Start 2016 Off With Family Disaster Planning

So many of us intend to sit down with our family, or assume everyone is already knows, to talk about what we will do if some sort of disaster affects us; but we unfortunately never actually do it!  Spending as little as 30 minutes talking about what we will do often makes all the difference when something happens.  Each family’s needs are different, and they will therefore develop different family plans to meet their needs.  However they will cover similar scenarios of if we can’t go home where we will meet, who our emergency contacts are and other similar information we want everyone to have the same understanding about.  We also encourage everyone to think about what you would need to take if you ever have to leave your home.  Obviously items like clothes and the family are important to take, but people often forget important items during the stress of a disaster such as medication and what your pets need.

We’ve outlined some sample templates from various sources.  They are all different and provide different ideas.  The important thing is to look over examples that may remind you of something to plan for that you haven’t thought of yet.  We recommend taking the pieces that you like from the various examples and addressing what is most important to you and your family!

Sample Resources

• Family Emergency Planning Guide by FEMA
• Federal Emergency Management Agency Website @ http://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan
• American Red Cross @ http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/home-family/plan
• Or simply do a Google Search for Family Emergency Plan