Every family needs to have a disaster preparedness plan. The task takes some time and effort, so it's best to begin while safety is on your mind and you are feeling motivated. Use the following tips to help you create a disaster preparedness plan more easily and effectively. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Visit the two leading governmental websites offering help to create disaster preparedness plans, ready.gov and fema.gov. Here you will find free access to emergency preparedness materials and/or be able to order them by mail. Explore the sections thoroughly to include your unique needs.
2. Set a deadline for finishing your plan, allowing sufficient time. People are more likely to follow through with creating plan when the family is involved and distractions are at a minimum.
3. Remove any paperwork and instructions you do not need and/or cross out irrelevant sections. Consider using three colored markers to color code sections in terms of importance. From here you can break down disaster preparedness planning into manageable parts.
4. Set a budget for your emergency plan and prioritize your expenditures. Try to devote funds to your emergency plan needs regularly until you feel well prepared for natural and other disasters. Some early, inexpensive priorities include an NOAA weather radio, three days' worth of essentials and communication equipment, such as a disposable cell phone. Next on the emergency list might be flood insurance, a safe deposit box and emergency cash.
5. Develop a backup communication plan with the family. This should include an out-of-state contact and/or an alternate means of communicating should local cell phone service be disabled.
6. Observe you and your family's needs over the course of a week or longer and write down both critical items, like medication, and less critical ones, such as toys for a toddler. Don't forget to include any requirements for your pets. Though governmental disaster preparedness plans are thorough, you may find additional things to include on your list that will allow you to better withstand an emergency situation. For instance, if a child can be comforted by a favorite doll, this may be a worthy addition.
Tags: disaster preparedness, cell phone, create disaster, disaster preparedness, disaster preparedness plan
