Take the initiative and start today by making an emergency plan for you and your family. When there is a disaster, your family may not be around. It is important to know how you’ll respond, where you’ll go, how to contact one another, and how to reconnect if separated. Outlined below are a few important steps provided by Ready.gov ( https://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan) to make sure you are ready for any emergency. PHU2 challenges you to review and initiate these steps today!
Step 1: Start an emergency plan
Begin to develop an emergency plan by discussing these 4 questions with your family, friends, or household members.
- How will I receive emergency alerts and warnings?
- What is my shelter plan?
- What is my evacuation route?
- What is my family/household communication plan?
Step 2: Consider specific needs in your household.
As you prepare a plan make sure you keep in mind your households living needs and responsibilities. Prepare for who will care for children and pets, as well as having effective communication. Keep in mind some of these factors when developing your plan:
- Different ages of members within your household
- Responsibilities for assisting others
- Locations frequented
- Dietary needs
- Medical needs including prescriptions and equipment
- Disabilities or access and functional needs including devices and equipment
- Languages spoken
- Cultural and religious considerations
- Pets or service animals
- Households with school-aged children
Step 3: Fill out a Family Emergency Plan
Download and fill out a family emergency plan or use them as a guide to create your own. Here’s one from FEMA for reference.
Step 4: Practice your plan with your family/household
PHU2 wants you to know that it is important to be ready for any type of emergency. By taking the initiative and following these steps you can feel that you are prepared for any disaster. For more information on making a plan you can visit https://www.ready.gov/ or https://www.ochd.org/
Reference:
Make A Plan. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2018, from https://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan
Visit our Emergency Preparedness page for more ideas.