|
30 Tips for Emergency Preparedness As amended by Russ Williams, Payson, Utah Bob Fowler, Cottonwood Heights, Utah Preparedness Tip #1 Take a moment to imagine that there is an emergency, like a fire in your home and you need to leave quickly. What are the best escape routes from your home? Find at least two ways out of each room. Now, write it down. You've got the beginning of a family emergency plan. Preparedness Tip #2 Pick a place to meet after a disaster. Designate two meeting places. Choose one right outside your home, in case of a sudden household Emergency such as a fire. The second place you choose needs to be outside of your immediate neighborhood in the event that it's not safe to stay near or return to your home. This information is an important part of your family's emergency plan. Preparedness Tip #3 Choose an emergency contact person outside your area. Many times long distance phone service is re-established before local service is restored. It may be easier to call long distance than locally after a local/regional disaster. Take a minute right now to call or e-mail an out-of-town friend or family member to ask him or her to be your family's designated contact during an emergency. Be sure to share the contact's phone number with every member in the family. During an emergency, you can call your contact who can share current information with other family members (where you are; how you're doing; and how to get in contact with you). Add important phone numbers that family members should know to your plan. Preparedness Tip #4 Complete an emergency contact card and make a copy for each member of your family to carry with them. Be sure to include your out-of-town contact. It may be easier to reach someone out of town if local phone lines are out of service or overloaded. You should have access to at least one hard-wired landline phone. Cordless or cellular phones may not work in an emergency. Dogs may be man's best friend, but due to health regulations, most emergency shelters cannot house animals. Find out in advance how to care for your pets and service animals when disaster strikes. Pets should not be left behind, but could be taken to a veterinary office, family member's home, a pre-planned retreat location or animal shelter during an emergency. Be sure to store extra food and water along for your pets, along with any special medications they require. Preparedness Tip #6 Go through your calendar now, and put a reminder on it. Every six months review your plan, update numbers, and check supplies to be sure nothing has expired, spoiled or changed and to replace batteries in your smoke detector. Don't forget to practice your tornado, fire escape or other disaster plans too. Preparedness Tip #7 Check your child's school Website or call the school office to request a copy of the school's emergency plan. Keep a copy at home and work or other places where you spend a lot of your time. Make sure the school's plan is incorporated into your family's emergency plan. Review the disaster plans at your workplace or other places where you and your family spend time. Preparedness Tip #8 Teach your children how and when to call 9-1-1 or your local Emergency Medical Services number for help. Post these and other emergency telephone numbers by telephones or program them into your cell phone. Preparedness Tip #9 Conduct fire drills and practice evacuating your home twice a year. Drive your planned evacuation route and plot alternate routes on a map in case main roads are blocked or grid locked. Practice earthquake and tornado drills at home, school and work. Commit a weekend to update telephone numbers, emergency supplies and review your plan with everyone every six months. Preparedness Tip #10 A community working together during an emergency makes sense. Talk to your neighbors about how you can work together during an emergency. Enroll members of your family in a C.E.R.T. class, available from your local fire department to learn disaster response skills. Find out if anyone has specialized equipment like a power generator or expertise such as medical skills that might help in a crisis. Decide who will check on elderly or disabled neighbors. Make back-up plans for children in case you can't get home in an emergency. Sharing plans and communicating in advance is a good strategy. Preparedness Tip #11 What if disaster strikes while you're at work? Do you know the emergency preparedness plan for your workplace? If your company doesn't have one, urge them to prepare one. While many companies have been more pro-active in preparing for disasters of all types since the September 11, 2001 attacks, a national survey indicates that many employees are still unaware of a workplace emergency plan. If you don't know yours, make a point to ask. Know multiple ways to exit your building, participate in workplace evacuation drills, and consider keeping some emergency supplies at the office. Visit www.ready.gov and click on Ready Business for more information about business preparedness. Preparedness Tip #12 From the experience picked up during the storms that have ravaged parts of our Country, we know that you should keep enough supplies in your home to meet the needs of you and your family for at least 14 days. Build an emergency supply kit to take with you in an evacuation. The basics to stock in your portable kit include: water, food, battery-powered radio and flashlight with extra batteries, first aid supplies, change of clothing, blanket or sleeping bag, wrench or pliers, whistle, dust mask, plastic sheeting and duct tape, trash bags, map, a manual can opener for canned food and special items for infants, elderly, the sick or people with disabilities. Keep these items in an easy to carry container such as a covered trash container, a large backpack, or a duffle bag. Preparedness Tip #13 Preparing for emergencies needn't be expensive if you're thinking ahead and buying small quantities at a time. Make a list of some foods that: ? Have a long shelf-life and will not spoil (non-perishable) that you and your family are accustomed to eating. ? That do not require cooking are best that can be easily stored. ? That have a low salt content are best as salty foods will make you thirstier. Keep the list in your purse or wallet and pick up a few items each time you go shopping. Watching for sales on items you normally use will help keep costs low. Keep at it until you have built up a well-stocked supply that can sustain each member of your family for at least fourteen days following an emergency. Preparedness Tip #14 Take a minute to check your family's first aid kit, and note any depleted Items. Add the items you need to replace to your shopping list. If you do not have a first aid kit, add one to the list or build a kit yourself. Just add the following items to your shopping list and assemble a first aid kit. Consider creating a kit for each vehicle as well: First Aid Kits - Assemble a first aid kit for your home and one for each car.
