With every changing season, the risks move from one area of the country to another.<\/p>\n
Being prepared to make decisions in case of emergency can mean the difference between life and death for the members of your household. This is why you should consider having a predetermined home emergency evacuation plan that\u2019s tailored to your needs and location.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s go through the overall steps you can take so you aren\u2019t overwhelmed if disaster ever stares you in the face. For this article, we will refer to The National Center for Disaster Preparedness 5 Action Steps to Personal Preparedness<\/a> framework to help you think, plan and execute on your emergency plan.<\/p>\n Your specific location, down to your county, city, and ZIP code, has its own index for hazard maps. You can use the Natural Hazard Index for US Counties online tool<\/a>, built by the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University, to zero in on your area of the country.<\/p>\n The tool is capable of estimating an overall hazard index, and it also breaks down the risk into different categories:<\/p>\n In addition, the Red Cross also has a map with preparation and protection tips<\/a> to help you be ready for emergencies.<\/p>\n There are the disasters you know are likely \u2014 and then there are emergencies that manifest seemingly out of nowhere. If you can, it\u2019s best to be prepared for every likelihood, because you simply never know what might happen in your area. A couple of examples:<\/p>\n In April 2019, every single school district in the Denver metro area was placed in lockdown<\/a> while a \u201cmassive manhunt\u201d was underway for a self-described Columbine enthusiast, sending thousands of parents into a tailspin of uncertainty.<\/p>\n In February 2021, the state of Texas \u2014 prone to hurricanes and heat waves \u2014 was hit by a once-in-a-century winter storm<\/a> that paralyzed the state and killed more than 50 people who froze to death when the overextended power grid collapsed under the demand for electricity.<\/p>\n All of these natural or human-made emergencies create different conditions that will require either sheltering in place for a period of time, or evacuating your property with only the basics. Your household should be prepared for both scenarios.<\/p>\n Your local public safety officials will use one or a combination of the following strategies to alert you of the situation of serious emergencies and provide you with instructions.<\/p>\n They look like text messages but are designed to emit a unique, loud sound, plus a different pattern of vibration on your smartphone. The alerts will include the type and time of the alert with the action you are expected to take.<\/p>\n Make sure your phone is ready to receive them by checking your user manual for \u201cGovernment Alerts\u201d or \u201cEmergency Alert Messages\u201d and checking with your wireless service provider that your phone is enabled and equipped to receive them.<\/p>\n A national public warning system sent through radio (AM\/FM and satellite) as well as TV stations (local, cable, and satellite).<\/p>\n A nationwide network of radio stations<\/a> that offers weather information for your area, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.<\/p>\n The Weather Enterprise Resources program offers members of the public the option to sign up for text alerts<\/a>, phone call alerts<\/a>, and email alerts<\/a> if and when severe weather is imminent.<\/p>\n This service is a public alert used to alert individuals and businesses of dangerous conditions by sending a recorded voice message to landline telephones and registered cellphones<\/a> within a specific area.<\/p>\n Like the 911 service, this is managed by local jurisdictions. Contact your local police department non-emergency number or your telephone service provider to ensure your phone number is added to the service.<\/p>\n Agent Jessica Arledge<\/a>, who works with 76% more single-family homes than the average Savannah<\/a> agent,\u00a0 jokingly refers to this part of preparedness as a \u201cZombie Apocalypse kit\u201d \u2014 but it really refers to a way of staying prepared for hurricanes and other natural disasters that might trigger a home emergency evacuation.<\/p>\n The Federal Emergency Management Agency<\/a> recommends access to an easy-to-transport emergency supply kit that provides you with at least a 72-hour supply<\/a> of the following items:<\/p>\n Arranging for alerts and getting your \u201cgo bag\u201d ready are just the first part of the plan. Next, you have to put together all the other components. Here\u2019s how to get started.<\/p>\n As part of your home emergency evacuation plan, make sure you review your homeowners insurance policy and determine if you\u2019re properly covered \u2014 including any recent remodel projects.<\/p>\n After consulting the hazard map in the first step, you might want to discuss specific disaster coverage with your insurance agent. As a rule of thumb, you may have to add catastrophe insurance riders that protect your home against earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes, or human-made disasters like terrorist attacks<\/a> to your regular policy.<\/p>\n For example, a named storm deductible<\/a> will be higher than a regular deductible. When it comes to flooding<\/a>, insurance companies can be persnickety. Standard homeowners insurance does not include flood coverage or damage from floods, which might leave thousands of homeowners in the Texas arctic blast out of luck for their broken pipe claims<\/a>.<\/p>\n Also important? Making sure the contents of your home are properly inventoried.<\/p>\n An insurance claim for damage will require a detailed list of the items included in your home and their estimated replacement value. Apps like Home Contents<\/a> or Sortly<\/a> can help you with that task.