One important step to better preparedness that is often overlooked is basic drills. If you have lived in a certain community for any length of time there is a good chance that you will know many of the types of emergency situations that could arise. This could include: earthquakes, floods, wild fires, tornadoes, blackouts, hurricanes and for just about everyone house fires.
Taking some time to come up with a plan, discuss it with your family and practice it a few times will go a long way to keeping you safe. The time to figure out what to do isn’t right before or during the emergency.
When putting together your plan some things to consider would be:
*What situation might you face
*What would the impact be
*Will you need to flee or shelter in place
*What type of emergency kits of supplies would you need
*Who will need to react. If small children….how will they be handled
*How long might you need to be prepared for
*If you need to shelter in place…what room or rooms will you use
*What if any utilities will you need to turn off
These are just some ideas. Once you have thought about these things you should take some time to discuss it with everyone in your family. Everyone should know what to do and where to go if a situation arises. Having a drill every 3 to 6 months just to keep it fresh in everyone’s mind is important. Here you can answers questions, refresh any supplies and/or change things as needed.
By discussing these things and practicing you will help reduce the chance the panic and hopefully make yourself and your loved ones a little safer.