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If you are reading this, you are here to find ideas on making a plan for emergencies.
This is very important to do and to make sure everyone knows the plan.
A few things you want to keep in mind:
What are we going to do if there is an emergency?
What if you are separated from each other? Do you have a plan for that?
Where is the location we will meet others?
Do we have a secondary location if you cannot make it to the primary one?
In this article, I want to help you answer the above questions, and by the end, everyone in your family will have a plan in case of an emergency.
Ideas and Considerations
Who is going to be involved?
Not only how many people are in your “group,” but also if there is anyone that is needed. Is this going to be only for yourself or for multiple people?
Some people you might want to think about include your immediate family, friends, neighbors, people that live out of the area.
And what about the animals in your household? Do you have a plan for them? Having a place that they can go and attending to their needs or be house temporary is very important to think about.
You also want to consider the age of people in your group, do any of them have any disabilities, need any medication, and what is the physical ability of everyone.
I bring these points up because a friend of mine has everything dialed in. He even has doctors, cops, preppers, and the list goes on and on. We all know what our task is and where to meet up. This is why planning is so important.
Complete a Family Plan
I have found it best to work as a team.
Making sure everyone is on the same page is the only way to make this work. This way, everyone is on the same page, and since they get to help you get their buy-in!
My suggestion is to get a few maps, pens, paper, highlighters, and always the right attitude.
This is something that will likely take time, so enjoy the process. You can then get everyone’s ideas and suggestions.
The first step I take in this process is establishing two meeting places (in different locations). If you want more, that’s even better (we also have one out of the state).
The next step is getting a way that you can communicate.
In natural disasters or any type of emergency, cell phone towers might be jammed with many people using them. The flip side to that is if power is out, you might not have any internet access.
Therefore, having a plan in place with multiple ways of communication is vital. This is also why having a meeting place is important to establish early on.
A few thoughts about notification systems: the news is always a good start, but radio is the best. Other options include Nixle (if your area offers this), google alerts, and weather apps.
Practice Your Plan
MOST important is making sure everyone knows the plan.
I cannot say that enough. And yes, I know I’ve already said it a few times, but everyone must know what to do.
If you have a specific place to meet up, know how to get there. This should be able to be done without a cell phone or GPS.
Depending on what is going on, again, cell phones might be overwhelmed and not working correctly. With that said, it’s also good to make sure everyone has cell phone numbers.
I personally keep a small piece of paper in my wallet with a few important numbers to know.
A few more suggestions, I tend to lean towards using Google for almost everything. So the next few suggestions are going to be with them.
You can always adapt this to fit your own needs. I have a Google voice phone number because I figured it is a good way that everyone in my party can remember.
Also, along those same lines is having a group email account (this Google email address is linked to the phone number, super cool!). It is super easy to keep in contact with this, and everyone knows the password (this is key). You can put the plan you all agreed on into an email.
Quick tip
The trick here is to save the email as a “draft,” that way, anyone can log into the email and get the plan. If you want to take it a step further, you can put it in a Google Document that everyone can easily change or make adjustments to.
As I’m mentioned this, I realized I also use Dropbox. This is a way that I back up everything in my plan.
I’m the only one that has access to it, but I like to keep a “Master” that is updated every six months or so.
The goal here is to have the ability to share the information with everyone in your group. The easiest way to do that is to upload it to the infamous CLOUD via Google or another similar system.
Additional Thoughts
Something that we do is to have a contact out of the area.
It needs to be someone you trust and know what your overall plan is. It’s even better, and in our case, to have two that are out of the state.
This allows everyone to have a contact that hopefully isn’t in the same situation as you are in. If something happens, you can call the individual (out of the area) and notify them of what is going on.
Allowing this person to become your “dispatcher” and advise other parties in your group on what is going on.
Quick tip
Years ago, my family decided also to have a “safe word.” Yes, I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not like that. It is a way that we can tell if everything is okay.
If someone uses the safe word, we have a protocol of what to do. Basically, we get the person out of the situation they are in. This could be used for different situations that fit with your family or group’s plan.
What is Your Plan?
Being prepared and having a plan is essential, especially nowadays. Do not wait to create a plan until it is too late.
Knowing what your plan is and practicing what you’re going to do will make it a smooth process if it is ever needed. Having at least two different options is ideal, just in case something happens to your original plan.
Our goal is always to keep our loved ones safe. The task now is to start making a plan!
This is just the start of the process, if you want to know more, just ask.
You can also check out this website for tons of other ideas.
If you have any suggestions or enjoyed this article, please leave a comment. I enjoy hearing what others do or if this is something you will be putting together. If you have any questions, please let us know, and we will do what we can to help you out.
Thanks for stopping by. Now take a break and go for a walk!
