Where will your family members be when disaster strikes?
It’s all well and good having emergency food/water/gear stored at home, but what if no one is home when the SHTF? Have you thought of that?
You could be anywhere! You could be at work or at the store, kids at school or out somewhere playing, your husband/wife might be in the car or out of town visiting friends…
These are just a few places your family members might be when disaster strikes, but I hope it makes you stop and think and consider some of the possibilities.
How will you find each other when disaster strikes? How will you know your kids are ok?
Disasters usually happen quickly, often without any warning. Does your whole family know what to do and where to go in the event of a disaster?
Do your kids know what to do in the event their cell phone doesn’t work and they can’t call you?
If these scenarios strike fear into your heart and you can’t answer the questions above –
You need to sit down with your family and make a family emergency disaster plan before an emergency happens…
In the event of a disaster, everyone needs to know what to do, where to go and who to contact (if possible). Luckily FEMA has made this very easy for you, with their (excellent!) downloadable and printable ‘Family Emergency Plan‘ checklist.
The checklist needs to be filled in with each family member’s personal information together with details of where they spend most of their time when not at home, work/school etc. Additionally, your family needs to agree on three meeting places in case of an emergency – neighbourhood, out of the neighbourhood and out of town.
The checklist also has individual cards for each family member, which can cut out and filled in with this info so each family member always carries the information with them.
Download and print out the FEMA Family Emergency Plan checklist (don’t wait until it is too late!)
You should also consider buying: Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family, 2nd Edition
