Preparing for a Natural Disaster: Is Your Family Ready?
No matter where a person lives in this country, imminent weather can strike at anytime. Winters are usually filled with snowstorms; while summers encourage tropical storm conditions. Tornadoes, on the other hand, can strike anytime. The key to surviving any disaster like this is preparedness, but the question remains, “Is your family ready for a natural disaster?”
Hold a Family Meeting and Practice
Families need to run practice drills before any emergencies occur to learn about safe meeting locations and expectations. For example, one parent may be accountable for the children or infirm and the other’s task may be to help gather the pets. Another important task may involve someone flipping the breaker switch to eliminate unsupervised areas. As a family, be sure to run different types of scenarios and always add unexpected conditions (something happens at night, a fire is involved, access to the primary meeting point is blocked so secondary meeting point must be used), this way the entire household will be ready for many differing situations.
Prepare an Emergency Kit with Supplies
As part of being prepared, families will also need to have access to a supplies kit should an emergency occur. Supplies needed will vary with family size and type, but some of the items to consider when preparing an emergency kit may include: an emergency radio, current medications, flashlights, non-perishable foods for all members of the family, pet supplies, blankets, candles, matches, and medical supplies. Also, clean drinking water will be needed, and since there is no way to determine just how long someone many have to ride-out a storm or disaster, a gallon per day for each person will leave everyone in your party with enough hydration and fluids. In addition to drinking water, there must also be considerations made to plan for waste; so a portable toilet or other makeshift restroom area is a necessity.
Furthermore, another important overlooked part of an emergency preparedness kit is a cell phone. Depending on how badly an area has been damaged, cell service may or may not be interrupted, but a cellular line is better than a land line in an emergency for two purposes: a) important telephone numbers can already be programmed in a cell phone, and b) most also have small lights in them; which provides another emergency source of lighting, should a flashlight fail.
Moreover, communication is vital in a disaster, both incoming (emergency radio) and outgoing (cellular phone.) Should emergency workers ever need to be called, always remember to provide your exact location in the house and the number of people in your family; so crews know where and how long, to look for everyone.
When all is said and done, practicing for any kind of emergency, especially a natural disaster, will not eliminate the chance of its occurring; but will help your family improve its odds of surviving.
Michael Morales EMT-Paramedic
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- Automated External Defibrillators
- Altered Mental Status
- Communicating With 911 Dispatchers
- First Aid Kit Essentials
- Good Samaritan Laws
- Natural Disaster Preparation
- Pediatric Chain or Survival: Prevention
- Pediatric Chain or Survival: Early CPR
- Pediatric Chain or Survival: Early Activation of EMS
- Pediatric Chain or Survival: Early Advanced Life Support