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Basic Emergency Preparedness⚓︎

Summary⚓︎

Depending on where you live in the world, emergencies can come in many shapes and sizes, ranging from hurricanes and tornadoes to sudden chest pain. Being aware of the potential risks in your region will help determine whether you have prepared for emergencies. You may also want to figure out how the local government notifies people about emergencies. Once you become aware of the risks and warning systems, you should review any plans and emergency preparedness kits to make sure you're ready for anything.

Attention

As with all of the articles in this series, this is by no means a comprehensive guide. It should be considered a practical approach.

Prepare for the Risks⚓︎

Home Fire⚓︎

Fireproofing your home is an important task that's easy to overlook. Some things you can do are as follows:

  • Make sure your driveway is accessible to firetrucks
  • Get rid of old appliances
  • Make sure your safely installed electrical wiring
  • Declutter your home

Possibly the most important thing you can do is to have a fire plan for your family. The plan should include details on where to meet when your family exits the home.

Important

  • You should make sure every room in the house has two clear exits, such as a window that can open and a door.
  • Make sure you know where fire extinguishers are in your home and how to use them properly.

Medical Emergencies⚓︎

Some of the most common medical emergencies that occur in the home are:

  • Chest pain
  • Choking
  • Bleeding
  • Fainting
  • Seizures

If you know CPR, the Heimlich manuever, and to call 911 immediately, it will allow you to help the situation as much as possible instead of being shocked and panicked.

Important

You should also make sure you have some basic medications in your home, as well as a first aid kit. Familiarize yourself with any specific medical conditions or allergies that may exist in your family.

Potential for Natural Disasters⚓︎

Depending on your location, you may be vulnerable to many natural disasters. These can range from floods in coastal areas or blizzards in northern regions. 1

To be prepared for an emergency, you need to be fully aware of the natural and nuclear and other manufactured disasters that could impact your region. 2

Practice Self-Defense⚓︎

There are everyday scenarios like walking home or getting stuck on the side of the road that could turn into larger emergencies if you aren't careful. It's helpful to know the basics of self-defense to be better prepared in emergencies when someone may try to harm you.

Some basic self-defense rules are:

  • Avoid routines that could be easily followed
  • Make sure that someone knows where you are and when to expect you
  • Carry an object, such as a whistle, that's capable of making a loud noise.

Emergency Notifications⚓︎

Contact your local emergency management center or public health department to determine how notifications get sent in your area.

Some possible emergency communication channels to keep an eye on include:

  • Emergency texts
  • Emergency phone calling systems
  • Social media platforms of official health or emergency centers
  • Road signs
  • Sirens and speakers in your neighborhood

Stay Informed⚓︎

Stay informed about risks of natural disasters, weather, nuclear, or other social or manufactured disasters in your region. For instance, you could sign up for text message alerts from your local weather station or social media alerts from the public health or emergency center in your area.

Tip

Listen to the news to stay updated about other risks, such as war or nuclear-related risks.

Review Your Emergency Communication Plan⚓︎

Create a Physical Contact List⚓︎

It's entirely possible that during an emergency, several technological failures could occur:

  • Lose your cell phone
  • Dead battery
  • No wi-fi
  • Missing telephone number or email address

Things can quickly happen that are unavoidable, so having a physical backup of all your contact information is excellent. Even if it's only for family members, you should still have it on hand in case it's ever needed.

Ensure Family Members Are Familiar With Their Devices⚓︎

Suppose your family includes children or seniors who don't usually use a mobile phone, make sure they know how to use one. Examples include sending and receiving text messages. In the event of an emergency, it will be good to know that anyone you're attempting to contact will be able to read a text message, for example.

Maintain a List of Emergency Contact Numbers⚓︎

Put a chart with emergency phone numbers in the kitchen or living room. Program these numbers into your home phone and cell phone. Try to memorize the numbers should you lose your phone. Some numbers that you should include are the hospital, police station, and fire department.

Tip

  • If your phone has an area for medical information, make sure you fill it out in the event of an emergency.
  • Considering adding "In Case of Emergency" contacts to your phone's "favorites" list.

