Survival Guide - Are you prepared for a disaster?

How would your family cope if presented with a disaster like fire, tornado or flooding? Discover 5 ways to begin today to prepare for the unexpected.

Do you ever wonder how your family would escape if your home was engulfed in flames? How about if a chemical spill in your community forced you to evacuate to a shelter with your children? If a hurricane blew into town, leaving your family trapped in your house without power or water, could you cope?
In the event of a widespread disaster, such as an ice storm or severe flooding, emergency responders might not be able to reach you for several days. How well you prepare and how much you practice will determine how successfully you deal with and recover from disasters.
“It’s absolutely essential that parents become their own advocates in terms of emergency preparedness, and learn how to take care of themselves,” insists Hal Newman, Executive Director of the National Emergency Management Resource Centre (NEMRC), and father of ten-year-old twin girls.
If you aren’t prepared, keeping your children calm when fleeing your home or being housed in a shelter will present big challenges, adds Newman.
Here are several ways to prepare for a disaster:

1. Think about how your family’s needs should be addressed in an emergency.
“Find 10 minutes of quiet time, and write out what you need to take care of your family,” advises Newman. Devise a system to signal for help if phones and electricity are down. Consider purchasing a generator for emergency power.

2. Pack an emergency kit and Go Bag stocked with supplies tailored to your family’s specific needs.
Store them in an accessible location so you can easily grab them as you’re fleeing your home. Your kit should contain enough non-perishable food, water, medication and supplies to sustain your family for at least three days. You don’t need to collect everything at once, notes Newman; pick up items while grocery shopping, and set them aside in a backpack. “Leaving your home is a high trauma, high stress situation,” says Newman. “In an emergency, little things make a huge difference, so having a box of Kraft Dinner or a favourite stuffed animal in your kit is a great idea, because you’re bringing along an element from home.”

3. Plan for disasters that could happen in your neighbourhood.
John Saunders, the Ontario Director of Disaster Management and International Response for the Canadian Red Cross, says emergency preparedness “is about giving thought to the unthinkable,” emphasizes Saunders. “Fire is the most likely risk that anyone’s going to face. But do you have hydro lines or electrical towers above your house that might fall on it? Are there propane manufacturers or suppliers in your neighbourhood? Look at both man-made risks as well as weather or acts of nature, and make specific plans about what you would do if that actually happened.”

4. Develop an escape route in case of fire, and practice it with your family until it becomes instinctive.
“There’s no point in saying, ‘We’re going to go out the back door’, then stack up all your recycling bins there because you forgot,” says Newman, who suggests practicing at least once a month.
Keep a pair of shoes under each person’s bed, and decide in advance where your family will meet up once outside.
Most important for parents? Stay calm. “You need to take a breath, keep it together, because if you lose it, your kids are going to suck that up,” warns Newman.

5. Do some community outreach of your own.
“If you don’t know your neighbours, now’s a really good chance to get to know them,” concludes Newman. “Say, ‘If ever there’s an emergency, could you check in on us?’ It’s incredibly low-tech.”

Your 72-hour checklist
• Water
• Non-perishable food
• First-aid supplies
• Lighter or waterproof matches
• Flashlight
• Your family’s current medical information and prescriptions
• Portable radio
• Change of clothing
• Personal hygiene items
• Cash
• Photocopies of identification papers and other important documents (ie. wills, insurance)
• Back-up power, such as a generator for electrical medical equipment
• Batteries
• Blankets
• Current photos and ID papers of children, in case of separation
• List of potential guardians and other contacts n case of separation.

Emergency Preparedness Resources
Download the Canadian Red Cross’ Emergency Preparedness Guide:
www.redcross.ca/cmslib/general/epweek72hour_guide_e.pdf
For more information about how to prepare for an emergency:
www.getprepared.ca