Most people spend a good deal of time making some sort of plans. We plan in which order we
need to do the things we need to do in order to keep order in our lives. We plan meals, lists for
shopping, routes from point A to point B and we also make daily schedules. But, how many of us
have planned for an event that may separate us from being able to stay in our homes, or even
trap us in our homes to where we cannot get tot safety?
If you have not planned what to do in a disaster, natural or otherwise you are unfortunately in a
majority. No one really wants to plan for a disaster, so may be it is taken for granted that nothing
will ever happen to you or to your loved ones to cause you to have to get to safety. But this way
of thinking could be costly.
Here are some tips you can use to start your own disaster plan. These tips may end up helping
you or your family survive the ordeal of a disaster if one were ever occur at your home.
Familiarize yourself with types of disasters that have occurred where you live. If you have lived in
one place for a long time, you may already know this. But, if you have not lived in one place for a
long time, it is wise to know historically what types of disasters have occurred or frequently occur
in your area.
Learn about the disaster plans at your place of employment and also where your kids go to
school. Knowing this information will help you know what you can do yourself at your own home
should a disaster arise. This information would also be handy if one or more of your family
members is away from your home when a disaster occurs as you would know where your loved
one should be.
Plan how your family would stay in contact if you were separated. It is a good idea to have two
meeting places identified, depending on the type of disaster or emergency. One meeting place
should be near your home in the event everyone had to get out of the house to be safe. The
other meeting place should be away from your neighborhood in case your neighborhood became
unsafe.
Set up emergency phone contact. Arrange for a friend or relative who lives away from where you
live to be the person everyone would call in the event of a disaster situation. The person you
designate for this task should certainly be aware of your plans.
Try to have two escape rooms for each room of your house. Every room with a door and a
window has two ways out. Second floor rooms need a ladder or rope escape to enable window
escapes if the upstairs hallway becomes dangerous.
Identify how to shut off your home utilities. Every adult and capable child should know how to shut
off the electricity, gas and water in case a need to do so arises. It should be made clear that the
safety of the house should not be put above the safety of the family's members lives. In other
words, in the case of a disaster, the house has the last priority.
Develop first aid and lifesaving skills. Find some training in your area to learn first aid techniques,
CPR and other lifesaving skills. In some emergencies, you will need to be self sufficient until
professional help can be attained.
This list of things and is not all inclusive for developing a plan in the case of a disaster. Use it as
a guideline to form your own plan that relates to your particular home, location and situation. In
the case of disasters, it is always wise to have a predetermined plan.
need to do the things we need to do in order to keep order in our lives. We plan meals, lists for
shopping, routes from point A to point B and we also make daily schedules. But, how many of us
have planned for an event that may separate us from being able to stay in our homes, or even
trap us in our homes to where we cannot get tot safety?
If you have not planned what to do in a disaster, natural or otherwise you are unfortunately in a
majority. No one really wants to plan for a disaster, so may be it is taken for granted that nothing
will ever happen to you or to your loved ones to cause you to have to get to safety. But this way
of thinking could be costly.
Here are some tips you can use to start your own disaster plan. These tips may end up helping
you or your family survive the ordeal of a disaster if one were ever occur at your home.
Familiarize yourself with types of disasters that have occurred where you live. If you have lived in
one place for a long time, you may already know this. But, if you have not lived in one place for a
long time, it is wise to know historically what types of disasters have occurred or frequently occur
in your area.
Learn about the disaster plans at your place of employment and also where your kids go to
school. Knowing this information will help you know what you can do yourself at your own home
should a disaster arise. This information would also be handy if one or more of your family
members is away from your home when a disaster occurs as you would know where your loved
one should be.
Plan how your family would stay in contact if you were separated. It is a good idea to have two
meeting places identified, depending on the type of disaster or emergency. One meeting place
should be near your home in the event everyone had to get out of the house to be safe. The
other meeting place should be away from your neighborhood in case your neighborhood became
unsafe.
Set up emergency phone contact. Arrange for a friend or relative who lives away from where you
live to be the person everyone would call in the event of a disaster situation. The person you
designate for this task should certainly be aware of your plans.
Try to have two escape rooms for each room of your house. Every room with a door and a
window has two ways out. Second floor rooms need a ladder or rope escape to enable window
escapes if the upstairs hallway becomes dangerous.
Identify how to shut off your home utilities. Every adult and capable child should know how to shut
off the electricity, gas and water in case a need to do so arises. It should be made clear that the
safety of the house should not be put above the safety of the family's members lives. In other
words, in the case of a disaster, the house has the last priority.
Develop first aid and lifesaving skills. Find some training in your area to learn first aid techniques,
CPR and other lifesaving skills. In some emergencies, you will need to be self sufficient until
professional help can be attained.
This list of things and is not all inclusive for developing a plan in the case of a disaster. Use it as
a guideline to form your own plan that relates to your particular home, location and situation. In
the case of disasters, it is always wise to have a predetermined plan.
Safety First, Planning For Disasters
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