Preparing for Disasters: Family Communication
Preparing families to react to disasters or emergencies, whether they be natural or man-made, should be an essential goal of every family worldwide. Families can and do cope with disaster by preparing in advance and working together as a team. Knowing what to do is your best protection and your responsibility.
Prior to a Disaster or Emergency, plans should be developed:
• Meet with your family and discuss why you need to prepare for disaster. Explain the dangers of fire, severe weather, and earthquakes to children. Plan to share responsibilities and work together as a team. Keep it simple enough so people can remember the important details. A disaster is an extremely stressful situation that can create confusion. The best emergency plans are those with very few details.
• Discuss the types of disasters that are most likely to happen. Explain what to do in each case. Everyone should know what to do in case all family members are not together. Discussing disasters ahead of time will help reduce fear and anxiety and will help everyone know how to respond.
Planning Prior to Evacuation, the key things to remember are:
• Pick three places to meet:
• Right outside of your home in case of a sudden emergency, like a fire or explosion.
• Outside of your neighborhood in case you can’t return home or are asked to leave your neighborhood. Everyone must know the address and phone number of the meeting locations.
• A meeting place a long distance away from your community (potentially a state or two away) if a large scale evacuation is necessary.
• Develop an emergency communication plan. In case family members are separated from one another during floods or other disasters, have a plan for getting back together. Separation is a real possibility during the day when adults are at work and children are at school.
• Ask an out-of-town relative or friend to be your "family contact." Your contact should live outside of your area. After a disaster, it is often easier to make a long distance call than a local call. Family members should call the contact and tell him or her where they are. Everyone must know the contact’s name, address, and phone number.
• Teach children to call your family contact in case they are separated from the family in an emergency. Help them memorize the telephone number, write it down on a card that they can keep with them, or enter it in their phone or digital device.
• Discuss what to do if authorities ask you to evacuate. Make arrangements for a place to stay with a friend or relative who lives out of town and/or learn about shelter locations.
• Be familiar with escape routes. Depending on the type of disaster, it may be necessary to evacuate your home. Plan several escape routes in case certain roads are blocked or closed. Remember to follow the advice of local officials during evacuation situations. They will direct you to the safest route; some roads may be blocked or put you in further danger.
• Plan how to take care of your pets. Pets (other than service animals) are not permitted to be in places where food is served, according to many local health department regulations. Plan where you would take your pets if you had to go to a public shelter where they are not permitted.
School Emergency Plans
Know your children’s school emergency plan:
1. Ask how the school will communicate with families during a crisis.
2. Ask if the school stores adequate food, water, and other basic supplies.
3. Find out if the school is prepared to shelter-in-place if need be, and where they plan to go if they must get away.
In cases where schools institute procedures to shelter-in-place, you may not be permitted to drive or walk to the school to pick up your children. Even if you go to the school, the doors will likely be locked to keep your children safe. Monitor local media outlets for announcements about changes in school openings and closings, and follow the directions of local emergency officials.
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