If an emergency occurred tomorrow, would you be ready? This month is National Preparedness Month, which serves as a reminder that we must all take action to prepare, now and throughout the year, for the type of emergencies that could affect us where we live, work, and visit. Preparation is key to surviving any disaster, and it’s essential to plan in advance how you will contact family members and what you will do in an emergency.
How often is your family in the same place at the same time? That likelihood becomes even less in the chance of an emergency. Your children might be at school and your pet at home, while you’re at work. Making a family emergency plan will help you to think about these situations and how you will handle them before disaster strikes. Plan in advance how you will contact one another, how you will get back together, and what you will do if you must handle the emergency in individual locations.
If you don’t yet have a plan in place, now is the perfect time to do so. Here are some tips for creating a family emergency plan.
- Identify an out of town contact for each member of your household. Phone lines are often busy or out of service during major disasters and it may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call someone across town.
- Make sure your family saves his or her emergency contact information in their cell phone, labeled as “ICE” (In Case of Emergency). If you are in an accident, emergency personnel will often check your ICE listings in order to get in contact with someone you know.
- Include your children in the emergency planning process. Talk openly about it as a family, leaving no questions unanswered. Explain where the family will reunite after an emergency. Shop for your emergency supplies with your kids and be sure they know where these kits are kept in the house.
- Take action! Create a personalized Comprehensive Family Emergency Plan at Ready.gov.
Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Don’t wait until it’s too late. You are not helpless in the face of an emergency and with just a few simple steps, you can keep your family and loved ones safe in whatever unexpected situation arises.
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