Create a family plan
Where will you meet if you have to evacuate your home after a disaster and some family members aren't home? Who will pick up your children from school? How will you let loved ones know you are safe? If you have special needs, how will you get help?
These are all questions you should answer before a disaster happens by making a Family Emergency Plan. This Red Cross Family Plan template will work well for most families (or you can create your own):
Red Cross Family Plan PDF Template
Instructions for using the Red Cross PDF template
In addition to the overall plan, each family member should carry an Emergency Contact Card in his/her wallet/bag/backpack.
When you finish making your plan, leave a comment to enter a drawing to win the January Motivational Prize (a 10-pack of lightsticks)!*
Get involved in neighborhood disaster planning
Here are some additional recommendations to consider from the City of Berkeley's Easy Does It website:
CREATE A "SELF-HELP TEAM" (recommended by the American Red Cross) that includes people in your life that you spend the most time with or around. This network of individuals can include relatives, roommates, neighbors, teachers, co-workers, etc. These should be people you know and trust, because you will exchange information with them about your needs in a disaster. Create a "buddy system" that will know how to help you.
GET INVOLVED IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, especially in disaster preparedness and crime watch activities, both of which support community organizing to meet a disaster. Work with neighborhood groups planning for the next disaster (e.g. CORE in Oakland or the Block Captain program in Albany). Network! Add your skills to neighborhood disaster response plans. If you live in Albany, click here to find out if your block has a captain.Additional information for seniors and people with special needs:
If you have special needs (you use medical equipment that requires electricity, you have difficulty with mobility, etc), you need to do some extra planning. If you live in the City of Berkeley, you can register with the city's "Easy Does It Voluntary Emergency Services Registry" to let fire and police authorities know that you will need special help in the event of a city-wide disaster, such as an earthquake. To register, download and fill out the form below and send it to Easy Does It Services, 1936 University Ave., Suite 191, Berkeley, CA 94704 or scan it and email it to info@easydoesitservices.org.
City of Berkeley Voluntary Emergency Services Registry Form
Easy Does It Services informational brochure
It is also especially important that you create a "self-help team" (described above). After an earthquake, downed power lines or other obstacles may make it difficult or impossible for friends and family who live outside your immediate neighborhood to get to you. Make sure you connect with your neighbors before a disaster happens so that they will know how best to help you.
For more information, the following pamphlets can be downloaded from the Red Cross website:
Disaster Preparedness: For Seniors by Seniors
Preparing for Disaster for People with Disabilities and Other Special Needs
*Only past or present members of the Berkeley Ward are eligible for the prize drawing.
*Only past or present members of the Berkeley Ward are eligible for the prize drawing.
Wow!! After all these years, we made a plan. Deciding there were 2 kinds of emergencies that could happen--earthquake and flood (we forgot fire which we are discussing as I am writing this.) We first called someone who lives in the Berkeley Hills to see if we could use that for whatever necessary backup we might need. Then we found there isn't the reception for some cps there. Also, there could be mudslides and trees down blocking access. We then called an older relative who lives on higher ground and within walking distance, and established that as our meeting place. We also decided on our out-of-state contact. WOW. all we had to do was start talking!!
ReplyDeleteWe completed the Red Cross Family Disaster Plan. We've talked about these things before, but never written them down before. I feel better now that I have something I can read to tell me what our plan is because I'd probably panic and forget during and emergency. So Thanks!-Patti
ReplyDeletenot as hard as I thought it would be...thanks for encouraging us to do this. now i just need to follow through with setting up the evacution plan for the chickens, too.
ReplyDeleteGot our family plan. I agree with Patti that it is nice to have it written down so that in the event of an emergency we have something to refer to. I still need to come up with a plan for my father but we do have a month's supply of his meds in his emergency bag.
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