Family Disaster Plan

Be ready with a family disaster plan

Would your family know what to do or where to go if there was a natural disaster or emergency? Disasters can strike anyone at any place, and sometimes the only defense is to be prepared. Having a plan can ease a family's worries during a disaster and can also help save lives. The LSU AgCenter has some suggestions on developing your own family disaster plan:

uTo create a family disaster plan, you need information about disasters that can happen in your area. Contact your local emergency management office or FEMA at www.fema.gov to find out specific information about types of disasters.

uEstablish two meeting places in the event of a disaster. One should be just outside your home. The other meeting place can be outside your

neighborhood.

uCreate a family disaster supply kit with enough supplies for three days. It should contain maps of the area, a first aid kit, simple tools (flashlight, radio, can opener, batteries, scissors, etc.), and general supplies to stay comfortable, safe and entertained.

uAlso in the supply kit, store a three-day supply of non-perishable food and pet supplies. Store a three-day supply of water at one gallon of water per person per day.

uMake sure that all family members know who to call in case of an emergency. Keep an emergency contacts list in the disaster supply kit.

Create your own family disaster plan | Safety at Home

Create your own family disaster plan

By Heather

by Heather

Do you know where to go if your house burns down? Do you know where to meet up with your family if a bad storm keeps you from getting home? If you’re at work and the kids are at school, do you have a Plan B to get in touch if the phone lines are out?

Scary stuff, I know.

California First Lady Maria Shriver says, “We prepare for disasters by having a plan and being ready to take care of ourselves, our families and our communities.” While she is focused on my home state, these tips are for anyone. Here are her tips for creating a disaster plan:

Whitney said that her local family meet-up is REI because it’s walking distance from her house and they have great supplies in case her family needs to stock up. I chose the park near my house because it’s a shorter walk for me (and also because I didn’t want to be a total copycat). But I chose other REI locations for our regional and out-of-state meeting spots because I like the way Whitney thinks.

It only takes about 30 minutes to go from “never thinking about that stuff” to “having a decent plan in place” if you use the Disaster Plan template from California Volunteers. You can also create a customized children’s book (for about age five to age 10) to review the plan with your kids.

After deciding key locations and putting vital phone numbers and addresses into the template, the groovy form will pre-populate useful letters and miniature wallet-size versions of your plan. Stick these mini versions in your wallet, in kids’ backpacks or on file with daycare offices. Do this now, while you’re thinking about it and NOT during an actual emergency.

Save the electronic version and email it to your partner and other emergency contacts, so that if you’re ever separated from the paper, one of you can scare up an electronic form.

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