Every moment counts in the event of an emergency. Having a prepared and practiced family emergency response plan in place ensures that you and your loved ones will be ready in the event of a household, regional, or nationwide emergency. Considering that different emergencies may require different plans, preparation is the key.
Many hazards could trigger the need to evacuate: a fire or chemical spill in your home, a flash flood, tornado, or other natural disaster, or an airborne hazardous waste or pollutant in the area, for instance. In some cases, local officials will mandate evacuations. In others, evacuation may simply be advised, allowing residents to use their judgment when deciding whether to evacuate.
Look to the local media for up-to-date information regarding any developing hazardous situations in your area. There will also be other warning methods such as sirens, reverse 911 calls, text alerts, or email notifications.
Keep Family Contact Information Handy
Each family member should carry the contact information of every other family member on their person. This includes names and relation (mom, dad, son, etc.), home phone numbers, cell numbers, work & school numbers (including extensions), street addresses, email addresses, and the names, numbers, and locations of neighbors and family friends.
In advance of an emergency, it is critical to discuss and agree upon the means of first communication (call, text, etc.), the first contact information, and the geographical locations that will be used as meeting places in the event of an emergency. In regards to meeting locations, you could select a local friend or neighbor’s home as your meeting place in the event of a fire, a school or other regional landmark in the event of a natural disaster, and a local, state, or federal building designated as an evacuation center in case of a larger disaster, for instance.
Although a cell phone or other wireless communication device’s contact directory will hold this information, a hard copy back up should be carried in a wallet, purse, pocket, or other everyday travel bag. Click here to access FEMA resources that will help you create your family’s emergency plan contact sheet.
How to Develop a Household Evacuation Plan
In the event that you have to evacuate your home because of a fire or other disaster, each of your family members will be forced to react within a moment’s notice. Create a map of your home and plan at least two escape routes from every room. At a safe distance away, designate a predetermined meeting area that will serve as your family’s emergency regrouping area.
Discuss any special needs your family members may require during a household evacuation and run practice drills with your family. Ensure that everyone is familiar with the locations of fire extinguishers, safety ladders, first-aid kits, and smoke detectors. Click here for information about fire extinguishers and how to make sure you have the right extinguisher for your home. If you evacuate your home, do not leave your pets behind. Familiarizing yourself with how to react in the event of a household emergency will arm you with the knowledge you need to keep everyone safe if one actually occurs.
Creating a Local Evacuation Plan
In some cases, when a hurricane, earthquake or equally dangerous type of natural or manmade disaster is threatening your region, you may be required to evacuate the local area. In other cases, local officials may only advise the public of the potential hazard and suggest evacuation as one course of action. It is important that you and your family members understand this distinction and adequately prepare yourselves for potentially life-threatening scenarios. Similar to a household evacuation plan, preparation, information, and communication are crucial when creating your local evacuation plan.
When crafting this plan, you will need to select at least two regrouping locations that are outside of the affected evacuation area. Pick a place that will be easy to identify. A relative’s or friend’s house or important landmark in a nearby city or state represents a good place to start when deciding how to make this selection.
Remember that bridges and roads may be closed or blocked by debris, so choose a regrouping area with access in mind. Map out at least two routes from your home to that regrouping location and remember that your family members may have to reach that destination from separate starting points. Remember to bring your 72-hour emergency kit. If you do not already have a kit, click here for FEMA information that will help you create one.
Be Prepared
You may or may not have advance notice of an impending disaster, so it’s important to always be prepared. Visualize your typical weekday, noting when your family is together and when you are apart. In the context of an emergency, it’s alarming that families are apart much of the day, and is even more frightening to imagine a disaster occurring when your family cannot move to safety as a single unit.
Your family has the edge when they have been trained how to act in the event of an emergency. Create an emergency action plan and practice that plan frequently. If possible, communicate with your neighbors to establish a neighborhood emergency plan. Keeping the lines of communication open and ensuring that all family members, friends and neighbors are well-informed will help everyone remain safe in the event that disaster strikes.
At Eaton & Berube, the safety of you and your loved ones is our priority. For additional information, safety tips, and useful resources, please subscribe to our blog or contact us.