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Your Family Disaster
Plan
Disaster can strike quickly and
without warning. It can force you to evacuate your neighborhood or
confine you to your home. What would you do if basic
services--water, gas, electricity or telephones--were cut off?
Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a
disaster, but they cannot reach everyone right away.
Four Steps to
Safety
1. Find Out What Could Happen to You
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Contact your local Red Cross chapter or emergency
management office before a disaster occurs--be prepared to take
notes.
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Ask what types of disasters are most likely to
happen. Request information on how to prepare for each.
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Learn about your community's warning signals:
what they sound like and what you should do when you hear them.
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Ask about animal care after a disaster. Animals
are not allowed inside emergency shelters because of health
regulations.
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Find out how to help elderly or disabled persons,
if needed.
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Find out about the disaster plans at your
workplace, your children's school or day care center, and other
places where your family spends time.
2. Create a Disaster Plan
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Meet with your family and discuss why you need to
prepare for disaster. Explain the dangers of fire, severe
weather, and earthquakes to children. Plan to share
responsibilities and work together as a team.
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Discuss the types of disasters that are most
likely to happen. Explain what to do in each case.
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Pick two places to meet:
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Right outside your home in case of a sudden
emergency, like a fire.
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Outside your neighborhood in case you can't
return home. Everyone must know the address and phone number.
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Ask an out-of-state friend to be your "family
contact." After a disaster, it's often easier to call long
distance. Other family members should call this person and tell
them where they are. Everyone must know your contact's phone
number.
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Discuss what to do in an evacuation. Plan how to
take care of your pets.
3. Complete This Checklist
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Post emergency telephone numbers by phones
(fire, police, ambulance, etc.).
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Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1 or
your local Emergency Medical Services number for emergency
help.
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Show each family member how and when to turn
off the utilities (water, gas, and electricity) at the main
switches.
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Check if you have adequate insurance
coverage.
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Get training from the fire department for
each family member on how to use the fire extinguisher (ABC
type), and show them where it's kept.
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Install smoke detectors on each level of your
home, especially near bedrooms.
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Conduct a home hazard hunt.
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Stock emergency supplies and assemble a
Disaster Supplies Kit.
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Take a Red Cross first aid and CPR class.
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Determine the best escape routes from your
home. Find two ways out of each room.
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Find the safe places in your home for each
type of disaster.
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Home Hazard Hunt |
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In a disaster, ordinary
items in the home can cause injury and damage. Anything
that can move, fall, break, or cause a fire is a potential
hazard.
Repair defective
electrical wiring and leaky gas connections.
Fasten shelves securely.
Place large, heavy
objects on lower shelves.
Hang pictures and mirrors
away from beds.
Brace overhead light
fixtures.
Secure water heater.
Strap to wall studs.
Repair cracks in ceilings
or foundations.
Store weed killers,
pesticides, and flammable products away from heat sources.
Place oily polishing rags
or waste in covered metal cans.
Clean and repair
chimneys, flue pipes, vent connectors, and gas vents.
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4. Practice and Maintain Your
Plan
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Quiz your kids every six months or so.
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Conduct fire and emergency evacuations.
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Replace stored water and stored food every six
months.
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Test and recharge your fire extinguisher(s)
according to manufacturer's instructions.
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Test your smoke detectors monthly and change the
batteries at least once a year.
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Working with neighbors can save lives and property. Meet with your
neighbors to plan how the neighborhood could work together after a
disaster until help arrives. If you're a member of a neighborhood
organization, such as a home association or crime watch group,
introduce disaster preparedness as a new activity. Know your
neighbors' special skills (e.g., medical, technical) and consider
how you could help neighbors who have special needs, such as
disabled and elderly persons. Make plans for child care in case
parents can't get home.
If Disaster Strikes
Remain calm and patient. Put your plan into action.
Check for Injuries
Give first aid and get help for seriously injured people.
Listen to Your Battery-Powered Radio for News and Instructions
Check for Damage in Your Home...
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Use flashlights. Do not light matches or turn on
electrical switches, if you suspect damage.
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Sniff for gas leaks, starting at the water
heater. If you smell gas or suspect a leak, turn off the main
gas valve, open windows, and get everyone outside quickly.
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Shut off any other damaged utilities. (You will
need a professional to turn gas back on.)
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Clean up spilled medicines, bleaches, gasoline,
and other flammable liquids immediately.
Remember to...
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Confine or secure your pets.
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Call your family contact--do not use the
telephone again unless it is a life-threatening emergency.
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Check on your neighbors, especially elderly or
disabled persons.
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Make sure you have an adequate water supply in
case service is cut off.
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Stay away from downed power lines.
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