Mapping Escape Routes and Hiding Places⚓︎

Practice Drills in Your Home⚓︎

It's essential to understand how to stay safe in your home for any disaster. For some emergencies, the safest place to be is inside your home. While there are several drills you can run, the following are two common ones you can practice with family:

Emergency Drills

Announce that you're having an earthquake drill and instruct all family members to drop to the ground, cover themselves, and hold on tight.

Announce that you're having a tornado drill and instruct all family members to get to the bathroom in the basement quickly, shut the door, and sit on the floor.

Review the Evacuation Route Out of Your Home⚓︎

Try to consider a handful of disaster scenarios and how you would be able to get out of your house during each of them. Try to find as many escape routes as possible. Ways may include windows or doors, but you should note that depending on the style of your home and where you live, one may be more practical over another.

Determine a Meeting Place⚓︎

You or a family member may become separated from the group in an emergency. Because of this, it's crucial to have a meeting place identified. For example, you might want to find a meeting place on your street or in your neighborhood.

Tip

Although a meeting place on your street or neighborhood is fine, consider that it may not be practical depending on the circumstances. If your house burns down, but the rest of the area is fine, a local meeting place will suffice. However, if an earthquake impacted your whole city, you should have a meeting place identified outside of the town.

Consider Your Pets⚓︎

You should find a pet boarding facility in your region that could accept your pet in the event of an emergency. It's probably best to identify a few possible locations and write down relevant contact information since these facilities will be busy in a crisis.

Update Your Emergency Kit⚓︎

Ensure You Have All the Essentials⚓︎

You should always have an emergency kit for just such an occasion. Still, it's important to periodically check it to ensure you have everything beyond the basics - water, food, medicine, and basic supplies. Check it to make sure you have the following essentials:

Emergency Kit
  • A three-day evacuation supply and two-week home supply of non-perishable food
  • A flashlight in good working order
  • Extra batteries for your flashlight or radio
  • A simple, hand-crank or battery-powered radio (NOAA weather radio)
  • A first aid kit
  • A seven-day supply of medications, at a minimum
  • A multi-purpose tool
  • Sanitation items, such as soap and toilet paper
  • Personal hygiene items, such as toothpaste and deodorant
  • Copies of all your documents, such as insurance policies, birth certificates, passports, deeds, leases, medical information, and proof of address
  • A cell phone and charger
  • Cash
  • Emergency blanket
  • Map of your region and state or country
  • A manual can opener
  • An extra set of keys for your car and house

Add Non-Essential Items⚓︎

You'll be thankful later that you have a few practical, non-essential items in your kit. Consider adding baby supplies if you have one, games for your kids, pet supplies, two-way radios, and medical supplies for your specific medical conditions. Depending on your situation, these items may end up becoming essential.

Consider the Types of Disasters in Your Region⚓︎

If you live in an area with many blizzards or power outages, you might want to keep an electric blanket and extra sleeping bags in your emergency kit. However, if you live in an area that gets hurricanes, you might need rain gear and working gloves to remove branches and debris from your yard.

Determine what sort of disasters might affect your region and add specific items to your emergency kit. Some things to include are as follows:

Emergency Items
  • Surgical masks
  • Whistle
  • Matches
  • Raingear
  • Towels
  • Work gloves
  • Tools and supplies for protecting your home
  • Plastic sheeting
  • Duct tape
  • Workboots
  • Extra clothes
  • Scissors
  • Household bleach
  • Entertainment, such as books or movies
  • Blankets
  • Sleeping bags

Ensure Your Emergency Kit is Accessible and Easy to Carry⚓︎

Your emergency kit is only as functional as it is portable. Figure that in the event of an emergency, you may have to move around or leave your location on short notice. You don't want to grab multiple bags, but instead, you should only need to grab one. Ensuring it's easy to carry and in good working order will be essential.

If possible, try to have all your supplies easily accessible in something like a duffle bag or a backpack. The kit should be accessible near an exit, such as a hallway closet near a front or rear door.

References⚓︎

  1. If you live in Canada, you can learn about the risks impacting your region at the following website: https://www.getprepared.gc.ca/ ↩

  2. If you live in the United States, you can learn about the risks impacting your region at the following website: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-management-agencies ↩