Making an emergency plan
A little organization can go a long way toward helping you feel ready to handle the unexpected. Having an emergency plan for your household can help you and your family be better prepared for any kind of disaster or emergency. Putting together an emergency plan is easy. Here are some tips.
- Choose a friend or relative as a contact person for family members to call if they are separated during a disaster or emergency.
It's best to choose an out-of-state contact. Make sure every member of your household has the contact's phone number. Email may also be a good way to get in touch.
- Pick a place to meet outside your neighborhood in case you can't return home.
Make sure every member of your household has the address and phone number. Also choose a few places to meet just outside your home, such as neighbor's front yard or on a corner, in case there is a fire in your home.
- Write down where and how to turn off the water, gas, and electricity to the house.
Make sure you have any special tools this requires, such as a T-wrench for the water line.
- Discuss what you would do if you had to leave your home and the area.
Include your pets in your plans. Most emergency shelters and health facilities will not accept animals.
- Keep important documents together and readily available in case you need to quickly evacuate your home.
This includes health information, like lists of medications, plus birth certificates, marriage licenses, wills, insurance forms, phone numbers you might need, and credit card information.
You may have other things that you want to include, especially if you have children in school or if anyone in your household has special needs. Review your plan often, and make sure that phone numbers, email addresses, and other items are still current.
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