An accident can happen anytime. No one can be ready for every happenstance, but people can prepare as much as possible. Regrettably, surveys show that about 60 percent of Americans are not prepared to handle an emergency. This is the reason why it is important to develop an emergency plan, and the following are just a few tips.
Ensure Communication
One important aspect of an emergency plan is to make sure that everyone can stay connected with friends or family members during an emergency. For one, it is important to have a designated safe meeting place that the entire family is aware of should an emergency occur. This will help ensure that each person in the family can find each other without phones. This is also important because it is not guaranteed that an emergency will happen when everyone is in the same location.
It might also be a good idea to set up designated emergency contacts that can be trusted.
Prepare the Home
It would be wise to prepare your home for an emergency. For example, it may be helpful to have an extinguisher at home just in case there is a fire. To take it a bit further, there are also flame-retardant lightweight overalls that you can buy. These can be easily thrown on should there be a fire.
Another good idea is to purchase a seismic gas line valve. This valve is connected to the gas line and activates should there be an earthquake. This is important because one of the main reasons earthquakes turn deadly is because there is a gas leak during a quake, which sometimes sparks explosions.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Being prepared and having a plan is good, but there is one thing that is often overlooked, which is practicing for the emergency. In essence, everyone in a household should be able to follow the steps. For example, learning how to handle the fire extinguisher should be second nature, and everyone should know where the flame-retardant clothes are. It is also important that everyone knows how to get to the safe meet-up location, even without a GPS system.
This might also be a good time to have the entire family take a few first-aid classes. Knowing how to treat some wounds or learning how to give CPR might end up saving a life, and it is important.
Have a Getaway Bag
Making sure you have a bag with essential supplies is important. This bag should be easily accessible. It might be a good idea to have a few of them throughout the house to ensure that it can be grabbed in the least amount of time. Keeping a bag in the car may also prove helpful, just in case the house emergency bags are inaccessible or if the emergency occurs outside the home.
The bag should include things like emergency kits and battery or solar powered gadgets such as flashlights or radios. Signal flares might also be helpful, especially if the emergency happens in desolate areas. Food and water is also essential; just make sure that you buy food with a long shelf life like raw honey and certain dried foods. Do not forget things that might help you during this stressful time, such as vaping tools like a vape box mod or even board games to help kids pass the time.
Some of these steps may seem excessive, but the truth is that it is better to be safe than sorry. Yes, there is a chance that none of this will ever be used, which would actually be preferable, but that does not mean an emergency plan should not be created.