One Simple Thing Every Family Should Do Before an Emergency Happens

 

Sometimes the things we are most likely to forget are the things we wish we had prepared in advance.

A sudden power outage. A severe storm. A house fire. A tornado warning. Even a situation where your phone simply stops working can become much more stressful when nobody in the family knows what to do next.

That is why Michigan State Police are encouraging families to spend some time creating an emergency plan before they actually need one.

The advice comes during September’s Preparedness Month in Michigan, but the idea is useful for families anywhere. The state’s emergency preparedness program recommends that households think through possible emergencies, decide where family members should meet, and keep important contact information available even if a smartphone cannot be used.

Would everyone in your family know what to do?

It is easy to assume that everyone would simply know where to go during an emergency.

But imagine a situation where one parent is at work, another is shopping, and the children are at school. Or imagine that the electricity goes out and mobile phone service becomes unreliable.

Having a plan beforehand can remove some of the confusion.

Michigan's Family Emergency Plan includes space for evacuation locations, meeting places and important family contact information. Officials also recommend keeping some important numbers written down rather than relying entirely on a phone.

That small detail could become surprisingly important if a phone battery dies or communication networks are unavailable.

Think about the emergencies that could actually happen

Emergency planning does not have to mean imagining the worst every day.

Instead, families can simply ask a few practical questions.

What would we do if the electricity disappeared for 24 hours? Where would we meet if we could not return home? Who should the children contact if they cannot reach their parents?

There are also less obvious questions.

For example, does someone in the household need medication that has to remain refrigerated? Is there a family member who depends on electricity for medical equipment? Does everyone know where the emergency supplies are kept?

These are the kinds of details that can easily be overlooked when everything is going normally.

Don't forget the pets

Pets are part of the family too, and emergency planning should include them.

Michigan's preparedness guidance recommends thinking ahead about transportation, food, identification and a safe place where animals can stay if a family has to leave home.

For many people, this may be one of the most important parts of the plan. In a stressful evacuation, discovering that you have nowhere suitable to take your dog or cat is not something you want to figure out at the last minute.

A plan can be surprisingly simple

You do not need a huge emergency room or dozens of expensive supplies to start.

A family can begin with one sheet of paper.

Write down important phone numbers. Choose one or two meeting places. Decide who children should contact if their parents cannot be reached. Make a small list of medications and other essential items. Think about pets and how they would be transported.

Then put the information somewhere everyone can find it.

Michigan State Police also provide a Family Preparedness Guide covering situations including severe weather, power outages, flooding, tornadoes, fires and evacuation.

The point is not to live in fear of emergencies.

It is simply to make sure that if something unexpected happens, your family has already had the conversation.

Because when everyone is calm, making a plan takes only a little time.

Trying to make one in the middle of a crisis is a completely different story.

Source: WILX / Michigan State Police