Family Safety Plan
Make a family emergency meeting plan
- Besides your house, choose two or three
alternate meeting locations in the event you
cannot get back to your house. (e.g. the home
of a neighbor or relative, a church, a local
school, or other public locations are good
choices).
Designate Out of Area Contact
- During a disaster, you may not be able to
make local phone calls, but you CAN call out of
the area. Pick a family member or friend to
serve as your family's Out-of-Area contact. In
the event of an emergency or disaster, you can
call your Out-of-Area contact and tell them
you're safe, where you are, and where you are
going. Your Out-of-area contact can then share
this information with other family members who
call. All family members should have the phone
number of your Out-of-Area contact with them at
all times.
Stock and Maintain emergency preparedness
and first aid kits
- Plan to be self-sufficient for a minimum of
2-3 days.
- Always keep flashlights, portable radios,
and fresh batteries.
Establish a personal support network to
check on each other in case of an emergency
Establish a plan for special needs family
members
Establish a plan for pet care
Store important family documents in a
safety deposit box or watertight/fire proof
container
- Keep a copy of things like your drivers
license, passport, social security card, and
children's birth certificates in your disaster
supplies.
- If you can only grab one thing on your way
out the door, you will at least have copies of
all important documents, until replacements can
be ordered.
Know the location and how to turn off the
shut-off valves for your household gas and water
services.
- Store any tools to turn off the valves in a
secure place. Do NOT turn gas off unless
instructed to do so by the gas company. And
remember that the gas can only be turned back on
by a professional.
Practice, practice, practice!
The more you practice your plan, the more likely
you are to remember it in times of disaster.