You can’t really predict when an emergency situation will occur. That’s why it’s important to always be prepared.

Having a plan in place will help adults and children stay calm in times of crisis. It can also help save your life or the lives of the people you love. Here are some basic things you can do to prepare for an emergency.

Assess the types of emergencies that could occur in your area

It’s important to look at all possibilities including natural disasters and fires.

Make sure emergency numbers are easy to find

Keep a list of emergency numbers by your home telephone. It’s a good idea to have these numbers on speed dial. Also keep emergency numbers in your cell phone. It’s important to have an ICE (in case of emergency) number listed in your cell phone. This is the number the paramedics will call if something happens to you. Most emergency workers know to look for ICE numbers in people’s phones.

Keep all important paperwork together

Have your important paperwork together. When there is an emergency and you have to evacuate your home quickly you should be able the grab your important paperwork and leave. This includes, birth certificates, social security cards, passports, insurance papers, and deeds or titles. I think it’s best to keep these things in a small lock box.

Put together a 72-hour kit

Keep a small bag in your house filled with emergency supplies in case you have to evacuate quickly. I used to live in hurricane country, so we were always prepared to evacuate. I prepared a book bag for each member of our family that contained a change of clothes, non-perishable food (like energy bars and dried fruit and nuts), bottles of water, flashlights, extra batteries, small battery powered radio, a first aid kit, toiletries including toilet paper, a book to read and some travel games (time in a hurricane shelter can be boring). I also had some cash in my bag and in my husband’s bag. This way if we did have to evacuate we could grab our bags and our lock box of important papers and go.

Have some food

Having a month’s supply of food in the house is also a good idea. You might end up in a situation where you’re stuck inside. My in-laws get flooded into there house about once a year so they always need to be prepared in case they can’t go out to the grocery store.

Make a plan

Sit down with your family and discuss emergencies that could happen and what you’ll do if they occur. Designate meeting points for your family. For example, if the house catches on fire have everyone meet by a tree across the street. That way you can know that everyone is out. You should also have some kind of plan in place in case you’re all in different locations when an emergency occurs.

Rehearse

You should rehearse your plans. If you’ve practiced, it’ll be easier for you to do when you need to. Make sure your children know alternative ways to get out of their bedrooms in case there’s a fire at night.

All of this might sound a little scary, but it’s better to be well prepared than caught by surprise. When we went over these things as a family we made it into a fun activity. If you make it fun children won’t get upset or feel afraid.

Being prepared is the best way to plan for the unexpected.

Photo by mudpig