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Your Family Disaster Plan
Disaster can strike quickly and without warning. It can force you to evacuate your neighborhood or confine you to your home. What would you do if basic services—water, gas, electricity and telephones—were cute off? Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone right away.
Families can—and do—cope with disaster by preparing in advance and working together as a team. Follow the steps listed in here to create your family’s disaster plan. Knowing what to do is your best protection and your responsibility.
Four Steps to Safety:
1. Find out what could happen to you:
Contact your local emergency management or civil defense office and American Red Cross Chapter—be prepared to take notes:
- Ask what types of disasters are most likely to happen. Request information on how to prepare for each.
- Learn about your community's warning signals: what they sound like and what you should do when you hear them.
- Ask about animal care after a disaster. Animals may not be allowed inside emergency shelters due to health regulations.
- Find out how to help elderly or disabled persons, if needed.
- Next, find out about the disaster plans at your workplace, your children’s school or daycare center and other places where your family spends time.
2. Create a disaster plan
Meet with your family and discuss why you need to prepare for disaster. Explain the dangers of fire, severe weather and earthquakes to children. Plan to share responsibilities and work together as a team.
- Discuss the types of disasters that are most likely to happen. Explain what to do in each case.
- Pick two places to meet:
- Right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency, like a fire.
- Outside your neighborhood in case you can’t return home. Everyone must know the address and phone number.
- Ask an out of town friend to be your “family contact.” After a disaster, it’s often easier to call long distance. Other family members should call this person and tell them where they are. Everyone must know your contact's phone number.
- Discuss what to do in an evacuation. Plan how to take care of your pets.
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If someone in your home depends on electric powered life-support equipment (respirator, dialysis, etc), the Red Cross can provide materials to help you prepare for a power outage.
Click here or call (800) 477-5050. After you return the application to Consumer's Energy, the Red Cross will send you the preparedness material.
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3. Complete the checklist
- Post emergency telephone numbers by phones
- Teach children how and when to call 911 or your local Emergency Medical Services number for emergency help.
- Show each family member how and when to turn off the water, gas and electricity at the main switches.
- Check to be sure you have adequate insurance coverage.
- Install smoke detectors on each level of your home, especially near bedrooms.
- Conduct a home hazard hunt.
- Stock emergency supplies and assemble a Disaster Supply Kit.
- Take a Red Cross First Aid and CPR class.
- Determine the best escape routes from your home. Find two ways out of each room.
- Find the safe spots in your home for each type of disaster
4. Practice and maintain your plan
- Quiz your kids every six months so they remember what to do.
- Conduct fire and emergency evacuation drills.
- Replace stored water every three months and stored food every six months.
- Test and recharge your fire extinguisher(s) according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- Test your smoke detectors monthly and change the batteries at least once a year.
Keep enough supplies in your home to meet your needs for at least three days. Assemble a disaster supplies kit with items you may need in an evacuation. Store these supplies in a sturdy easy-to-carry container such as a back pack, duffel bag, or covered trash container.
Include:
- A three day supply of water (one gallon per person per day) and food that won’t spoil.
- One change of clothing and footwear per person, and one blanket or sleeping bag per person.
- A first aid kit that includes your family's prescription medications and eyeglasses.
- Emergency tools including a battery-powered radio, flashlight and plenty of extra batteries.
- An extra set of car keys, a credit card and cash.
- Sanitation supplies.
- Special supplies for infant, elderly, or disabled family members.
Keep copies of important family documents in a water proof container. Keep a smaller kit in the trunk of your car.
Copies of this information can be obtained by contacting the chapter office at 517-484-7461.
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