EMERGENCY RISK REDUCTION

Family Emergency Preparation Made Simple

Natural disasters and emergencies can strike at any time, but if one occurred tomorrow, would your family be prepared for several days?  One of the easiest things to overlook in everyday life is having an actual emergency preparedness kit at your home.  Many even scoff at the idea: “What’s the big deal? I have food in the pantry and fridge, a flashlight, even a few candles. How often do I really need a kit?”

Perhaps most of us have endured severe weather, even temporary power outages. We may not need an emergency kit very often in our lifetime, but when we do need it, we sure wish we had planned ahead.  Think about Hurricane Katrina, Superstorm Sandy, etc.  Sometimes we’re caught by surprise, from floods to ice storms, tornadoes to forest fires, hurricanes to evacuations because of a hazardous material spill.

While the effects of a disaster or emergency could leave you and your loved ones in a difficult position, you can help your loved ones stay safely out of harm’s way after an event through three steps: 

• Be informed (Know the risks)
• Develop a family emergency plan
• Have an emergency kit

 1. Know the Risks in your Area

When it comes to knowing the risks, it’s important to discuss the different types of things that can occur and how to respond. To best respond to risks, you should:

• Talk to your family about the kinds of disasters and emergencies that can strike your area (i.e. winter storms, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, lightning storms, fires, etc.)
• Discuss scenarios depending on the type and scale of the event
• Perform a “hazard hunt” in your house and around your property.
• Take preventative actions depending upon hazard likelihood, such as:
  • Perform regular maintenance of the house and property
  • Keep toxic and flammable objects away from heat sources
  • Repair damage like cracks, leaks and structural issues; secure loose, heavy objects (i.e. earthquake)
  • Create ‘fire break’ between house and wooded areas (i.e. wildfires)
  • Store valuables in a safe, fireproof location
  • Know where to go in the house for safety in case of certain events.
  • Know how and where to exit the house safely in case of certain events.
  • Know how to communicate with each other

2. Develop a Preparedness Plan

A family emergency plan is important. Emergency preparedness plans can allow you and your family to take control of your safety. After discussing with your loved ones the importance of preparing for a disaster, you should discuss how some events require persons to remain at home, i.e. heavy snowstorm, pandemic flu, etc.  Other disasters require evacuating the home, i.e. flooding, earthquake, interface wildfire. The Plan should include agreement for a safe place that you can meet your family members in if you’re forced to evacuate from your home into the community. A safe place should be:

• Recognizable to each of your loved ones.
• Easy to access, especially if you have family members who are elderly or with disabilities.

Depending upon the severity of the disaster, you may be asked to evacuate your neighborhood or community. In this case, you should:

• Establish an out-of-town contact
• Designate a place to meet in case you’re separated
• Give each family member the name, personal information and e-mail address of the out-of-town contact.
• Easy to reach, with consideration of more than one mode of transport
• Ease of communication, with consideration of more than one means of communication.

3. Assemble an Emergency Kit

Every family should have an emergency preparedness kit in the home that will be capable of supporting your loved ones through at least the first 72 hours following an emergency. These are often referred to as “Grab-and-go” kits.  Several preparedness kits are available on the market, from vendors such as the Red Cross, emergency supply stores, or box stores (i.e. Costco). These “starter” kits can be personalized, depending on your specific household situation, or could easily be made from ‘scratch’. Supplies can be consolidated into your choice of containers:  large suitcase, backpack(s), or plastic storage container(s).  Portability and accessibility of the kit are key considerations.

A 72 hour kit should only be a start. An impactful emergency event would very likely require self-sufficiency beyond three days. Basic supplies for 7-10 days is more realistic. Further details regarding the extent of emergency preparation, including disaster kits, can be found under the page  “Levels of Emergency Preparedness”.

Levels of Emergency Preparedness