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.)
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.
