The recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan has really shaken people all over the world. A natural disaster or for that matter even a man-made disaster can strike anywhere, any time and it is better to be prepared and remain prepared rather than be caught off guard. This is more so important if you have children, the elderly and the physically disabled in the household. You must have a disaster management and preparation plan that shouldn’t be dependent upon external help (especially if you live in a third world country where disaster management is non-existent).
And it is not just preparing for the disaster, you must also train yourself as well as your family members on a regular basis. The practice must be so regular that when the actual disaster strikes everybody acts according to the plan and this may save many lives. Listed below are a few steps that you can take in order to prepare yourself and your family for natural as well as man-made disasters.
Prepare a first aid kit
Even small measures can save lives. For instance you must have a first aid box ready and available all the time. It should be well-stocked. It must have antibiotics, burn ointments, bandages of multiple sizes, illness related medicines in case people in your family have asthma, diabetes or heart conditions. The kit must also contain sterile dressings to stop bleeding. You may also keep over-the-counter medicines such as painkillers, anti-diarrhoea medication, general disinfectants, face masks, scissors and disinfectants soaps and gels.
Educate your family and children
An aware and trained family is always in a better position when a natural or man-made disaster strikes (a man-made disaster may constitute of a terror attack or a chemical accident). Awareness and regularly talking about disaster management techniques also keeps your family members mentally prepared. Disasters can prove disastrous when we are not mentally prepared for them. Teach your kids basic first aid and train them to survive even when no adults are around. Let them know how to avoid falling into holes and cracks, suffocating in smoke, getting burnt or getting electrocuted.
In case you have pets, senior citizens and persons with disability at home you should prepare your family members accordingly. If assistive tools and technologies are needed then you must also have extra provisions in case the regular ones are lost. If there are pets in the family assigns specific duties to each family member in order to safeguard them.
Keep basic tools well functional
Regularly check that your emergency flashlights are working. Recharge the batteries on a regular basis and always keep extra batteries so that even if you are trapped you have access to light for a long time. Similarly you must also have tools to cut through wood and iron or other metals. There must be extra towels to wrap them around your faces in case there is a fire.
Keep dried food well-stocked
It is safe food that becomes scarce during a natural disaster. On a regular basis keep in stalk of dried up fruits and vegetables. You can also store packaged food that can be kept for weeks.
In order to know more about how to prepare and manage natural and man-made disasters you can visit this website called 72hours.org.