Emergency Preparedness

Planning for an Emergency

It makes sense to plan ahead for likely emergencies so should an emergency ever occur you can concentrate on helping your family and others.

Here are a couple of PDF documents from the Department of Homeland Security to get you started. (You’ll need a free PDF reader to open them.)

• Complete a family emergency plan and make sure the members of your family know about it.
  
• Read about the special needs of elders and individuals with disabilities.
  
• Don’t forget about your pets.

Tips

• If you stock batteries or food for an emergency, make sure you replace them with fresh supplies regularly.
  
• Some hand-crank radios can generate strong magnetic fields. Keep them away from credit cards and pacemakers.
  
• Check electrical devices regularly to make sure they still work. (Use birthdays or national holidays as easy-to-remember dates for testing, or check your emergency devices whenever you test your smoke alarm.)
  
• Make sure you have enough medication to last you through an emergency such as a blizzard or hurricane.
  
• Avoid candles or oil lamps for emergency lighting because of the fire risk, especially if you have oxygen equipment in your home.
  
• Although no amount of money can make you completely safe, a small investment in emergency equipment can make you more comfortable if an emergency does occur.
  
• Look for emergency supplies & devices you can also use in everyday life.
  
• Be prepared to modify your plan as necessary should an emergency actually happen; reality rarely completely agrees with your plan.
  
• Beware of salespeople who exaggerate the likelihood of an emergency and the benefits of their product to make a sale. (Bruce Schneier’s “Beyond Fear” looks at how to compare the costs and benefits of security equipment.)
  
• Try to anticipate emergencies: stock up well in advance so you don’t have to stand in line to buy batteries, ice, etc.
  
• Talk your emergency plan over with others so they can point out problems and suggest improvements.
  
• Check your assumptions: about 500 more Americans died on our roads after 9/11 because they mistakenly thought it was safer to drive than to fly.