The Four Basic Steps for Family and Individual Disaster Preparedness are:
1. Learn More About Preparedness
- Prior to a disaster, identify and discuss potential dangers with your family
- Research the disasters that could affect your community--consider both natural and man-made hazards
- Find out what emergency alerts are in place in your community
- Ask about emergency plans at work, schools, day-cares and other places your family spends time
2. Make a Family or Individual Plan
- Decide how your family would respond to each potential hazard
- Educate children about preparedness issues
- Make plans for family members or friends with specific needs
- Include pets in your emergency plan
- For a template of what to include in your emergency plan, click here
- Talk with your family about the possibility of evacuation (how, when, where)
- Draw a floor plan of your home and mark two escape routes from each room
- Identify two meeting places (one near your home and one outside of the neighborhood)
- Determine how you would keep in touch, if separated
- Designate an out-of-area contact and make sure everyone knows how to call this person
- Post emergency numbers by your phones
- Make sure everyone knows how to shut off the electricity, gas, and water at the main switches
- Review home insurance policy coverage before an emergency
- Practice your plan at least once a year and be certain that everyone knows what to do in each situation
3. Build an Emergency Kit
- An emergency kit contains supplies that will help sustain your family after a disaster
- Consider having emergency kits for:
- Shelter-in-place--at a minimum have supplies to support your family for 72 hours
- Evacuation or "go-bag"--leave this kit in a place where you can easily grab it and go
- Vehicle--a kit that you store in your vehicle in case you get stranded
- Customize your kits to the needs of each person in your household. Don't forget about the specific needs of infants, kids, pets, and seniors!
4. Get Involved
- Be a part of the community planning process--check with schools, daycare centers and churches to see if they have response plans in place
- Join or start a preparedness project--consider working with Boy or Girl Scout troops, 4-H clubs or other local groups
- Talk with your neighbors to see if any might need additional help after a disaster
- Volunteer with the Medical Reserve Corps or other service organizations.
More Family Emergency Planning Information Can be Found at the Following Sites:
