Journal Entry

Ready for anything: Preparing your family for disasters

Negative Nancy has a plan; an honest to goodness checklist one for every emergency scenario imaginable. She’s my neighbor, and for a while, I hated her organization, forethought and ability to make me look irresponsible. Then, one day my smoke alarm went off and I realized that Negative Nancy had the right idea all along.

We don’t all need a tabbed file box with indexed checklists for fire, flood, earthquake, terrorism and heaven forbid, running out of toilet paper. But, there’s something to be said for having thought about what you would do for your family if the unthinkable occurred. Depending on where you live, that can mean all sorts of different things.

Fire

The most important part of a fire emergency plan is to get out. Make sure that this is explicit to children who have a tendency to hide when they are fearful. Have a meeting place outside the house where your family knows to gather up so they don’t waste precious escape moments inside trying to find one another. Practice more than one escape route so they know what to do if their way out is blocked by smoke, fire or debris. Teach a few basics of evacuation, like feeling a door for heat, choosing another route if necessary, crawling below the level of smoke and stop/drop/roll to extinguish flames on clothing. Teach everyone in the house to operate fire extinguishers and keep them on every floor of your house, along with smoke detectors.

Earthquake

Always keep your earthquake kit stocked. Your kit should have enough food supplies to last for at least a week. Select food that does not require refrigeration or a heat source for cooking. Yes, cold Spaghetti-o’s are pretty gross; but, it beats starving to death and they keep for centuries. Be sure to include eating utensils and a can opener otherwise your canned goods will essentially become useless. You’ll also want to stock water (again for at least a week/approx 1 gallon per person per day). You’ll need work gloves, a wrench to shut of gas and water valves, a utility knife, duct tape, a flashlight, disinfectant, a radio and batteries, clothing and shoes, blankets, entertainment (books, pens, pencils, etc), cash, a fire extinguisher, a disposable camera, heavy duty bucket and plastic bags for waste, feminine and toiletry products and plastic sheeting to make walls or barriers if necessary. If you have pets, make sure you include enough pet food to sustain your animal for at least a week, and copies of veterinary records.

You may be told to evacuate. Make sure your family has two meeting places designated; one right outside your home and one at the edge of your neighborhood in case you are separated in the commotion. Teach your family prior to a quake how to respond if one occurs: avoiding windows, hanging objects, heavy appliances and cabinets filled with heavy objects; moving to an interior wall and covering your neck and head with your arms to protect it from falling debris. If you cannot move to an interior wall, find a heavy table or desk; or, if in bed, stay there and cover your head with a pillow. If you are outside, move to a clear area, but avoid power lines. If you are at the beach, move to higher ground as an earthquake can cause a resulting tsunami.

Flood

As if a storm wasn’t enough, a flood can devastate an entire town. A flooded house is more than just an insurance claim, it can be dangerous. It’s important to remind everyone not to walk through flood water, if at all possible, as the water can be contaminated with hazardous material. And, walking through only 6″ of moving water can cause a fall. If you have to do it, use a stick to feel in front of you. Don’t drive through floodwater or try to start a stalled car either. Driving is exceedingly dangerous and trying to start a car can be fatal. If you are asked to evacuate, shut off the electricity. If you know flash floods are coming or a storm is capable of producing excessive amounts of water, move valuables to high ground and remind your family of the safety rules.

Terrorism

We can pretend that it won’t happen again. Or, we can have a plan. Teach children to be vigilant without being fearful. Always be aware of all exits, including emergency exits. And, note where phones, alarms and other emergency equipment are located. Older children can pay attention to this too. Report any suspicious activity. In the event of an incident, stay calm and remain vigilant for secondary dangers like falling debris. It isn’t outside the norm to ask places that you leave your children, like daycare, if they have a disaster response plan that includes terrorist attacks. Because we don’t know when or where this might happen, all we can do is watch carefully. Set up a contact system for older children that are more frequently separate from you; like periodic phone check-ins.

For all Emergencies

Keep your “go-bag” stocked at all times and know where it is. That means no sneaking into it to borrow the flashlight when the power goes out. Buy a spare for the utility drawer and keep the go-bag’s where it belongs. You’ll be glad it’s there if there’s ever an emergency. Keep separate go-bags for the kids and keep them ready too. Make sure they know where they are. It’s a good idea to keep a spare pair of shoes near the door or under the beds in case there’s a need for a quick run out the door. Occasional drills keep remind everyone of procedures and keep everyone in practice.

References :

www.72hours.org