For more information on first aid kits, contact the American Red Cross Chapter or your local fire department. Preparedness Tip #15 Keep at least a 14 day supply of water per person. Store a minimum of one gallon of water per person per day (two quarts for drinking, two quarts for food preparation and sanitation). Store water in plastic containers such as 2-liter soft drink bottles. Avoid using containers that will decompose or break, such as milk cartons or glass bottles. A normally active person needs to drink at least two quarts of water each day. Hot environments and strenuous activity can double that amount. Children, nursing mothers and people that are sick will also need more. Water by itself will quench your thirst but it will not replace electrolytes lost when you exert yourself. Include electrolyte powders to make a drink to replenish your body's salts. Note: Try different electrolyte powders in advance. You may react differently to different brands. A crisis situation is stressful and not the time to learn which brand you chose that will make you sick. Preparedness Tip #16 One of the easiest ways you can prepare for emergencies is to keep some supplies readily available. Every kit is unique and can be tailored to meet the specific needs of your family, but below is a general list of supplies you may want to consider:
30 Tips for Emergency Preparedness Also include items for sanitation in your emergency supply kit.
Preparedness Tip #18 Include at least one complete change of clothing and footwear per person in your emergency supply kits. We suggest long pants and long sleeves for additional protection after a disaster. Comfortable walking shoes are especially important in the office and car.
Preparedness Tip #19 You should also keep a smaller version of your emergency supply kit in your vehicle, in case you are commuting or traveling when disaster strikes.
Preparedness Tip #20 Read the information on your city, county and/or state government Web sites as well as the “Be Prepared” section of www.redcross.org , www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/tab3.html or www.Ready.gov and print emergency preparedness information. Be sure to keep a copy with your disaster supplies kit. It can provide telephone numbers, addresses and other information you need when electronic connections are not available options for obtaining the information. Preparedness Tip #21 When water is of questionable purity, it is easiest to use bottled water for drinking and cooking if it is available. When it's not available, it is important to know how to treat contaminated water. In addition to having a bad odor and taste, water from questionable sources may be contaminated by a variety of microorganisms, including, bacteria and parasites that cause diseases such as dysentery, cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis. All water of uncertain purity should be treated before use. Use one or a combination of these treatments:
Preparedness Tip #22 In some emergencies you may be required to turn off your utilities. To prepare for this type of event:
30 Tips for Emergency Preparedness Understand that during an emergency you may be asked to “shelter-in-place” or evacuate. Plan for both protective actions and be prepared to listen to instructions from your local Emergency Alert System (EAS) radio or television station. Visit www.ready.gov and www.redcross.org/preparedness for more information on sheltering-in-place. Preparedness Tip #24 A disaster can cause significant financial loss. Your apartment or home may be severely damaged or destroyed. You may be forced to live in temporary housing. Income may be cut off or significantly reduced. Important financial records could be destroyed. Take the time now to assess your situation and ask questions. To help you, consider using the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit, a tool developed by Operation Hope, FEMA and Citizen Corps or contact your local Red Cross Chapter for Disasters and Financial Planning: A Guide for Preparedness. Preparedness Tip #25 Earthquakes and geologic hazards are concerns everywhere in the State of Utah. Learn more about seismic hazards by contacting your local emergency management office Preparedness Tip #26 Floods are among the most frequent and costly natural disasters in terms of human hardship and economic loss. As much as 90 percent of the damage related to all natural disasters (excluding draught) is caused by floods and associated debris flow. Most communities in the United States can experience some kind of flooding. Melting snow can combine with rain in the winter and early spring; severe thunderstorms can bring heavy rain in the spring or summer; or hurricanes can bring intense rainfall to coastal and inland states in the summer and fall. Regardless of how a flood occurs, the rule for being safe is simple: head for higher ground and stay away from floodwater. Even a shallow depth of fast-moving floodwater produces more force than most people imagine. You can protect yourself by being prepared and having time to act. Local radio or television stations or a NOAA Weather Radio are the best sources of information in a flood situation. Preparedness Tip #27 When there is concern about a potential exposure to a chemical or other airborne hazard, local officials may advise you to "shelter-in-place “ and “seal the room.” This is different from taking shelter on the lowest level of your home in case of a natural disaster like a tornado. If you believe the air may be badly contaminated or if you are instructed by local officials, follow the instructions below to create a temporary barrier between you and the contaminated air outside. 30 Tips for Emergency Preparedness Preparedness Tip #28 If there is an Explosion: If there is a Fire: Preparedness Tip #29 Unlike an explosion, a biological attack may or may not be immediately obvious. Most likely local health care workers will report a pattern of unusual illness or a wave of sick people seeking medical attention. The best source of information will be radio or television reports. Understand that some biological agents, such as anthrax, do not cause contagious diseases. Others, like the smallpox virus, can result in diseases you can catch from other people. In the event of a biological attack, public health officials may not immediately be able to provide information on what you should do. It will take time to determine exactly what the illness is, how it should be treated, and who may have been exposed. You should watch TV, listen to the radio, or check the Internet for official news including the following:
During a declared biological emergency:
If you are potentially exposed:
If you become aware of an unusual and suspicious substance nearby:
30 Tips for Emergency Preparedness Resources: www.Ready.gov Preparedness Tip #30 The ability to communicate with family members and get information about what is happening is critical in a disaster. It is possible that the old style phones might be functional. Walk around phones will be useless if the power is out. Cell phones will probably be overwhelmed or out. What is your “Plan B”?
Note: In a disaster the FCC waives licensing requirements. Also… practice…practice…. practice. like any other equipment in your preparedness supplies, practice until you are proficient in their use. A disaster is stressful enough and not the time to start your learning process. 30 Tips for Emergency Preparedness Courtesy of: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Amended by: Russ Williams, Payson, Utah Bob Fowler, Cottonwood Heights, Utah |