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Pets and Disasters
Making
a Family
Disaster Plan
Creating
a Family Communication Plan
Making
a Disaster Survival Kit
When a disaster strikes,
having a family disaster plan in place beforehand can ensure you and your
family members' safety.
Here are four steps to follow when your family creates their plan:
1. Find Out What Could Happen to You
Contact your local Red Cross chapter or emergency
management office before a disaster occurs--
be prepared to take notes!
Ask what types
of disasters are most likely to
happen (In Wyoming, the most common disaster is
flooding.) and ask for information on how to
prepare for each.
Learn about
your community's warning signals:
what do they sound like? What you should do when
you hear them?
Ask about animal
care after a disaster;
remember, animals are not allowed inside emergency
shelters because of health regulations. If your family
evacuates to a shelter, you'll need to have a place
for your animals to go.
Find out about
the disaster plans at your parents'
workplace, your school or day care center, and other
places where your family spends time.
2. Create a Disaster Plan
Meet with your family and talk about why
you need to prepare for disaster.
Ask your parents
to explain the dangers of fire,
severe weather and earthquakes. Even if it's not likely
a certain kind of disaster will occur in Wyoming, it's
always best to be prepared.
Plan to share responsibilities with your family
members and work together as a team.
Talk about the
types of disasters most likely
to happen and explain what to do in each case.
Pick two places
to meet: one right outside
your home (in case of a sudden emergency, like
a fire) and one outside your neighborhood (in case
you can't return home.) Everyone must know the
address and phone number.
Ask an out-of-state
friend to be your "family
contact." After a disaster, it's often easier to call long
distance. Other family members should call this
person and tell them where they are.
Everyone must know your contact's phone number.
Talk about what
to do in an evacuation.
3. Complete A "Home Hazard Hunt"
In a disaster, ordinary
items in the home can cause
injury and damage. Anything that can move, fall, break
or cause a fire is a potential hazard. To complete the
hazard hunt, have a parent:
Repair defective electrical wiring and leaky gas
connections.
Fasten shelves
securely.
Place large,
heavy objects on lower shelves.
Hang pictures
and mirrors away from beds.
Brace overhead
light fixtures.
Secure water
heater.
Strap to wall
studs.
Repair cracks
in ceilings or foundations.
Store weed killers,
pesticides and flammable
products away from heat sources.
Place oily polishing
rags or waste in covered
metal cans.
Clean and repair
chimneys, flue pipes, vent
connectors, and gas vents. Post emergency telephone
numbers by phones (fire, police, ambulance, etc.).
Show each family
member how and when
to turn off the utilities (water, gas, and electricity)
at the main switches.
Check if you
have adequate insurance coverage.
Get training
from the fire department for each
family member on how to use the fire extinguisher
(ABC type), and show them where it's kept.
Install smoke detectors on each level of your home,
especially near bedrooms.
Stock emergency
supplies and assemble a
Disaster Supplies Kit.
Take a Red Cross
first aid and CPR class.
Determine the
best escape routes from your home.
Find two ways out of each room.
Find the safe
places in your home for
each type of disaster.
4. Practice and Maintain Your Plan
Have a "family quiz night" every six months
to review everything in your plan.
Replace stored water and stored food in your
family disaster kit every six months.
Test and recharge
your fire extinguisher(s)
according to manufacturer's instructions.
Test smoke detectors
monthly and change
the batteries at least once a year.
Meet with your
neighbors to plan how the
neighborhood could work together after a disaster
until help arrives. If your family is a member of a
neighborhood organization, such as a home association
or crime watch group, introduce disaster preparedness
as a new activity.
Find out your
neighbors' special skills (e.g., medical,
technical) and consider how you could help neighbors
who have special needs, such as disabled
and elderly persons.
Make plans for
child care in case parents
can't get home.
From
"Family Disaster Plan," developed by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency and the American
Red Cross.