QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF WHEN YOU BEGIN PLANNING:
-Define an emergency
-Where do we start on a Family Emergency Plan
-Do I stay or Do I Go?
-BOB’s (Bug Out Bags) / Go Bags – What is in it and where do I get it?
-Family Communications – How does it work in a widespread emergency what do we do if the
communications grid (cell, internet normal phone service goes down).
-Elements of a good short term emergency plan.
Emergency (according to the dictionary)
1: an unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action
2: an urgent need for assistance or relief <the governor declared a state of emergency after the flood>
Generally life is good. Clean water flows from the tap, the fridge is always magically full of chow (thanks Mom) and we are instantly in touch due to a really great IPhone family plan. So, why prepare for a disaster? The answer lies in what happens when some or all of that nifty stuff suddenly stops working. Ask anyone who lives in the hurricane zone, tornado alley, anywhere prone to severe winter storms, earthquakes or wildfires. In short, anywhere in the good ole USA can and has been struck by a natural disaster.
Hurricane Katrina was a wake-up call about lack of preparation. The official death toll is 1833 with most of those deaths occurring in the days and weeks that followed the storm landfall. Clean water and uncontaminated food was unavailable in some areas for weeks. Many were trapped in their attics or on their roofs and died of exposure. The elderly and sick were particularly hard hit.
Unfortunately, the possibilities are endless. NASA and the Academy of Sciences are predicting an unprecedented Solar Storm with electromagnetic radiation from giant solar flares severe enough to disrupt the power grid and destroy unshielded electronics in areas as large as several states. That level of interruption to the power grid could take weeks or months to repair. It would be like taking the affected area back to the 1850s. The only problem is most of us lack the know-how to survive in the 1850s. There are a lot more of us and our urban areas are a lot more tightly packed. These events are called EMP or Electromagnetic Pulse disasters. Another cause of an EMP event is through terrorism or an act of war.
Emergencies don’t always have to be big events. Car crashes, lost in the woods, tornados and severe weather of all types can cause localized emergencies that require some preparation to survive unscathed. Emergency plans need to be formulated for both short term localized events and catastrophic long term disasters. Here is a short list of long term and short term emergencies that can take our lives and those that we love if we are not prepared:
Short Term Localized – Auto accident, earthquake, extreme cold, extreme heat, high winds, hurricanes, tornados, local or regional power failure, wildfires, radiation and terrorism.
Long Term Regional or National – Economic failure, wide-spread terrorism, EMP (electromagnetic pulse from solar flare or atmospheric nuclear event leading to wide-spread power grid failure).
A good list of emergencies or disasters can be found in this article: Types of Disasters and on this webpage: Prepare for disasters
First Step – The Family Emergency Plan
A good starting point for a family emergency plan can be found on the FEMA website article Family Emergency Plan. (See our Planning Resources page for more links)
What about a communications failure? It is important to have a contact outside of the affected area for loved ones to contact if local communications fail but you can still text out. Every family member should carry a FEMA or Texas Family ID card, a pre-paid phone card, cash and have an ICE (in case-case-of-emergency) number saved on their cell phone.
Do I stay or do I go? Hunker down (shelter in place) or Bug Out? Obviously, you need solid family plans for both contingencies. Some of the questions that help with this decision are:
How widespread is the problem?
How long will the Grid (power, water, communications, emergency services and food availability) be down?
What is the security threat (none, local looting, organized gangs, foreign)?
Can I reasonably expect to be able to find safety out of my home area?
Here's a great evacuation planning tool which will help you be ready if/when an emergency situation occurs: Evac Prep.
This short YouTube video shows an evacuation challenge between 2 families - one prepared and one not. Evacuation: The 10 Minute Challenge. Which one would you like to be?
Next Step? - Start building emergency supplies. Begin that process with a 72 hour B.O.B. (bug out bag) for each person in your family. More details on the Go Bags / 72 hour Kit Page