In order to be as best prepared as possible for whatever disaster that may confront you (and your family), it’s best to ask yourselves and respond appropriately to a number of PERTINENT QUESTIONS.
By following this procedure it will now be possible to formulate an efficient Disaster Preparedness plan that can be put into action in the shortest possible time with the minimum of fuss.
1- Establishing Goals
| In order to prepare correctly for any disaster, you and your family need to sit down and prepare a list of goals that you want to accomplish over a set period of time. No one could possibly go out today and buy or store everything you need. This process takes time so look at what you already have and what you need to gather and store. You need to look at things like : – how much money do you have set aside –cash– (outside a bank). – What will happen when the electricity goes out and the ATM doesn’t work? – What do you need to purchase to build up your emergency supplies? – What do you already have? – What will be the best long-term and short-term solutions? 2- Inventory Consider the following : – What do I already have? – What do I still need to buy, build, store? – What do you see around your house that would be good to keep in an emergency situation? You might be surprised at what you already have. – What is missing? Start making a list. Think about how long you would last with your current food supply. – What about water? You and your family can’t survive without water so how are you going to procure and store water? – Does anybody in the family require special medications? Make sure you have plenty on hand because stores will most likely not be open for you to just pop in and pick up more. – Do you have a baby in the family? Do they need diapers, food, or formula? Anyone who has special needs will need to be assessed to see what you need in order for them to survive. – How are any Disabled members of your family going to survive? If you are disabled yourself, what is your plan of action? 3-Taking Action = Preparations Rome was not built in a day and neither will your survival supplies. It takes time, money and forethought to make sure that you have everything you will need in times of disaster. That is why it is important to accomplish the first 2 steps before you start your preparations. You don’t want to duplicate effort and buy things that you already have around your home. Start making emergency preparedness kits for each member of the family. Buy a container at your home improvement store and put their name on it. Store the appropriate supplies and food according to their age. Make a backpack in case you need to evacuate your home. Always have a “Plan B” to assure that you and your family will survive. “Plan A” could quickly unravel depending on the emergency in question. |
REMEMBER ….
Learn preparedness strategies that are common to all disasters. You then plan only once and then it’s possible to apply your plan to ALL types of hazards.
• Get informed about hazards and emergencies that may affect you and your family.
• Develop an emergency plan.
• Collect and assemble disaster supplies kit.
• Learn where to seek shelter from all types of hazards.
• Identify the community warning systems and evacuation routes.
• Include in your plan required information from community and school plans.
• Learn what to do for specific hazards.
• Practice and maintain your plan.
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