How to Prepare for Disasters and Emergencies
- Rehab Medical
- Apr 26, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 20
Disasters and pandemics can happen any place any time so it's important to always be prepared for when things happen. This blog is designed to help you get and stay prepared for whenever an incident strikes. According to the American Red Cross, there are three main steps you need to take to be ready for when disaster strikes.
Step One: Identify what hazards are local to your community. This will help you in putting together an emergency supply kit and identifying evacuation or shelter-in-place plans for you and your family.
Step Two: Build an emergency supply kit and store it in an easy-to-access area. Having an emergency kit or ‘go bag’ ensures you have enough provisions to keep you and your family healthy and safe.
Step Three: Create a well-thought-out evacuation plan for you and your family and practice it as often as possible to keep it fresh in your memory. This makes it easy to account for everyone in your family and any pets you may have.
Identify What Hazards Are Local to Your Community
By identifying the hazards in your community, you’ll be better equipped to follow the remaining steps of building a supply kit and creating an evacuation plan for you and your family. The American Red Cross has created a handy map that identifies common natural disasters based on regions of the country.
There are some disasters that are common in every region, and others are only specific to certain regions. As we continue to dive into preparing for emergencies, we’ll identify specific things needed for unique disasters that only occur in certain areas. In the meantime, see where your residence falls on this map to help you understand which disasters you need to be prepared for.
Build an Emergency Supply Kit & Keep in an Accessible Area
After you’ve identified which disasters are common to your area start building your emergency supply kit to accommodate those specific disasters. Below you’ll find a list of common items that should always be in your emergency kit.
Water
Keep at least one gallon of water per person, per day. If you must evacuate your home, have enough water for three days. If you are to shelter-in-place, keep enough water for two weeks.
Non-Perishable Foods
Always keep a stash of non-perishable foods that don’t require a need for cooking. Similar to your water supply, you’ll want to have enough non-perishable foods to last three days if you need to evacuate your home and enough for two weeks if you are to shelter-in-place.
Flashlight
Always keep a flashlight with extra batteries and extra bulbs. In case of a power outage, flashlights will be a better option than candles because they last longer.
First-Aid Kit
It’s always a great idea to keep a first-aid kit, whether there’s an emergency or not. Be sure to keep one in your home and in your car, so you can quickly tend to any injuries if needed.
Medications
If you take necessary medications, keep an extra supply of those medications in your first-aid kit or emergency supplies kit, have enough for seven days.
Hygiene Products
Toilet paper, wet wipes, deodorant, hand sanitizer, and bug spray are great essential hygienic items to have. These items will keep you clean even if you're ever in a situation where there is no running water.
Batteries
Always keep an extra set of batteries. If you're ever somewhere electricity is scarce, having battery-operated devices and enough batteries to last a month will help you navigate situations where electricity is needed.
Blankets
Make sure to have an emergency blanket stored in your kit in case you're ever in a situation where you don’t have access to heat, especially if you live in areas where the climate can drop well below 40 degrees.
Manual Can Opener
Keeping a spare can opener that doesn’t require electricity will help to eat non-perishable food items should you not have access to heat or electricity.
Cards or Board Games
In the event your evacuation or shelter-in-place plan lasts longer than a few days, it’s good to keep a set of cards or board games to pass the time and keep your mind sharp.
Pet Supplies
If you have pets, make sure to have an emergency supply kit for them. A week’s worth of food and water, along with vaccination records and toys for entertainment, should be kept in their emergency kit.
Car Supplies
It’s also a good idea to have these emergency kit items stored in your car as well, along with local maps, service and repair kits, jumper cables, and flares.
Make sure you frequently check your emergency supply kit to rotate out items that have expired, additionally reevaluate your emergency supply kit once a year to ensure it still meets your needs.
Emergency supplies to always have on your person:
Personal identification documents
Cash
Mobile phone with an extra battery and charger
Whistle
Create a Well-Thought-Out Evacuation Plan
If you live in an area where natural disasters are common, it’s important to create a well-thought-out plan for you and your family, especially if you are an older adult. First, ask yourself these questions: Do you rely on a caregiver for your basic needs? Do you struggle with mobility limitations? Do you have a reliable means of transportation? Do you have any physical disabilities? Being able to answer these questions can help you create a plan that fits your needs and keeps you safe.
Then it’s time to implement your plan. The first thing you should do is contact your friends, family, and neighbors to establish a plan. Discuss things like how they will be able to assist you in an emergency and how to communicate when you are in need. It’s also a good idea to create a routine check-in system so you can respond to an emergency sooner rather than later. Additionally, keep an up-to-date list of your emergency contacts in an easy-to-access area; that way, if you are unable to communicate, someone else can contact your loved ones for you.
Next is to figure out how you will evacuate your home should you need to. Make a list of possible exit routes and be sure to keep your emergency supply kit near those exits so you can easily grab it on your way out. Once you’ve exited your home, establish a meeting place that’s easy to get to so your emergency contacts know where to find you.
If you are an older adult and require assistance with transportation, struggle with chronic health conditions, mobility limitations, hearing or vision problems, and your support system is unable to tend to you immediately during an emergency, you can contact SMART911, CodeRed, your local county registry, or whichever other services emergency responders in your area use to provide immediate assistance.
For more tips on how to prepare for disasters and emergencies, be sure to check back next month for our next emergency preparedness blog, where we’ll focus on a specific disaster and what to do if you’re caught in the middle. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram to be the first to know when new content comes out!
Resources
https://www.travelers.com/resources/weather/emergency-preparedness/disaster-preparedness-tips
https://www.fema.gov/blog/10-items-include-your-emergency-kit
https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/make-a-plan.html
https://www.cdc.gov/aging/publications/features/older-adult-emergency.html
