PrepareToday!

SEVEN STEPS TO TAKE 

FOLLOWING A DISASTER

1. Are you safe?

Your first concern is to insure that family members, loved ones and pets are safe. Check to see if there are any injuries that need immediate attention and tend to them first.  Walk around your home to determine if there is structural damage that makes staying inside unsafe.

2. Locate dry warm clothing and sturdy shoes.

Conditions can change very rapidly following a disaster.  Locate dry, warm clothing and put them on along with a decent pair of socks and sturdy shoes.  If you have some gloves, put those on as well. 

Many people keep these items under their bed so that they can be located in a hurry in the even they had to get out quickly.  Yes, it may be the middle of summer but go ahead and layer on the clothing anyway.  You can always shed it later.  Put them on, along with gloves if you have them. 

Remember, you are dressing for safety, no fashion or style.

3. Turn off the utilities.

Turn off the electricity coming in to your home.  Why do you need to do this?  A disaster can disrupt your electrical service or cause wires and electrical fixtures to separate, creating a shock and fire hazard.  It is better to be safe than sorry. 

If you smell natural or propane gas, or hear a hissing noise, evacuate immediately.  Locate the gas meter outside your home and turn off the gas.  This is something that everyone in your family should know how to do. 

Note:  Most meters are at the front or side of the house. 

Some are put inside a building. In apartments or commercial buildings, they might be in the back.
If you do not smell gas or do not here hissing, it may be okay to leave the gas on but when in doubt – or if the damage appears severe, shut it off anyway.

4. Conserve Your Water

Water quickly becomes a precious resource following many disasters. For that reason you will want to turn off the water at the main valve in order to insure that the water that is already in your home remains safe and clean.   

You shut off the water for two reasons:

• 1) Cracked lines external to your home may pollute the water supply.  2) Shutting down the water prevents cross contamination. 

• The effects of gravity may drain the water in your hot water and toilet tanks unless you trap it in your house by shutting off the main house valve.  You may need to conserve this water for your own use for a few days, before the community water is again deemed safe.

5. Communicate with Others

Place a communication card in your house window to show your family’s condition – have OK written on one side and HELP written on the backside.  This will alert neighbors and first responders of your condition and will allow them to help those most in need first. 

You will then want to execute your family communication plan.  If you have not put together a plan, then make that a priority now.   

If communication lines are open (cell phone, texting, emergency radios), make contact with the out-of-state or out-of-area contact person that has been pre-selected to relay information when family members are separated following a disaster and local lines are not working.

6. Fire Protection

If you home is safe and the electricity is off, gather your  fire extinguishers and place them outside of your home in a visible location so that others in the neighborhood can use them if a fire erupts.  You are not only being a good neighbor by doing this – you are also preventing a fire next door for jumping over to your home and setting it on fire as well.

7.  Help Your Neighbors

If you have taken my advice and introduced yourself to your neighbors, join them in an effort to determine whether anyone in the community needs immediate assistance right way.  Check on the neighbors that might be the most vulnerable, including families with young children, the disabled and the elderly. 

For those that are hurt, provide basic first aid.  Turn off any remaining gas valves if you suspect a leak (by smell or by sound.)  And most important, help evacuate anyone who appears to be in danger and is too shocked or dare I say, too ignorant, to do so on their own.