Some disasters strike without any warning, and family members may not all be in the same place. How will you get in touch with each other? Where will you meet? How will you get out of your house in case... of a fire? What if your neighborhood is being evacuated? It's important to make a plan now so that you will know what to do, how to find each other, and how to communicate in an emergency.
Preparing for emergencies shouldn't fall on your shoulders alone. Young children and teens alike need to be part of the process — for their own safety and sense of empowerment. • Work together to build an emergency kit. • Sit down as a family to talk about your communications plan. • Role-play what you would do during a disaster. • Hold fire drills in your house.
Disasters can leave children and teens feeling frightened, confused and insecure. And kids' responses can be quite varied. It's important to not only recognize these reactions, but also help children cope with their emotions.
You are their biggest influence - When you can manage your own feelings, you can make disasters less traumatic for your kids. • Encourage dialogue. Listen to your kids. Ask them about their feelings. Validate their concerns. • Answer questions. Give just the amount of information you feel your child needs. Clarify misunderstandings about risk and danger. • Be calm, be reassuring. Discuss concrete plans for safety. Have children and teens contribute to the family's recovery plan. • Shut off the TV! News coverage of disasters creates confusion and anxiety. Repeated images may lead younger kids to believe the event is recurring. If your children do watch TV or use the Internet, be with them to talk and answer questions. • Find support. Whether you turn to friends, family, community organizations or faith-based institutions, building support networks can help you cope, which will in turn help your children cope.
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Family Preparedness Made Easy - Make Family Prepardness Easy with One-Minute Drills
In an effort to help you and your family prepare now, here are some one-minute drills that are short on time, but big on impact.
Once you get the kit, make sure that everyone knows where it is and that the items are to be used for emergencies only. You don't want someone taking the water packet from the kit just because they don't want to make the trip to the kitchen.
Drill 3 – Personalize Your Kit
Have each family member pick their favorite canned foods and personal items and add them to the kit.
Drill 4 – Make an Evacuation Plan
This is much easier and less time consuming than it seems. Pull out a map and highlighter and determine two or three destinations and the routes to get there.
Drill 5 – Be Informed
It is important to know what natural disasters can affect your area and what to do in the event of one striking. Visit the ERCG Community Preparedness webpages for more information about preparing for your pets, preparing for those with special needs, and for weather-specific preparedness tips, as well as many other topics. Watch the weather and stay on top of the news if a hurricane or other severe weather is predicted to come your way. If local authorities are telling you to evacuate, then EVACUATE! If you followed the drills above, then you already have an evacuation plan.