The Importance of Preparing an Emergency Plan

In this day and age it is vital that the average person takes the time to develop emergency plans. September 11 is not so long forgotten for any of us, but this is only one type of emergency. Following are types of emergencies your family should seriously discuss, consider, and plan for. "Be Prepared" may be the Boy and Girl Scout motto, however, in today's world it should be the motto of every person in .

Fire: Every single one of us, old enough to read this article, learned in grade school the importance of fire safety, yet few families implement the policy of practicing fire drills, developing evacuation routes, or investing in the proper fire alert systems. Families need to develop an evacuation plan and they need to practice it. Invest in fire safe boxes for your most important documents and valuables. Take the time to re-learn all those fire rules and determine whether your house can use tools, such as a fire ladder.

Natural Disaster: Different places of the world experience different kinds of disasters. Earthquakes, hurricanes, avalanches, blizzards, tornadoes, floods all affect some portion of the world. Chances are you already know what is typical for your area. However, if it has been a long time since you have experienced one of these disasters chances are you have gotten lax with your emergency planning. Do you have an emergency in-home shelter picked out? Do you know the fastest, safest way out of your town? Do you keep an emergency kit packed in your car and in your in-home shelter location? Develop a plan for where you will meet or what you will do in the event you get separated from your loved ones during a disaster. How will you reconnect? Many people will read this and think that anyone who takes the time to do this is paranoid. However, people who take the time to do this will likely be the ones to survive the disaster with the least injury or trauma. Would the people who were hit by Katrina have been better served if they had been better prepared for this emergency? I am not suggesting being prepared will alleviate all aspects of living through a disaster, but they will promote you actually surviving it.

Bioterrorism: Anthrax and small pox epidemics, do these sound familiar? They were both topics tossed around right after the September 11^th attacks. Bioterrorism is the use of living agents, either ones created by man or ones found naturally in the environment put in place with the intent to hurt other living things. This type of attack is more likely than it would have been years ago. It is very possible, even probable that will suffer an attack like this in the future. There is a wealth of information on the internet about bioterrorism and emergency preparedness. The greatest prevention against it is community member knowledge and preparation. Questions to consider are things such as, what would you do in the event of quarantine?

Terrorist Attack: Ok, there are some things you can't really plan for, like your plane being hi-jacked or train being attacked. Public transit will always be vulnerable, but the methods put in place to prepare for public transit attacks are mostly up to the transit authorities. You can help by always reporting anything suspicious no matter how silly you might feel and keeping a careful eye on your belongings at all times. However, you can and should prepare in the event an attack occurred at your workplace or near your home. Many of us older individuals remember the drills where we went to the halls and tucked our heads between our legs. Ok, maybe those aren't the best methods for preparedness anymore, but there are many articles written to date to prepare for workplace emergencies. You need to know what preparation responses are in effect for your work in the event of an emergency. Will you be allowed to leave? How will you reconnect with your loved ones?

Radioactive Exposure or Nuclear Explosion:Ok now you think I am getting this stuff out of a science fiction magazine. However, I can assure that I am not. I live in a rural area in
Pennsylvania
and am within 20 miles of both a Nuclear Power Plant and Atomic Power Site. There are actually five of these types of plant in this state. I had no idea when I moved into the area that they were here. However, I have since learned a lot about the importance of Potassium Iodine Pills and how we are alerted in the event of an emergency. If you look for research in meltdowns and accidents at these types of facilities you will quickly realize that accidents can and do happen. Carefully research for these types of facilities anywhere with 20 miles of you and be sure you know how the local jurisdictions plan for an accident or radioactive spillage.

The best way to find information is to look for your Department of State Health Website. Look for any information on emergency preparedness and learn the evacuation routes, shelters, and alert systems for your town. Cities, townships, boroughs and states are becoming more aware of the need for emergency planning and providing more comprehensive and better checklists, tools, and education materials to help community members prepare in the event of an emergency. Families need to make emergency planning more of a priority. They need to develop a plan for where they will meet or what they will do in the event they get separated during a disaster. How will you reconnect? Make a plan for each type of emergency and be sure everyone in your circle of close family and friends knows about it. Just because you haven't experienced a disaster yet, doesn't mean it won't happen. I can guarantee no one that went to work the morning of September 11^th ever expected to experience the events of that day.