Power outages have become more common in the United States during the last
10 years. The country's power grid needs updating, but the progress is
slow. According to one analysis, the United States has more power outages than
any other developed country. These concerns illustrate the need for people to
develop some type of family disaster plan, communicate it to all family
members, and maintain it for future emergencies.
Prepare your silken coat before it rains, and don't wait until you are
thirsty to dig a well.
But what are the loss exposures that create a need for a family disaster
plan? How should a family disaster plan be developed? This article will answer
these questions.
Preparing for Disaster
Natural disasters include tornadoes, floods, wildfires, earthquakes,
blizzards, and hurricanes. Man-made disasters include events such as power
outages, arson, terrorist attacks, and radiation threats. Some of the steps a
family can take to prepare for an emergency are the same for either a natural
or man-made disaster. For example, a well-stocked medical supply kit is
valuable regardless of the type of disaster.
A disaster can strike a family with little or no notice. It can cause people
to evacuate a home immediately, or it may confine people to their homes. Basic
services—such as electricity, gas, water, and telephone services—may be cut off
for extended periods of time. A family disaster plan helps families prepare for
these types of adverse situations and mitigate the devastating effects of a
disaster.
Communication Is Key
Communicating the need for a family disaster plan is a critical first step
in the process. In particular, the dangers of fire, weather catastrophes, and
earthquakes should be explained to children; the whole family should plan to
share responsibilities.
The plan should be straightforward and simple to be effective. Extremely
complicated disaster plans are less effective and can cause confusion. One
preliminary step in this process is to discuss the types of events that can
happen in a community. For example, a home on the Florida coast is certainly
exposed to hurricanes, whereas one in central Oklahoma is more likely to suffer
from tornadoes.
Developing a Comprehensive Disaster Plan
A comprehensive family disaster plan should, at the bare minimum, address
the following 10 items.
- Identify hazards in the home. Hazardous objects or
conditions around the home should be remedied to lessen the impact of a
disaster. For example, any frayed electrical wiring or leaky gas connections
should be fixed. Shelves should be carefully fastened, and oily rags or
solvents need to be securely stored in metal containers.
- Obtain first aid supplies and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
skills. All family members, including older children, should learn
basic first aid skills. Effective and prompt first aid attention to medical
emergencies, such as choking, spinal injury, bleeding, electrocution, heart
attack, and burns, can reduce injury and save lives.
- Establish a disaster meeting place and family
contact. Due to the wide variety of possible disasters, two meeting
places should be established. In the event of a sudden emergency, such as a
fire or explosion, a location right outside the home might be arranged. If a
disaster occurs while one or more family members are outside the home, a
location outside the neighborhood should be determined, such as at a
restaurant or mall. All family members should retain the phone number and
address of this location. In addition, identify an out-of-state friend to be
the "family contact" if a major disaster were to strike. All family
members should save this contact information on their cell phones.
- Develop adequate water storage. If a flood, earthquake,
hurricane, or power outage strikes a community, access to water may be
restricted. Most people drink at least 2 quarts of water per day, according
to the American Red Cross. Hot weather can dramatically increase this amount.
Water is also necessary for food preparation and hygiene. Thus, at least 1
gallon of water per day per person is necessary. Most experts say at least
several days' worth of water per person should be stored. You should
store water in thoroughly washed glass, plastic, fiberglass, or enamel-lined
metal containers. Plastic containers, such as soda bottles, are excellent
choices. Water should be stored in a cool, dark location, such as a basement,
and should be rotated at least once per year. If an emergency finds you
without stored fresh water, the water in your hot water heater or your pool
can be used.
- Prepare a food supply. Although people can survive with
little or no food for days or weeks, it is wise to stock some food in the
event of a major catastrophe. Foods that require no refrigeration, such as
canned meats, fruits, and vegetables, work best. Powdered milk is another
good selection. You should store a manually operated can opener and
disposable utensils along with the food. The American Red Cross recommends
that a 2-week supply of food per person be stored in a cool location. If the
electricity is lost, people should first eat perishable food from the
refrigerator and then the food from the freezer. To limit the number of times
per day the refrigerator or freezer is opened, a list of items included in
each of these appliances is necessary. Food in freezers can often last up to
3 days if the door is infrequently opened.
Note that dry ice may be used in certain emergencies to keep food cold. Dry
ice provides more than twice the cooling energy per volume than regular water
ice. Thus, if the power in your neighborhood goes out and you decide to stay
in your home, a dry ice distributor can be contacted. It is not, however, a
product you can store on a long-term basis.
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Store emergency supplies. In addition to food and water, a
kit of emergency supplies is vital. The US Department of Homeland Security
recommends that families should develop two kits. One should be used for
emergencies in which people normally need to stay where they are, such as a
major power outage affecting the entire community. The other kit should be
a lighter, smaller, and easily transportable version of the stay-at-home
kit for evacuation situations, such as hurricanes. Basic emergency supplies
should include the following.
- Power flashlight and extra batteries
- Prescription medicines and vital over-the-counter medicines
- First aid kit
- Toiletry articles
- Filtered masks for nose and mouth
- Infant and small children's needs (if appropriate)
- Fire extinguisher
For those in hurricane-prone areas, plywood and nails are also
essential storage items.
- Develop an emergency evacuation plan. If an imminent
flood or hurricane is threatening your community, you need to take the
necessary steps to protect your home and personal property. These should be
performed only if local officials have not yet asked persons in the
threatened area to leave. First, outdoor property such as trash cans, garden
equipment, and lawn chairs should be brought inside the garage. This will
keep them from flying or floating around and damaging the home or
neighbor's homes. Second, important items such as family photos, tax
records, personal property inventory, and insurance policies should be moved
to higher locations or out of the home. Also, hazardous materials such as
paint and oil should be moved to a higher location if possible. Third,
electricity at the main fuse box should be turned off. Fourth, water should
be turned off at the main valve.
- Prepare for a disaster in a vehicle. If a disaster
strikes while you are in your car, certain steps should be taken. If an
explosion destabilizes your vehicle, you should safely pull over, set the
emergency brake, and, if possible, call for help. If a disaster, such as an
earthquake or a flood, affects the stability of the road you are on, you
should avoid bridges, overpasses, electrical lines, signs, and related
objects. If you see a nearby tornado approaching, you should get out of your
car and seek shelter because a car cannot outrun a tornado. If no shelter is
available, lie down in a low area and use your arms to cover the back of your
head. During winter months in cold climates, it is advisable to store extra
warm clothes, a small shovel, a blanket, and some sand or ice in your
car's trunk in case you are stuck in snow or stranded on the road.
- Prepare for disaster at work or school. You should ask
about the disaster plan at work or at your children's school. If none is
available, request that one be developed or volunteer to help develop one. If
you work in a high-rise building, make sure you thoroughly understand the
emergency plans, including exit locations. It is also advisable to keep a
working flashlight if you are in a high-rise office building.
- Practice, modify, and maintain the plan. The whole
family should practice the plan every 6 months, including evacuation drills.
You should use a checklist to facilitate this process. The checklist can also
be tailored to address perils common to a particular community, such as
earthquakes for people near the San Andreas Fault in California.
Modifications and improvements in the plan should be noted and practiced.
Stored water and food should also be rotated at least once per year. In
addition, fire extinguishers and smoke alarms should be properly
maintained.
Other Sources of Information
Here are some key websites with additional information on this topic.