In the event of an emergency, whether it’s natural or otherwise, it is critically important that you and your family remain safe. You’re never going to get a heads-up before an emergency (otherwise it wouldn’t be an emergency), so preparing a contingency plan for emergency situations is the best course of action. One of the first things that you need to do in an emergency situation is remain calm—it’s very easy to panic during an emergency; however, being emotionally prepared to handle the situation will help minimize the feelings of panic within your family.
Below is a guide to developing a plan that encompasses most emergency situations and will help ensure the safety of your family.
Communication Plan
While it’s essential to remain calm when the emergency hits, the first thing you must actually do when developing your plan is to figure out is how you’re going to communicate. Identify a friend or family member who is out of state (and likely not experiencing the emergency firsthand) that everyone in your household will notify that they are safe. In the event of an emergency, local lines may be harder to reach than out of state numbers.
Make sure that everyone in your family knows the emergency contact’s number by heart and has either a cell phone, coins or a prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact. This way the emergency contact can keep track of who is still okay and where everyone is located.
Escape Routes
If you have young children, draw a map of your home and clear lines showing how best to exit the house. Clearly identify at least two exits for every room—usually this means one through the door and one through a window. Make sure that you hang this drawing at eye level in each kid’s room.
If you live in an apartment building, make sure everyone in the home knows how to use the fire escape. The last thing you want to have to worry about to is hoping that your children are comfortable using the fire escape. Take 15-30 minutes to show your children the proper way to exit the building via fire escape, so that when the time comes to use it, they’re ready!
Supplies
If you live in an area with frequent inclement weather, you will want to make sure that you’re preparing for potential outages. This means keeping plenty of extra food and water on-hand, for emergency use only! You can pack each member of your house a disaster supply kit; each should contain:
- First Aid Kit
- Medication
- Non-Perishable Food
- Water
- Batteries
- Blankets
- Clothing
You’ll want to make sure that everyone has about a week’s worth of supplies, just in case. One of the best defenses against an emergency power failure is to have a standby generator installed on your property. However, in a pinch, a portable propane generator can keep critical systems running just as effectively.
Making an emergency plan is going to take time and patience, but the safety of your family is worth the effort.
