1. Remember to prepare for everyone in the home. When you are putting together a plan to prepare in the case of an emergency, it is very important to remember to plan for not only yourself and your children, but also for your family pets and any guests who could potentially be with you at the time of the emergency. Many people fail to plan for their pets, and unfortunately many pets are lost each year as a result. Sometimes, you have to act in the best interest of the people, and there is nothing that you can do. But it is definitely worth putting together an emergency plan for your pets.
2. Have meeting places lined up, and make sure that everyone knows where they are. You should generally have three-five locations that everyone in the home knows about where you can meet up in the case of separation during an emergency. This could be a neighbor’s front yard, a local business and possibly a relative’s home a few miles away. This way, you will not have to wander around looking for family members because they too will make their way toward the pre-determined locations.
3. Attach your appliances to the floor. Particularly in flood prone areas, it is recommended that gas appliances be attached to the floor. Your appliance will most likely be destroyed in the case of a severe flood; however the risk that you are alleviating is that of your gas line rupturing, presenting a possible explosion risk within your home. You can use straps, mounting bolts or another method for attaching the appliances to the floor, or even to a wall. Just remember that is you attach to the wall, the wall should be constructed of solid material.
4. Buy plenty of flashlights and even more batteries. It is always important to have a flashlight on hand. In general, most people use flashlights ten or more times during the course of a year. A good quality flashlight should be on hand in the kitchen, or other central room of the home. In addition, everyone should have a flashlight near their bed in case of a middle of the night emergency. There are now a lot of emergency flashlights that do not require batteries. Instead, they are powered by a hand crank and have a halogen bulb for added brightness.
5. Inspect your home carefully. One of the first things to do when planning for emergency preparedness is to get to know the ins and outs of your home. At a minimum, you should know where all of your utility shut-offs are located. You should also take a look around to see if there are heavy objects which could fall on someone and result in an injury. Take care to check the handrails on your stairs to ensure safety in a situation where the stairs are unstable.
6. Reconsider your storage areas. Take some time to look through your storage areas to ensure that the heaviest items on shelves are at the bottom, near the floor. Make sure that any storage shelving is secured to the wall in some way. Consider whether there is any risk of a fire, or if your storage area contains little more than fuel should a fire start. Clean out old things that you do not plan to use, in order to reduce the fire hazard.
7. Find all of the chemicals in your home. It is important to know where your chemicals are stored, and whether they present an additional risk in the event of an emergency. For example, you should never store ammonia and bleach in the same location! Many people do not consider this, however should the two combine the results could be very dangerous due to the emission of toxic gas. Paint, paint thinner and other chemicals should NEVER be stored near your furnace, water heater or any other appliance with a lit pilot light.
8. Find a safe spot in your home. Depending on the type of natural disasters to which your location is prone, this spot can range from the basement to the attic. Generally, everyone should have a high ground location in the case of a flood. However, if your area is prone to earthquakes you would most likely want to be somewhere like under a sturdy doorframe. If tornados are common, you should have a below ground location, with little that can fall on you from overhead.
9. Have a written plan. Many people spend a lot of time putting together an actual emergency plan, but they never put it in writing. Well, in the case of an emergency there is a good chance that someone will miss a critical step in the process of evacuation, etc. Therefore – always have a copy of your plan for each member of the house. Perhaps the plan can be stored in a nightstand drawer with a flashlight.
10. Review your emergency plan. You are not the only one who needs to be familiar with your emergency plan unless you live alone. Make sure that everyone knows his or her responsibilities according to the plan. And, make sure that you review the plan upon occasion to make sure that it still works for you and that everyone knows exactly what to do in the event of an emergency.
11. Invest in emergency lighting. In the event of a fire or power outage, it is a good idea to have some sort of emergency lighting available. Invest in lighting that can be moved around as needed or anchored into place. Flashlights are one example of emergency lighting, but battery operated light bulbs are available on the market.
12. Check out your landscaping. During a severe storm, most homes are not damaged by the storm itself. Instead they are damaged by falling limbs, trees and power lines. The power lines are generally brought down by falling limbs and trees. Therefore, it is important to check your landscaping at least annually to ensure that all of the trees and shrubs surrounding your home are well manicured and not touching your home or power lines.
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