Seal windows, lock doors and listen to radio or television to receive instructions as soon as they’re available.

What’s our evacuation plan?

Some emergencies may require you to evacuate your home, or even your town or region. In some cases, you may have a day or two to organize and pack ahead of a predicted storm. Other times, you’ll need to flee immediately, that’s why having a plan ahead of time can be a lifesaving tool. Identify safe places inside your home (such as a basement or secure room), a nearby friend’s home, or a nearby hotel or motel. Have a plan for your family pet, and be familiar with evacuation routes out of your city in areas prone to flooding. Since these routes will often experience heavy traffic ahead of emergency situations, it can be life-saving to be able to get out ahead of the crowd. Preparing a plan ahead of time can save you precious minutes.

What’s our communication plan?

Who will call whom? Make sure you also inform a third party about where you’re headed, whether that’s an outside family member or friend. It’s vital to keep tabs on your location to ensure safety after an emergency. Make sure your family has equal accessibility to communication with the rest of your family.

What’s in our emergency preparedness kit, and where is it located?

Gathering an emergency or disaster preparedness kit before it’s needed is a simple way to be ready in case disaster strikes. Having a kit with the necessary supplies for 72 hours after a disaster is recommended. Consider unique needs, for instance, do you have a pet, senior citizen, or baby? This may change what’s on your checklist. Regardless, the following checklist should definitely be included in your emergency kit.

• Bottled water

• Non-perishable food

• Battery-powered radio

• Flashlight with spare batteries

• Basic first aid kit

• Whistle

• Face mask

• Basic toiletries and medications

• Small tool kit

• Local map (don’t rely on your cell phone for this)!

Step Two: Understand Your Unique Situation

Your family may have unique needs that a typical household does not—in order to properly prepare for an emergency, understanding these needs could help better draft an emergency preparedness plan.

Some things to consider:

• Ages of those in your household. Do you live with an elderly parent or grandparent? Baby or toddler? If so, the contents of your emergency preparedness kit might be different from the norm. Be sure to have spare toiletries, medications, toiletries, and/or baby formula.