The world climate is definitely changing, and we are seeing stronger storms and increasing frequency of very strong storms. We are also seeing places with very little history of being hit by strong storms now being surprised and devastated by the weather.
Everyone needs to be prepared for an emergency no matter where you live. Emergencies are not limited to hurricanes. Even events like widespread power outages can have catastrophic consequences. Short term or local power failures are common, but a major grid collapse can mean there is no communication, no fuel, no electronic transactions, and diminishing support from first responders.
Being prepared may be the difference between getting through easily or facing some very hard consequences. For people who are caregivers for the disabled or elderly, the need to prepare and have a plan is even greater. There is already a burden on caregivers just to complete day-to-day activities. Add an emergency to the formula and the lack of a plan and clear options can create a very serious situation.
MOST IMPORTANT ADVICE: When told to evacuate, do not hesitate, do not speculate, grab your plan and start your evacuation immediately!
The information below is from a guide prepared by DoD for disabled veteran caregivers. This is good advice for everyone. Here is a disaster preparedness checklist:
1. Have a Plan
It’s essential to have a plan if your family has to evacuate because of a hurricane, wildfire, flood or other disaster or emergency.
- Have an alternate location where your family can go. Plan several routes to this location and make sure it is far enough away that it may not be impacted by the same emergency. Have a backup alternate location as well that is further away.
- Plan for your own daily needs, those whom you care for, and for any pets, service or support animals in the home.
- For caregivers, plan for someone who can serve as backup who knows or can be taught how to provide care in the absence of the primary caregiver, in case they are unable to come to the home because they are also affected by the disaster.
- Plan for how you'll obtain accessible transportation you may need for evacuation or getting around during or after a disaster. Check local transit providers or your emergency management agency to identify accessible options.
- Create an emergency communications plan to decide how you will communicate with your household if you are not together when a disaster occurs.
- If members of your household (teens and above) might be out of the house in an emergency, plan a rally-point somewhere en-route to your designated evacuation point.
2. Build a Kit
In addition to basic survival supplies, consider adding items your family uses every day to your kit. For example:
- A list of prescription medicines. Include information about your medical conditions, diagnoses, medicine dosage, frequency, medical supply needs and allergies.
- A list of the models and serial numbers of medical devices (include special instructions for operating your equipment if needed). Include spare batteries or charging systems as needed.
- Copies of insurance and Medicare cards.
- An easy to grab folder or binder with vital documents including financial information, insurance policies, passports, birth certificates, vehicle titles, social security cards, military discharge papers or other records that might be needed if your home is destroyed. Put a copy of your plan at the front of this folder and refer to it as you prepare to either bug out or hunker down.
3. Stay Informed
- During an emergency, keep a NOAA Weather Radio tuned to your local emergency station and monitor TV and radio. Follow mobile alerts and warnings about severe weather in your area.
- Download the FEMA app and get alerts from the National Weather Service for up to five locations in the United States. Find more resources at ready.gov/plan.
4. Last Resort “hunker down supplies”
If the nature of the emergency does not allow for evacuation, you should be prepared to stay and survive. Sudden power outages, earthquakes, tsunamis and other emergencies can happen without any warning and loss of infrastructure can make evacuating to a safe location impossible. Should that happen, being prepared can be the difference between life and death.
- Bottled water with enough water (1 gal per person per day) to last for at least a week.
- Dry and canned food sufficient to provide at least 1000 calories per day per person for a week.
- If you own a generator, enough fuel to power the generator long enough to save cold and frozen foods. Eat those first and resort to dry and canned when the fuel is exhausted.
- Make sure you have as much prescription medication as your health plan allows. If you have advance warning, get refills as a top priority if you can.
- Battery powered lights, flashlights, an AM radio (better signal reception than FM).
- A supply of batteries for essential equipment. Batteries have a shelf life of about 10 years so stock up when you can and keep a good supply handy.
Bottom line: Disaster and emergency preparedness starts at home, and it is essential to include everyone in the household in the discussion, especially those who receive care. By doing so, we can help ensure our nation's disabled veterans are safe, while creating a more prepared and resilient America in the process.
This is only a start to preparation. It provides the basics but not a lot of detail. In future articles I will provide a more detailed checklist and a template for a family emergency plan.
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