Sit down with your family to discuss why you need to prepare for a disaster. This is important! We often take time to plan our weekend but rarely take time to have this one life saving discussion. It doesn’t have to be scary and often everyone feels significantly better when it’s talked about and there is a plan in place. Plan to share responsibilities and work together as a team. There is a feeling of accomplishment and if children are involved there is a feeling of security too.

• Explain the dangers of fire, severe weather, and earthquakes to children.
• Discuss specific types of disasters that are most likely to happen. Explain what to do in each case.
• Pick two places to meet:
•  Near your home in case of a sudden emergency, like a fire.
• Outside your neighborhood in case you can’t return home.  (Everyone must know the address and phone number.)
• Ask an out-of-state friend or relative to be your “family contact.” After a disaster, it’s often easier to call long distance. Family members should call this person and tell them their status and location.
• Discuss what to do in an evacuation and how to take care of your pets.

Before Disaster Strikes Checklist

• Post emergency telephone numbers by phones (fire, police, ambulance, etc.).
• Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1 for emergency help.
• Show each family member how to turn off the utilities (water, gas, and electricity) at the main switches.
• Train each family member on how to use the fire extinguisher (ABC type), and show them where extinguishers are located.
• Install smoke detectors on each level of your home, especially near bedrooms.
• Conduct a Home Hazard Hunt to make your home a safer place.
• Stock emergency supplies and assemble individual and family Disaster Supplies Kit.
• Take a Red Cross first aid and CPR class.
• Determine the best escape routes from any location in your home. Find two ways out of each room.
• Identify the location in your home where you will go to Shelter-in-Place.

Practice and Maintain Your Plan

• Quiz your kids every six months or so.
• Practice fire and emergency evacuations.
• Check/replace stored water and food every six months and batteries in your smoke detectors.
• Make sure your fire extinguishers are current or recharged according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Phone Tips

• Develop a plan for how you will communicate with loved ones after a disaster.
• Identify an out-of-state contact–long distance phone lines often work before local phone lines are restored, so using an out-of-state contact is a good idea. Provide this person with the contact information of people you want to keep informed of your situation. Have everyone in your family check-in with the out-of-state contact as soon as possible after disaster strikes.
• Avoid making non-urgent phone calls after a disaster – even if phone lines are un-damaged, increased phone traffic can jam phone circuits.
• Don’t count on your cell phone – increased traffic on cell phone networks can quickly overload wireless capacity. Record an outgoing message on your voice mail so that callers can be re-assured of your safety status.
• Keep coins handy–payphones are more likely to work before other phone lines.
• Have a backup phone that does not require electricity–cordless phones require electricity, so make sure you have at least one phone that requires no electricity (uses cord connection to operate).
• After an earthquake check all your telephones to be sure they have not shaken off the hook and are tying up a line.