Let’s face it. Sooner or later, your family will encounter a natural disaster or similar emergency that requires you to jump into action to stay safe and sound. Doing so will become much easier when you go in prepared and with a plan. Here are three essential questions you should ask yourself to formulate an emergency preparedness plan for your family.
Where Will You Go?
The first question you need to ask yourself is where you will go when an emergency arises. Will you stay at home and shelter in place? Will you head out of town and evacuate? If you are running out, where will you go, and where will you stay?
These are essential questions, and you don’t want to make those decisions when you are in the middle of a disaster. Those are stressful times, and it can be hard to make smart decisions quickly in those situations. A big part of your emergency preparedness plan should be to think through possible scenarios and get the information you need ahead of time. For example, figure out what routes you can take to get out of the area, determine where you want to go if possible, and then get the contact information for a hotel or where you’ll be staying.
How Will You Stay In Touch?
Nothing is scarier than being unable to get in touch with loved ones during a disaster or emergency. Just as important is getting news and emergency alerts or announcements. Think about how you will accomplish this while on the road and when you’re staying in your home or emergency shelter.
Make sure everyone has a mobile phone. Don’t forget to charge the devices. Having chargers, including car chargers, with you, is a must. An additional battery or a backup power supply will also come in handy.
Be conservative with your device to make the battery power last as long as possible. It’s important to talk to your kids about this before a disaster and remind them regularly.
Don’t rely on just your smartphone for news and communication. A backup plan will come in handy when you can’t get a good connection or run out of power on your device. Designate a meeting point or a person everyone contacts when you can’t get a hold of each other. Have a backup solution for finding out what’s going on, like a weather radio.
What Supplies Do You Need?
The more prepared you are, the safer and more comfortable you’ll be when the inevitable happens. Depending on what natural disaster you face, where you live, who is part of your family, and simple things like the weather will determine the supplies you need.
Start with the basics you need for survival, including food, water, shelter, and medication. Don’t forget about your pets. From there, start thinking about creature comforts like light, entertainment, and the likes. A headlamp and a good book can make waiting out a power outage much more pleasant. Add a cup of hot chocolate made with a camping stove, hot water, and instant cocoa mix makes it even more enjoyable. Be prepared, and you’ll significantly increase your chances of making it through the emergency or disaster just fine. Here is a checklist to help make sure you are prepared. Disaster Kit
