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As part of our ongoing goal to ensure that everyone is prepared for disaster – made even more urgent considering the recent events in Chile – we encourage people to do just one thing each month to prepare yourself and your family. The idea is to prepare enough to be able to sustain yourself and your family for 72 hours after a disaster. As a guide, we’ve been following the disaster preparedness calendar featured on Do 1 thing. This month’s 1 thing is Shelter.
The goal is to identify a safe a place to shelter during an emergency and to know how to respond safely when instructions are given. If you spend a lot of time in certain locations that aren’t your home, like a workplace or perhaps a gym or place or place of worship, it might be a good idea to think about safe places in those locations as well. When establishing your shelter plan here are some things to consider:
- Identify the best shelter area in your home:
- Where can you duck, cover and hold at your residence?
- What area of your house is the best place to stay high and dry?
- In case you must evacuate, what places in your community can you go to for shelter?
- Talk to your child’s school regarding their sheltering procedures.
- Have a leash or carrier to evacuate or contain your pet in an emergency.
If you have to evacuate – and sometimes even while sheltering in place - having a “Go Bag” can be a very convenient way to ensure you have some necessary items that will make life easier. Your Go Bag can be part of your home emergency kit, just make sure that it is in a bag or easy to carry container and that it is in an easy-to-get-to location.
Some things to include are:
- Battery powered, or wind-up radio
- Flashlight
- Blankets (“space blankets” are cheap and can be found at most sports/camping stores)
- Emergency information, including a list of any prescription medicines and insurance policies
- Personal items such as toothbrushes, soap, extra glasses, etc.
- Whistle
- Pen and paper
- First-aid kit
- Diapers and baby formula
- Supplies for pets (leash, food, bowls, plastic bags)
- Change of clothing
- Anything you know you just can’t live without!
Remember, disasters can strike at time, so doing just a single thing each month can help you and family survive at least 72 hours.
(photo via http://www.flickr.com/photos/wafflechomper/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
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