8 “Golden Rules” of Disaster Preparation

Disasters are some of the inevitable things that we may face during our lifetimes.

Out of the many things that people do to manage disasters, those who prepare end up on the winning side. Read on to find out about disaster preparation rules.

Natural disasters take place at any given time. Some of them, e.g., storms that precede floods give warning of impending danger whereas others give no warning, e.g., earthquakes. However, as much as the two types of natural disaster are on the opposite end when it comes to alerting people before they take place, they have one thing in common. This is that once they happen, the time for you to prepare disappears. It is therefore prudent for you to always have a plan of how you will cope with natural disasters before they strike because prior planning is the single best way to survive in such ominous times.

Disasters are of various sizes, from the smaller kind of events like storms that affect suburbs too much larger events which can affect an entire city or massive areas which can even cross state boundaries. Among the many outcomes of disasters, the most significant ones include: people getting killed or injured and others losing their valuable possessions and homes thus bringing them to the point of building their lives from scratch.

How Can You Prepare for Disasters?

With all the above in mind, it is in a person`s best interests to protect his/her family, assets, business and home from such grotesque events. It is crucial for us to point out that insurers provide members of society with ways of doing this. After natural disasters take place, insurance companies pay claims to all policyholders (with the appropriate policies) and are victims of a disaster. This, in turn, assists the community to rebuild itself.

As much as subscribing to a disaster-management insurance policy sounds like an exceptional idea, it is good to note that preparing yourself for disasters will help you to get back on your feet faster. The people that are unprepared often experience deep financial loss and devastation which is magnified by their inability to have a means of returning to their normal lives. In case you find yourself in such a situation, you can count yourself lucky because this article will expound on some of the most foolproof ways of making disaster preparation.

The Best Disaster Preparation Rules

1. Learn Your Area`s Shelter Locations and Evacuation Routes

The time for you to figure out your place`s evacuation routes and shelter locations isn`t in the midst of a hurricane bearing down on your house or once a tsunami warning has been sounded. In your disaster preparedness plan, it will do you well to know about the details of evacuations (which are fairly common) ahead of time. It is also prudent for you to master any escape route from your house, even the obscure ones such as your bathroom`s ground-level window.

What Survival Secret We Lost To History

In case you have children, you shouldn`t take any chances with their disaster preparation details. Ensure that you have drawn them several maps of the protocol they should follow and pin it near where they mostly hang around in the house. In addition to this, you should also have a plan of the place your family will go to regroup when evacuating the house.

It is advisable to pick a location outside your house and another one outside your neighborhood (In case you will be required to leave the area). You should decide beforehand the place you`d want to escape to in case of an evacuation, be it Red Cross shelters or even relative`s or friend`s home.

2. Know What You are Facing in Your Preparation for Natural Disasters

When you set to prepare to disaster management, it is wise to know exactly the kind of disaster that you are likely to face as well as know what you are required to do in every situation. An example of this is, if you live in Montana, you shouldn`t be worried by hurricanes. If you live in California, you should be ready for earthquakes while also not overlooking the likelihood of severe weather pandemics taking place when preparation for natural disaster.

3. Plan on How You Will Reconnect With the People That Matter

In case a disaster affects cell networks, you shouldn`t be only worried about how your Hulu or Netflix stream will get affected. Instead, you should be more concerned about how you will regain contact with your roommate or family. How can you let the important people in your life know you are doing good? By figuring this out beforehand, you will be creating a suitable platform for maneuvering through difficult situations. This should not miss in your disaster preparation checklist!

The Red Cross advises people to use a contact that`s based outside the area of emergency to coordinate the family members that will check in with him/her. This is one of the most thoughtful ways of how to survive a disaster because it is simpler to make calls to long-distant destinations. In your home disaster preparation kit, ensure that there is an emergency contacts list as well as numbers for local emergency services.

4. Sign Up for Emergency Alerts

You can easily get emergency alerts on your mobile phone to prevent the hazards that come with lack of disaster preparation. These alerts can be quite annoying as they are capable of overtaking your phone`s silent mode. However, it is good to note that when looking at how to survive a disaster, there`s little room for comfort. By alerting you in such a manner, you are better placed to come up with effective natural disaster preparation because you will constantly be learning about emergencies through your phone (Which is often likely to be next to you).

This system for emergency alerts also broadcasts over television and the radio and can inform you whether severe weather should be expected in a matter of hours, days or even weeks. This, in turn, gives you enough time to grab your home disaster preparation kit and activate the other disaster preparation protocol you had already put in place beforehand. You can also use social media updates, but you shouldn`t rely on them exclusively because your internet connection may break down during an emergency.

5. Have Disaster Preparation Rules that Tell You What To Do in case You`re Caught Away from Home

You may not be at home when disaster comes knocking. In the case of unexpected emergencies, you should be ready to react from various locations such as your car or workplace among others. Have plans of how you will reconnect with kids who are in school or daycare. Ensure that you have talked to schools to assess whether they have the necessary arrangements in place of communicating with families during emergencies. Also, find out whether they have shelters in place; where people will turn to if forced to evacuate.

6. Have a Home Disaster Preparation Kit and Know How to Use It

Your disaster preparation rules should include having a pre-packed kit that holds the essential items that can provide a means of how to survive a prolonged disaster. Some of its components should consist of; disaster preparation food, water, necessary first aid tools among other emergency equipment that you may need. Always ensure that it is already assembled and can be used immediately, not scattered throughout your house.

Ensure that everything`s working appropriately and that no one is sneaking out foodstuff from the finished kit. One of the essential points you should also have in mind is this; if you don`t know how to make use of the kit, it could end up being useless.

7. Consider People That Might Need Special Preparation

Seniors, infants, kids and people with special needs require more attention when preparing for emergencies. In case you or a member of your family requires special equipment or medication, ensure that you bring it along to increase your family` likelihood to survive after a disaster hits. Ensure that you have also liaised with your neighbors to find out how you can assist each other during disasters and how to check on one another during emergencies.

8. Learn Emergency Skills that Can Come in Handy

Ensure that your disaster preparation rules see to it that you have learned about the little emergency skills which can make all the difference in your survival following a disaster. Some of these skills include; use of fire extinguishers and performing basic first aid to an injured person. You can get some training in CPR which could end up being all that stands between a person departing from this world. You could also learn more about shutting off your house`s utilities in case of a disaster that could damage water, electrical lines or gas.

Conclusion

Disaster preparation rules are one of the crucial things that one should have in place to increase the chances of survival following a disaster. As we have seen above, a person best endures disaster by making adequate preparations and the eight points that have been expounded to give adequate information on how you can do so.

Have you ever been caught up in a disaster? How did you survive? Do you think disaster preparation rules have a role to play in recovering from a disaster? Please share your experiences with us by commenting below.