Anything can happen in a second, whether you live in a major metropolitan area or in the rural countryside. Assessing your risks and taking steps to create a plan will help you and your family stay alive and prepared.
When tragedy happens, be prepared wherever you are and learn how to avoid or prevent disasters.
1.Learn and identify any disasters that can affect your area.
Create a basic plan to share responsibilities and collaborate as a family. Explain to children the risks of fire, severe weather, and earthquakes. Choose two safe places to meet outside your house. Have a plan to get back together if family members are separated from each other. Ask an out-of-town relative or acquaintance to be your “family contact”. It will be easier to make a long-distance call than a local call after a disaster.
Make plans for a place to stay with a friend or family who lives outside the city or hear about shelter locations. In the event of such paths being diverted or closed, prepare multiple escape routes. Note, during evacuation cases, to heed the instructions of local authorities.
Plan where you’d put your pets if you have to go to an emergency shelter. If you were to go to a public shelter where pets are not allowed, plan where you can take your pets. In public shelters, dogs are not allowed. Ask if “no pet” rules in an emergency may be waived. Make a directory of veterinarians and boarding facilities that could house animals.
2. Review any risks at home
Regular items in your home can cause injuries or harm during a disaster. Inspect your house and repair possible dangers at least once a year. Teach your family how to turn off the key switches or valves for water, gas and electricity. Smoke warnings cut the odds of dying in a house fire by about half. To cover your house and property, check if you have sufficient insurance coverage.
3. Put together supplies
Write down emergency phone numbers by phone such as the phone numbers for the fire department, police, hospital, etc. Take first aid and CPR training from the Red Cross. Have your family practice simple safety steps, including first aid and CPR. Plan escape routes at home. For each form of catastrophe, find safe areas in your house.
Put emergency supplies in durable, clearly labeled containers in a duffel bag or backpack. Keep a battery-operated, handheld radio or television and external batteries. The best way of getting weather warnings from the National Weather Service is NOAA Weather Radio. When a watch or warning is released, an NOAA weather radio that has both a battery backup and a Special Area Message Encoder (SAME) warns you. Getting these things will allow you to feel more secure whether or not you are stuck able to get home.
Create two photocopies of important records such as birth and marriage certificates and put them in a Make an inventory of your house, garage, and property. Write down serial numbers, numbers for make and model, physical descriptions, and selling price. If your belongings are lost or ruined, this list will allow you to show the importance of what you own. It will help you assert tax deductions.
4. Practice and update your plan.
Practice your fire and emergency evacuation at least twice a year. Trace your escape paths on a map and keep the map in your emergency supply box. Quiz the children every six months so they know what to do, meeting locations, phone numbers, and laws for protection. With a crisis, replacing food and water sources every six months would further ensure freshness.
Your Fellow Patriot,
Steven Bryant
