Emergency Preparedness

Good Job! You’ve purchased insurance from an A-rated carrier for you and your loved ones.  However,  you are still not done!

For example, if you have not yet created an Emergency Preparedness Plan for your family you could be in denial about the times we live in. Amazing happy times of high technology, fun, travel to faraway places, and prosperity lie ahead for many of us.

But if you make no plans to transition through our current rough weather, also known variously as our “awakening,” or as our “transformation,” you may be endangering your loved ones. Please, therefore, copy/paste this next portion into your own EPP:

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN FOR THE ____ FAMILY.

-Collecting Emergency Information:- Phone numbers of locations family members frequent, schools, workplaces. Numbers of local electrical, water, natural gas and telecommunications utilities, sheriff, police, 911, ambulance, fire department. Having on handbooks, manuals, “How to” brochures.

-Risk assessment:- Every place has an inherent risk associated with it chemical spills, natural disaster, crime, tsunami, biological attack, radiation. Risks are classified as minor if they have low likelihood or low impact, medium likelihood or medium impact and high likelihood or high impact. If, for example, you live in an active tornado area you might prepare for tornado rather than the earthquake and so on. Some areas, such as areas around a military installation, could be a greater risk than others. If you live downstream from a dam plans should include what to do in case of a sudden flood.

-Job assignments for family members:- Having every member have something to do will help with the emotional needs of each person in the family unit. It will also help develop and keep the proper mental attitude. -Equipment, tools, supplies:- Food & water needs to be high on the list of supplies. Especially water, you can go weeks without food, but you will die within a few short days without water. Long term food & water storage should be packed and secured in waterproof containers to keep them safe from contamination. Be sure to rotate your supplies to be sure they are never out of date. Other supplies you might want to have are flashlights, radios, candles, coats, blankets, knife, etc.

-Emergency / First Aid kit:- Each member of the family either should have their own emergency kit or be factored into the family’s group kit. The basic elements of an emergency kit include the following: -Water:- you should store 1 gallon per person per day. For portable individual kits 3 to 5 sealed packages of drinking water.

-Food:- Energy bars, crackers, and peanut butter, fruit leather, and some small boxes of cereal. You don’t have to eat extravagantly.

-Clothing:- You will want a couple of changes of clothes in your kit. Tailor clothing to your new climate** and situation. -Emergency Supplies:- Include things like flashlights, battery-operated radios, and a basic first aid kit. 5 to 7 day supply of any prescription medications. You may need to slowly take less and less to make up for not have a local drug store after a disaster. A face mask is also a good idea to include in case of certain types of disasters.

-Money:- In case of bug out of evacuation, having some money on hand will come in handy. Always keep some cash on hand hidden where it can be easily and quickly gotten to in case of emergency. If an electrical outage happens, teller machines will not work. Placing some cash in with your important documents is a good idea. I suggest a fireproof and waterproof locking (combination type lock) box of some sort. Gold and silver coins will probably not work in hardship areas where bartering exists.

-Communication:- You never know where family members will be when a disaster strikes. Practice Your Plan. The best way to remember what to do in an emergency is to practice your plan. Take the time to run through your plans. Make sure that your family knows how to access the emergency kits, that batteries work in flashlights and radios and that the food you packed is still good. A little practice will go a long way in case of an emergency. Help each member of the family know their jobs and who to contact in case of separation.

-Evacuation (BugOut) plan:- In the event you have to leave or evacuate, have a plan in place for where to go, what to do, what route & alternate route you will take and what you will take with you. Plan alternate modes of transportation in case roads are blocked or fuel is not obtainable or your vehicle is disabled. Also make sure each member of the group knows where the “meet up” place is in case of separation.

Main exit: From ___ to ___ using route(s):____________ . Main exit route’s meeting points:_______ Times: ________ AM/PM

Alternate exit: From ____ to ____ using routes(s):____________ . Alternate route’s meeting points:_______ Times: ________ AM/PM

Nice To Haves:

-Records & documentation:- Documents such as birth certificates, social security cards, credit or debit cards, living wills, drivers license, and other important papers should be stored in a grab and go box that is easy to get to and pack with you. Preferably fire and waterproof.

-Family meet up, outside contact person:- Having a contact person or stable organization that will act as a relay point of contact for you and your family in case you are separated in a disaster. Families though they may live together, do not spend every second with each other, and even if that were the case, having a remote contact that you all can depend on to relay information to other members of your family. This contact person, could be a family friend that lives in another state, or an organization you belong to that could be contacted in case you are separated from family members.

-Backup/ Alternative/ contingency Plan:- As we’ve seen in recent natural disasters. Evacuation is a high possibility. Even if you are prepared to stay at home you might not be able to because of a number of unforeseen reasons. For example; if the shelter you have planed on is no longer available due to wind, fire, flood, cold, heat, forced evacuation, or just because it suddenly becomes unsafe for you to stay, especially along coastlines.

-Plan for pets:- Pets should be provided for within your plan. They can be a great comfort in times of stress and can also aid in protecting or alerting you to danger. Pets can be valuable members of the family so make sure you think of them ahead of time in your planning.

-Training & Practice:- Once you have your plan laid out and each member of the family knows their job. Put it into practice in the form of a regularly scheduled dry run. Practice makes perfect and will help you and members of your group to instinctually know exactly what to do if disaster strikes. I would suggest each member of the group old enough be trained in first aid & CPR. Contact your local Red Cross office or area hospital or clinic to sign up now. Making it a family outing might be a fun group project.

Minimum “Bug Out Bag” contains:

– hat – tent or tarp – sleeping pad – bedroll or sleeping bag – survival knife – first aid kit – 3 liters of water – water purification system for longer stays – Collapsible water bottle (helps bathe) – Soap for bathing/dishes – minimum 2 pairs of socks, underwear, teeshirts – pair of sturdy boots or shoes – pair of long pants (preferably not blue jeans..Why not?) – 1 long sleeve + 1 short sleeve shirt – Jacket for warmth and water repellent – warm long underwear of some kind – bandana (for Potholder, toilet paper, pot holder, filter, 26 more uses for a bandana…)