Preparation for Emergencies

Preparation is an important part of your family’s ability to cope with a disaster of any kind. In many types of emergency situations such as fire, flood, hurricane, tornado and even a bomb threat, an emergency plan will help you answer important questions like: Where will I meet my family members? How will we find each other? How can I know that my children are safe?

Disasters and other emergency situations can hit very quickly and without any warning. In some situations you may be forced to abandon your neighborhood or confined to your home. What would you do in an emergency situation if all your basic service needs (water, gas, electricity or telephones) were unusable? You can cope with disaster by preparing in advance and by working with your family as a team.

Local officials and aid workers arrive on the scene after disasters strike, but they cannot help each and every person immediately, so it is your responsibility to know what exactly needs to be done in disaster situations. As a parent, you can best protect you children by educating them and teaching them how to act when a disaster hits.

There are six basic steps to prepare for emergencies:

Step 1 - Collecting Information
Step 2 - Preparing Personal Emergency Cards
Step 3 - Preparing the Family Emergency Plan
Step 4 – Emergency Action Checklist
Step 5 - Assembling an Emergency Kit
Step 6 - Maintaining the Family Plan and Emergency Kit