While it is impossible to prepare for every contingency, you can take several steps to help ensure that you can keep your family safe until help and recovery assistance professionals like the team at Beehive Disaster Cleanup can arrive on the scene.
Disaster preparation begins at home. It is vital that you work together with every member of your family to address crucial considerations such as:
Encourage each member of your family how to contact emergency services through 911 and maintain a list of emergency contacts such as friends and relatives.
Establish a meeting area outside of the home in case disaster strikes. Also, work with your family to set up at least two distinct escape routes that are viable from every point in your home.
Keep a supply of water readily available in your home to sustain your family for two weeks or more. A general rule is to keep at least a gallon of water for every person in your household for each day.
Store enough food in your home to last your family about five days. The best survival foods are granola bars, canned fruits, tuna fish and other foods which are easily stored and contain a high caloric content.
Your sewer system will probably not function in the event of severe flooding or an earthquake. As an alternative, you can use plastic buckets and bleach. Be sure to store additional soap and hand sanitizer as well as garbage bags.
Just like other members of your family, your pets will also need access to food, water and sanitation areas. Please also realize that local shelters will probably not allow you to bring your pets with you.
Ensure you place prescription medications, eyeglasses and other essential items in an easily accessible location. It is also a good idea to keep medical insurance cards with you.
It is vital that you learn how to quickly locate and turn off utilities coming into your home such as electricity mains, water and natural gas.