Do You Really Have All The Information You Need In The Event Of A Disaster?
Make Sure You’re Really Prepared Should Disaster Strike
Most of us have the basics down when it comes to disaster preparation. We have (or should have) our emergency supply kits, our automobile emergency kits, our first aid kits, and food and water stored away in case of an emergency or disaster. We know what to do in case of a hurricane, tornado, earthquake or flood -- or at least we think we do. Do you really have all the information you need if a disaster were to hit home?
Make A List And Check It Twice
FEMA (yes, I know… FEMA) suggests making a list of every possible hazard and then determining how much risk there is of that disaster actually happening where you live. The categories FEMA has listed in their example list include natural disaster hazards, technological hazards, and terrorism hazards. Under each category, they have specific disaster types listed. For instance, in the natural disaster hazards section of your list, you’d want to put tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, lightening, etc. In the technological hazards section you’d list things like hazardous materials incidents and nuclear power plant incidents. In the terrorism category you’d list things like biological threats, explosions, etc.
Once you have listed every possible disaster you can think of, make a column next to the list and start thinking about what the chances are of that actually occurring. If there is no risk of a specific disaster happening in your area, cross it off. For example, if you live in Minnesota, you have no chance of a hurricane occurring so you wouldn’t need to be concerned with that.
Check With Local Agencies For Plan Information
Once you know what disasters you need to focus on, contact your local emergency planning department or your local red cross to find out any local plans for handling such disasters. You should have information on local evacuation plans and routes and how citizens will be informed of emergency and emergency-related plans.
Once you have this information, you can ensure that any disaster-related plans you make will coincide with local planning.