Family Disaster Plan

DEVELOPING A FAMILY DISASTER PLAN

Disaster can strike quickly and without warning. It can force you to evacuate your neighborhood or confine you to your home. Your family can be anywhere when disaster strikes - at work, at school or in the car. How will you find each other? Do you have any way to know if your children are safe? Your family can cope with disaster by preparing in advance and working together as a team. Knowing what to do is your best protection and it is your responsibility. Each and every family should develop a family disaster plan.

 The key to preparedness is having a plan. Here are the steps to follow to create and implement a family disaster plan:

v     Gather information about hazards in your area by contacting your local chapter of the American Red Cross, your county emergency management or the National Weather Service. Find out what types of disasters could occur in your area and how you should respond. Learn your community’s warning signals and evacuation plans. Also, find out about the disaster plans at your workplace, your children’s school and other places where your family spends time.

v     Meet with your family to create a plan. Discuss the information you have gathered and why it is important to prepare for disaster. Plan to share responsibilities and work together as a team.

v     It is a good idea to pick two places to meet: right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency, like a fire, and outside your neighborhood in case you cannot return home. Everyone, including small children, should know your address and phone number.

v     Ask an out-of-state friend to be your “family contact” for everyone to call if the family gets separated. After a disaster, it is often easier to call long distance.

v     Have a plan for your pets - be aware that pets are not allowed in American Red Cross shelters. Other arrangements should be secured beforehand.

Once you have created a family disaster plan, it is time to implement the plan so that it may be activated at any point in time. Post emergency telephone numbers by phones (fire, police, ambulance, etc.). Teach your children how and when to call 911. Have your family learn basic safety measures, such as CPR and First Aid. Show each family member 1) how and when to turn off water, gas and electricity at the main switches, and 2) how to use a fire extinguisher. Conduct a home hazard hunt in which you inspect your home for items that can move, fall, break or cause a fire, and correct them. Stock emergency supplies and assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit (see below).  Determine the best escape routes from your room and find the safe spots in your home for different types of disasters.

Disaster Supplies Kit

Your kit should include enough supplies to meet your needs for at least three days. Store these supplies in sturdy, easy to carry, water-resistant containers, such as backpacks or duffel bags. It is a good idea to keep a smaller kit in the trunk of your car. Your disaster supplies kit should include:

v     A three-day supply of water (one gallon per person per day) and food that will not spoil

v     One change of clothing and footwear per person

v     One blanket or sleeping bag per person

v     A first aid kit, including prescription medicines

v     Emergency tools, including a battery-powered radio, flashlight and plenty of extra batteries

v     An extra set of car keys

v     Cash

v     Special items for infant, elderly or disables family members

v     An extra pair of glasses

Practice and maintain your plan. Review important information to make sure your family remembers meeting places, phone numbers and safety rules. Conduct drills.

You want to replace stored water every three months and stored food every six months. Test and recharge your fire extinguisher according to manufacturer’s instructions. Smoke alarms should be checked monthly and batteries changed at least once a year.

Something else to keep in mind is the value of neighbors during a difficult time. Working with neighbors can save lives. Why not meet with your neighbors to plan how the neighborhood could work together after a disaster until help arrives? If you are a member of a neighborhood organization, introduce disaster preparedness as a new activity. Know your neighbors’ special skills and consider how you could help neighbors who have special needs, such as disabled and elderly persons. Make plans for child care in case parents cannot get home - that way, all of the children in your neighborhood can be safe.

BOB - Bug Out Bags!

BOB-in-the-Box

(Taken from: www.emergencyprep.net, which has more info on 72-hour kits.)

This exercise will help you put together a 72-hour kit (also called a “BOB,” or Bug-out bag). It is assumed that you already have at least a week’s worth of food in your home, as well as bottled water. You are going to build your kit using materials you should already have on hand.

First, you’ll need a container to hold everything. I like to keep everything

separated, one kit per person in the household.  But you can put everything in one big container if you like.

What could you use as a container? You can use anything from an extra large shopping bag to a cardboard box to a tote bag to a 5-gallon bucket. Anything you can find around the house that will hold all of these things will work, though containers that can be closed are preferable.

Take enough food to last three days and stack this on the bottom of your container.

Take six bottles of water per person and put these on top of the canned goods.

