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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. Create a plan that is designed to share responsibilities and allows your family to work together as a team. Discuss the types of disasters that are most likely to happen in your area and plan what to do in each case. Below are tips on what to use in your disaster plan and other steps you can take to increase your preparedness. PICK TWO PLACES TO MEET : Right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency, like a fire. Outside your neighborhood in case you can't return home. Everyone must know the address and phone number. COMMUNICATIONS PLAN: Choose an out-of-town contact your family or household will call or e-mail to check on each other should a disaster occur. Your selected contact should live far enough away that they would be unlikely to be directly affected by the same event, and they should know they are the chosen contact. Make sure every household member has that contact's, and each other's, e-mail addresses and telephone numbers. Leave these contact numbers at your children's schools and at your workplace. Telephone lines can be flooded when emergencies happen. Your family should know that if telephones are not working, they need to be patient and try again later or use e-mail. Post emergency telephone numbers by phones (fire, police, ambulance, etc.) Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1 for emergency help. DISASTER KIT AND EVACUATION PLAN: Assemble a disaster supplies kit and evacuation pack. Discuss what to do in an evacuation. Make sure your evacuation pack is ready. Determine the best escape routes from your home. Find two ways out of each room. Find the safe places in your home for each type of disaster. SPECIAL NEEDS: Plan how help family members and neighbors with special needs, such as: the elderly, disabled persons, people with hearing/speech difficulties, visually impaired, cognitive/psychiatric disabilities, et PETS: Plan how to take care of your pets. Animals are now allowed in designated areas outside of emergency shelters but you must take precautions for your pet as well as for those taking care of your animal. Bring copies of your pets vaccination records and make sure your pet is properly secured on a leash or in a pet carrier. TRAINING: Show each family member how and when to turn off the utilities (water, gas, and electricity) at the main switches. 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. Take a Red Cross or American Heart Association first aid and CPR class. PLAN FOR QUICK RECOVERY: Safeguard your records. Keep insurance policies and an inventory, including receipts, in a safe deposit box. If you evacuate, take this information. This speeds up claims processing and helps prove tax-deductible, uninsured losses. Check if you have adequate insurance coverage. Check the limits of your homeowners or renters coverage, including contents coverage and coverage to buildings or structures on your property that are not attached to your home. Your limits may be too low if replacement costs have risen due to additions, new purchases or inflation. If you can't find your policy, ask your agent or company for a copy. Homeowners, farm and ranch, renters and condominium policies do not cover flood damage, but national flood insurance does. There is a 30-day waiting period for a flood policy to become effective, so DO NOT wait until a flood is imminent to apply for coverage. Check your auto policy declaration page to see if you are paying for comprehensive coverage ("other than collision"). Comprehensive coverage pays if a storm, fire or flood damages your car. If you own rental property, you may want to add coverage for loss of the rent that would have been paid by a tenant during the time the home is uninhabited due to an insured loss. Update your inventory. Photograph or videotape each room and the exterior of your home. List model and serial numbers. RELATED PUBLICATIONS Are You Ready? A Guide to Citizen Preparedness (PDF format) by FEMA A comprehensive guide to personal emergency preparedness to help individuals prepare themselves and their families for disasters. (You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view) Family Disaster Planning by the American Red Cross How to create a family disaster plan before disaster strikes. Financial Preparations by the American Red Cross Steps to help you reduce the physical destruction to your property if you were to be hit with a disaster. Pets and Disaster: Be Prepared by the American Red Cross How you can be prepared to protect your pets when disaster strikes. Disaster Preparedness for Livestock by the Humane Society of the United States Preparedness planning tips for protecting your livestock, whether by evacuating or by sheltering in place.