Preparation is Key when faced with Natural Disasters and Other Emergencies

Almost everyday, we read about the catastrophic effects of natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires and more.

Man-made and natural hazards occur routinely in the United States. In fact, on average, nearly 70 Federal disaster declarations http://www.fema.gov/disasters/ are issued annually. Emergency Preparedness

The National Safety Council – a leading source for safety and health training — estimates that everyday approximately 245 people die of unintentional injuries. Safety Today.

Your home or work routines can be dramatically disrupted with little or no warning by natural disasters and other unexpected events.  For this reason, it’s crucial that you and your family be well prepared — and be able to identify and understand the hazards most likely to occur in your community.

The National Safety Council advises that families make a detailed action plan to prevent needless confusion and worry.

In addition, the National Safety Council offers the following tips Emergency Preparedness to follow when faced with a natural disaster or other emergency:

• Determine the safest course of action for you and your family for each hazard. In some situations, it may be better to stay where you are, also called sheltering in place. This would be necessary during a tornado or hazardous chemical release, for example. Sometimes, leaving an area to escape danger or evacuation is the safer course of action in situations such as a fire or hurricane.
• Stay informed. Know how your community alerts citizens in an emergency, for example and emergency broadcast, a special siren, or a telephone call. If available, sign up for your community’s emergency text or email alert system.
• Plan for your family’s comfort during disasters. Severe weather, earthquakes, flooding and other emergencies may cause utility outages. Prepare a kit that can meet your household’s basic needs for 72 hours.
• Practice with your family what to do in an emergency. Conduct regular drills for the most common hazards such as a fire, tornado or earthquake.
• Undergo family safety training to prevent unnecessary trips to the doctor or emergency room. Training should focus on three key areas: preparing for emergency situations, driving and water safety.
• Become trained in first aid/CPR — at least one person in each household should have these lifesaving skills. trainings.
• Get “hands on” experience in Using a Fire Extinguisher (Video) and learn how to put out small fires in your home.

For more information on preparation for natural disasters and additional home safety tips, visit http://www.nsc.org/Pages/Home.aspx