How to Protect Your Family With Pre-Disaster Planning - Emergency Preparedness Plan

There are many steps that can be taken to preventand can be accomplished by all family members. This
harm to your family when a disaster strikes. Theis especially important when smaller children or elderly
primary key to ensuring the safety of your family isare within the home. The designed emergency plan
to plan ahead. While every disaster is different theshould be tested under various pretend emergencies
steps that need to be taken for safety purposes areto make sure it is suitable for all major emergencies
very similar. A simple cycle will help prepare you andor to let you know that the plans need to be revised
your family for what needs to be done. This cycleunder certain circumstances.
includes four easy step, planning, testing, practice,Now that the plan has been designed, tested, and
and maintenance.ready to be used in case of emergency, it is time to
The first portion of this critical cycle is of the utmostremind all the members of the family of what needs
important. It is planning an evacuation or reaction planto be done. We never want an emergency to occur,
appropriate for the natural disaster. If a fire was tobut when it does it is time to get down to business.
take place in your home an evacuation plan would beTo make sure there is no delay in family response, a
more suitable while if a hurricane was approaching amonthly test should be run. This way all the
safety plan directed at the in home safety wouldprocedures stay fresh in everyone's mind. So when
prove to be more valuable. For this reason, it isthat emergency does occur there is no doubt that
advised that an evacuation plan and severe weathereveryone knows exactly what they need to be
plan be created. A few things to remember whendoing.
creating your emergency plan is to designate a singleFinally, the last part of the cycle is maintenance. The
location for all the family to seek out when anportion is just as important as the first. The reason
emergency arises. This will make is easy to accountbeing for maintaining your emergency plans is that
for all family members and help save valuable time insometimes house layouts change, family members
trying to move the family to a safer location.switch rooms, or they simply become ineffective.
Secondly, this plan needs to be discussed on a regularThis is also a good time to check those first aid kits
basis with the whole family to make sure everyoneand emergency supplies such as bottled water,
understand the plan and also knows the importancecanned goods, and conditions of the home. An
of following the plan and not deviating from it. Finally,emergency plan should be evaluated annually to make
a good way to help refresh younger members of thesure you and your family are doing all that they can
familys memory is by posting your emergency plansto stay safe in a state of emergency.
on the refrigerator and in their bedrooms. That wayThis cycle will help keep you and your family safe.
there in a stressful situation when it is time toJust remember those four easy steps: planning,
implement these plans they can easily be located andtesting, practicing, and maintenance. Following those
followed.rules will make sure your plans are not haphazard and
Before the final plan is put into place, it is importantwill keep your family safe.
to test the plan and make sure that it is effective