September not only signifies the official back-to-school season, it's also National Preparedness Month. Put those together and it's a good time to review the basics of emergency preparedness by ensuring that everyone in your home knows the family emergency plan.
"There are three simple things each of us can do to be prepared: make a plan, build a kit and get trained," said local Red Cross CEO Larry Petry.
"Last year we had significant flooding and the big windstorm, which serve as a reminder of how important it is to make our community safer and minimize the impact that disasters and emergencies have on our lives," Petry went on. "Locally we also need to prepare for fires and earthquakes."
Making a plan is the first, and perhaps most important, part of a family's emergency preparedness. As a family, determine what disasters may occur in your community and how you may be affected. Use that information to plan how you would contact one another if at home, work, school or while traveling, locally and abroad.
Gather supplies necessary for sustenance and comfort; this will help you both follow the plan and stay safe during and after a disaster or other emergency. Identify two places - one outside your home, one outside your neighborhood in case you cannot return home - to meet after a disaster. After determining these primary and secondary places to meet, identify an out-of-town relative or friend to be the family contact.
"After a disaster, local telephone lines may be busy and overloaded, so it's often easier to call out of the affected area," pointed out Carol Dunn, Community Disaster Educator for the Red Cross. "The role of the family contact is to collect and communicate individuals' locations and status. Then, when conditions allow, they help everyone reconnect."
Everyone, including children, should know the family contact and keep this contact information handy. The Red Cross has specially designed, age-appropriate materials to help families develop a thorough communication plan that is understood by all members of their household.
For more detailed emergency preparedness information, visit www.seattleredcross.org, or call 323-2345 in King County.[[In-content Ad]]