Now, go to your closet. Take out one pair of pants, one shirt, two pairs of socks, and one set of underwear per person. I put our clothes in gallon-sized Ziploc bags before putting them in with the other stuff, but if you don’t have any available just fold the clothes and put them on top of the water.

If you have a first-aid kit in your home, put it on the very top of the kit.

What you have just constructed is a very basic 72-hour kit. You will want to expand it in the future, but for now, at least, you have something.

72-Hour Kits

72-Hour Kit Checklist

You should prepare a portable kit for each member of your family. Consider

preparing one for your place of work as well as one for the car.

• WATER. Store 1 gallon of water per person per day. Keep at least a three day supply of water.

• FOOD and UTENSILS. Include at least one to three-days supply of nonperishable food that could include ready-to-eat meats, juices, and high-energy foods such as granola or power bars.

• NOAA WEATHER ALERT RADIO, either hand crank or battery powered, extra batteries if needed.

• BLANKETS/PILLOWS/ SLEEPING BAG

• FLASHLIGHT and extra batteries or light sticks. Do not use candles or open flame during an emergency.

• WHISTLE for emergency signal. Ready to hang around neck.

• DUST or FILTER MASKS, readily available in hardware stores, N95 mask recommended for preventing inhalation of airborne particles.

• MOIST TOWELETTES or Baby Wipes for sanitation

• TOOLS - Wrench or Pliers to turn off utilities, Broom, Shovel, Hammer and Working Gloves.

• CAN OPENER for food (if kit contains canned items).

• PLASTIC SHEETING and DUCT TAPE to “seal the room” for sheltering in place.

• MEDICATIONS to include prescription and non-prescription medications such as pain relievers, stomach remedies and etc.

• FIRST AID SUPPLIES. An assortment of bandages, ointments, gauze pads, cold/hot packs, tweezers, scissors and sanitizer.

• PERSONAL HYGIENE ITEMS to include at least one change of clothing /shoes/outerwear.

• GARBAGE BAGS and plastic ties for personal sanitation.

• PAPER SUPPLIES. Note pads, markers, pens, pencils, plates, napkins, paper towels and etc.

• CAMERA. Disposable camera to record damage.

• CASH/ATM AND CREDIT CARD. Keep enough cash for immediate needs in small denominations.

• EMERGENCY CONTACT PHONE LIST.

• MAPS. Local road and area maps.

• MEDICAL HISTORY LISTS. For every family member in your home make a list of medical history, all medications (by name) and dosages.

Emergency Container Tip:

Create emergency kit(s) and store in any type of containers with wheels. Such as for the larger kits; garbage cans, foot-lockers, chest, duffle bags, tote bags, ice chest, various size suitcases or various size plastic boxes. A water-tight container is most ideal for keeping a 72-Hour Kit.

Suggested Areas To Store Emergency Kit(s):

Store grab-and-go food and water container where easy to access in case you are advised to evacuate.

Children and adults keep their emergency kit(s) in their bedrooms. Let the children have responsibility for their own backpack and have the older children buddy-up and take care of younger brothers or sisters. Mom, dad take care of baby.

If a senior citizen resides with the family, also buddy-up and help them for they move slower and a backpack may be too heavy for them to carry.

Donʼt forget that house pets should also have emergency kits to be ready to grab-and-go. Pack the foods pet(s) normally eat, leashes, crates and litter box.

Re-think where all of your camping gear is located throughout the household. Keep it in one area if possible for easy access so youʼre not looking in the dark with a flashlight for things.

Always keep a pair of hard sole shoes underneath your bed.

More:

Here are some other great sites you might want to reference before putting your kit together:

http://lds.about.com/library/bl/preparation/72_hour_kit.pdf

http://www.nitro-pak.com/emergency-preparedness-information/72-hour-kit-checklist

Ready or Not!!

     We are really excited about the Ready or Not Community Preparedness Fair that we will be putting on in just a little over a week for the Sweetwater, Texas area.  There will be booths demonstrating a variety of areas of preparation, such as:  water procurement, disinfection, and storage, sanitation, cooking without electricity, 72-hour kits, gardening methods, food preservation and storage, first aid, and developing a family plan.
     If you live in the area, please come to the Wal-Mart parking lot on Saturday, November 13, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm for samples, demonstrations, and education.