In the event of an emergency, a well-thought-out family emergency plan can eliminate stress, limit confusion, and save a great deal of wasted time. Instead of wondering what to do or when to do it, you can put your emergency plan to work right away, bringing sanity and safety to dangerous situations.
Your plan should include the following:
- Maintaining up-to-date contact information cards or sheets for each family member.
- Communication strategies to keep in touch, with options in case the phones are out.
- Ways to assist or care for family who have mobility or medical issues, communication difficulties, or special needs.
- The maintenance, inspection, and rotation of emergency supplies, such as nonperishable food, water, first aid, lighting, and communication equipment.
- The maintenance of specialized supplies for any infants, young children, or elderly members of your family.
- A plan and supplies for the care of pets and livestock.
- The knowledge and tools to shut off your utilities.
- Self-sufficiency skills and supplies, should you have to shelter in place without utilities.
- Evacuation plans and routes, should you have to leave your home.
- Learning and practicing safety skills, such as first aid, CPR, and fire prevention.
When making your plan, you may want to conduct drills to ensure you are ready if the real thing happens. Mark some dates on your calendar to perform emergency drills with your family. They may not want to participate, but find a way to get them involved nevertheless. Here are some emergency drills that can keep a family’s skills sharp.
- Distant Contact. Have each family member contact a friend or family member who lives outside your area – without using a phone (cell or landline). This could be done through e-mail, social media, satellite phone, ham radio, or even a carrier pigeon. Get creative!
- Supply Shakedown. Pull out all of your emergency supplies, take inventory, check expiration dates, use up older items, replace them with new supplies, and make sure you end up with a few more items than you started with.
- Fire Drill. For starters, perform a classic fire drill, evacuating the home at an unexpected time. Make sure you have a planned meeting spot outside the home, and have everyone low crawl out of the house. For more practiced families, eliminate the easy exits and add some obstacles. Also, round out the exercise with some stop, drop, and roll each time you have a fire drill.
- Evac. Take the fire drill exercise one step further with a mock evacuation. Tell everyone that they have 2 minutes to grab some clothes and supplies and get to the family vehicle.
(Source: Prepare For Anything Survival Manual by Tim MacWelch and the editors of Outdoor Life.)