by Melanie Nelson
While natural disasters can be unpredictable, a family emergency plan can alleviate some of the stress. Taking steps toward emergency preparedness now ensures that when a disaster is at your doorstep, you know which direction to go (and what to take with you). When you have kids, though, it can take a bit more work to ready your household for imminent danger. Today, you’ll learn how to develop an emergency plan for the whole family, courtesy of Restoration Affiliates.
Shop Online for Essentials
Gathering your supplies in advance is a crucial step in emergency preparedness. After all, you’re not prepared if you don’t have clean water, food, and first aid materials for the whole group. It won’t take multiple trips to big box stores for your gear, food, or other supplies, though. You can shop online at several sites for everything from survival tools to shelf-stable food to masks and PPE.
No matter what type of disaster you’re preparing for, you’ll need the same essentials:
Safe Drinking Water
Safe water is always a necessity, whether you obtain it via filtration or packaged water you can transport. Depending on your location and your family’s emergency plan, you might choose one or the other – or both.
You can purchase water filtration devices that filter water from the tap or other sources, or filtration bottles to fill for each family member. Water purification tablets are another option that’s easy to carry – though these tabs don’t remove all impurities from water. Whatever filtration option you choose, read the warnings and instructions thoroughly. Knowing your water source is also helpful – precautions vary based on whether you’re using tap water or H20 from a live source (like a stream).
Bottled or packaged water is also an option, though it’s best for keeping in your home. Traveling with water can be a challenge. But having extra supplies at home can help you stay put longer, if necessary.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends having at least one gallon of water per person per day. They suggest an emergency water supply that will last at least three days – but ideally for two weeks.
Nutritious Food
Adequate food supplies are also essential. Depending on your family’s preferences – and the types of disasters most likely in your area – you might choose shelf-stable survival meals or canned options. A combination of food products is ideal for optimal nutrition and a bit of variety, too.
A three-day supply of food is a minimum suggestion from most disaster preparedness authorities. But you can find emergency food ration kits that can last a family of four much longer. Creating your own kit – with canned and other shelf-stable foods – is also helpful. However, you’ll need to check expiration dates periodically and make rotating the items a regular habit.
Sanitation Supplies
When it comes to disaster preparedness, it’s safe to assume you’ll be without plumbing. That means no flushing toilets, running water for handwashing, or hot showers. Prepping for sanitation requires that you have a plan for keeping everyone clean and free of illnesses.
Soap and water are ideal, of course, but if water supplies run low, you’ll need other solutions. You can find body wipes – such as the kind backpackers carry – or even stock up on baby wipes for general cleanliness.
Plan for Pandemic Emergencies, Too
The coronavirus panic has shed light on a scenario that most folks may not consider. While preparing for natural disasters is hard, planning for a pandemic involves many more variables. Everything from toilet paper shortages to a lack of hand sanitizer and soap can impact your family’s ability to stay clean and comfortable in an emergency.
Stocking up ahead of time is an excellent option – if you have space. But there are ways to get around empty shelves, especially when it comes to products like hand sanitizer. You can DIY your own sanitizer blend if the stores run out, making hand sanitizer a helpful item in your bug-out bag. Mixing rubbing alcohol, aloe vera gel, and some smell-good oils (essential oils like lavender or peppermint are solid choices) will get you an effective alternative to store-bought sanitizer. Good Housekeeping notes that you can also make other cleaning and safety products at home, which reduces the need to hit the grocery store aisles mid-emergency.
Don’t forget about communication. The last thing you want during and after an emergency is a phone with a dead battery. Part of your survival pack should include a wireless phone charger, which negates the need for plugging your smartphone into an outlet — especially important when the power’s out. Wireless chargers are a great alternative to cords, and it’s much more convenient to simply place your phone atop the charging pad. Charging time is reduced, too.
Start Teaching Your Kids Survival Skills
Learning survival skills is an excellent way to prepare for a wide range of what-ifs that follow a natural disaster. You can begin teaching survival skills to kids from an early age – and it doesn’t need to be scary.
What if the power goes out? Knowing how to start a safe fire will be helpful for food and warmth. What if you have to leave the beaten path while escaping a natural disaster? Navigation skills – the old-fashioned kind with a compass – could prove invaluable. Plus, kids love learning practical skills they can use every day.
Create an Emergency Prep Outline
Whether you’re hunkering down at home or leaving for a safer location, outlining each step ahead of time helps everyone feel more prepared. It can be tough to know where to start, though. To ensure you have everything you need, it helps to create a master checklist – and then go through it carefully.
Be sure to check federal emergency guidelines for any emergency scenario that could arise. Create a family emergency kit, and ensure that everyone in the household knows what to do if disaster strikes.
If you are a business owner, complete a similar plan for your business and employees. It’s important to make sure that everyone is safe and that your data is protected so that, once the disaster is over, you can get things back up and running quickly.
Know Your Evacuation Plan
In most cases, your emergency plan will include an evacuation component. After all, staying put during a flood or wildfire isn’t always safe or smart. Before a disaster happens, outline a plan for the family to cover every aspect of your departure.
You’ll need to create an evacuation plan starting in your home. Think about fire evacuation routes and plot ways to exit your home in various emergencies. Enlist your kids’ brainstorming help on this step – the more involved and aware they are, the higher the odds they’ll remain calm in a real emergency.
The trick to living through floods, wildfires, tornadoes, or hurricanes isn’t luck. Preparedness is the best way to ensure your family’s survival no matter what type of disaster arrives at your doorstep. Fortunately, getting your family on board – and keeping them protected – may be easier than you think if you create a plan well in advance.
Restoration Affiliates is a national network of independent, full-service disaster restoration companies. Call (855) 727-8254.
Melanie Nelson is a lifelong resident of Oklahoma and is no stranger to the crazy weather the state is infamous for. Starting her family made her take a special interest in disaster preparedness in order to protect her loved ones and everything they’ve worked so hard for. Through DisasterPrepared, she hopes to help others stay prepared … and stay alive.