Un-complicating emergency preparedness

Recent disasters like earthquakes, floods and tornadoes naturally cause households to think about creating an emergency disaster plan. While a plan and an emergency kit take time to prepare, this will never be time wasted. When you have 10 minutes or less to get out of your home, it is vital that you are ready to get-up and go without any regrets.

Steps to Creating an Emergency Preparedness Plan

• Keep non-perishable foods and water on-hand. You can store these in a plastic bins or a strong bag. While the large barrels of emergency food you can purchase are handy, they may be too heavy to lift if you need to evacuate in a hurry.
• Create a dedicated space for your emergency-only supplies. In this area, keep your emergency food and water, batteries, radio, pet accessories, medications, clothes, blankets, cell phone charger, cash, a list of important phone numbers, flashlight, first aid kit and activities for children. It is also a good idea to keep copies of important documents in this area, such as passports, contracts, insurance policies, pictures, car titles, health information, vaccination records and so on. Keep the copies of the documents on a flash stick or memory card and photocopies in an envelope.
• When creating your plan, think about all of the disasters (natural and manmade) that could happen at work, home, school or even a friend’s house. For each situation, create a safety plan that includes what to do, who to call, where to meet and how to stay safe.
• If you purchase a prepared emergency disaster kit, make sure you know what is in it so you know how to supplement the pack.

Regularly conduct practice drills with your family at different times of the day. This will help you learn if you need to fine-tune parts of your plan.

[photo: Global X]