<\/p>\n Take pictures or a video of all the rooms inside your home, your valuable items, and receipts (if you have them) to provide proof of value.<\/p>\n Identify any irreplaceable, sentimental small items that can be easily transported in your vehicle in case of an emergency evacuation.<\/p>\n Make sure your personal identification and important documents are ready to travel in a waterproof, sealed container.<\/p>\n Important documents to consider having ready to go include:<\/p>\n Consider installing solar-powered outdoor lights so your home can be seen in low-visibility conditions.<\/p>\n Before your power goes out, or you lose your internet connection, make sure your important files are backed up to the cloud using a service like Google Drive<\/a> or Dropbox<\/a>.<\/p>\n Create a habit of keeping your gas tank at least half-full at all times. In an emergency, or during mandatory evacuation orders, gas may become scarce, expensive, or controlled by the government, and you won\u2019t get far without at least half a tank.<\/p>\n Become acquainted with your home\u2019s utility mains, and learn how to connect and disconnect them in case of a home emergency.<\/p>\n Your plan should address the needs and care of pets, family members with special needs, and other members of the family that need extra help moving \u2014 like seniors.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a difference between staying at home and sheltering in place<\/a>; make sure you understand the nuances of each of those levels of emergency status.<\/p>\n You might need to stay inside during a short period of time \u2014 like a tornado warning \u2014 or a significantly longer one in the case of a pandemic like we saw with the coronavirus, which still allowed us to leave the house for essential services like grocery shopping or the pharmacy. Not every extended emergency will be nearly as forgiving!<\/p>\n Plan for extended periods of blackouts by having new spare batteries for essential items. And consider purchasing an electrical generator<\/a> or another power backup<\/a> that allows you to run some of your appliances.<\/p>\n Discuss and identify safe places to shelter inside the home in the case of tornadoes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stock up on activities that don\u2019t require power or the internet to keep you entertained, like books, puzzles, or board games.<\/p>\n If possible, eat, give away, or throw away any perishable food out of your fridge; this includes the freezer. It will prevent you from coming back to the smell of decaying food and a potentially ruined fridge.<\/p>\n If possible, you should also bring in or secure outside furniture or appliances, such as grills and trampolines.<\/p>\n Next, try to make sure you:<\/p>\n Follow all the directions of any public officials, including preferred evacuation routes, speed limits, and other considerations. You want to make sure you\u2019re not becoming an additional burden in a situation that is already complicated.<\/p>\n As a family, you\u2019ll need to discuss where you will go in the event of an emergency that forces you to leave your home.<\/p>\n Choose at least three different spots: one close to home, one outside your neighborhood, and one outside of town entirely. Map out the different routes to all of those locations. Make sure everyone knows under which circumstances they are to meet at which location.<\/p>\n Understand the different ways to evacuate your home. \u201cIt\u2019s important to have a central meeting place right outside the home, in case of fire or earthquake, and in case the normal exit is blocked by fire, smoke, or debris,\u201d says Arledge.<\/p>\n Designate an out-of-state in-case-of-emergency contact and make sure everyone in the family has a copy of their information. Share this information with your emergency contact so they are prepared to act in case of an emergency.<\/p>\n At this point, you should be ready to create a master plan, type it out, and ensure everyone in your family understands what the plan entails. This includes making sure your children understand what they have to do if they are in school at the time of an emergency, and where you will be in order to be reunited with them.<\/p>\n All family members, including children, should memorize their full names, address, and phone number. This template from the Red Cross<\/a> can be a helpful starting point.<\/p>\n Create a master contact list with the most important phone numbers and addresses of family members, friends, and neighbors, as well as doctors, insurance companies, and lawyers.<\/p>\n Print out route maps, and reconsider direct and alternate routes in case of disruption of main arterials. It\u2019s always a smart idea to keep maps in your car so you can refer to them.<\/p>\n Keep a set of master plans, master contact lists and route maps for every member of the family. If you use a family password organizer, such as 1Password<\/a>, for about $60 per year, you can store all of your emergency documentation there so that everyone has access to it, but it remains secure and encrypted.<\/p>\n Now that your plan is ready, you can make a physical checklist of all the things you need to do before, during, and after evacuating your home in case of emergency.<\/p>\n Every six months or so, run an evacuation drill with your entire family. After the drill, identify any issues with your evacuation plan, frequently forgotten items, or things that are taking a long time to accomplish, and adjust them accordingly.<\/p>\n Shoot for a 10-minute evacuation goal to get everyone out of the house and safely into the sidewalk across the street.<\/p>\n Do you have a home maintenance plan? Add an item to your quarterly list: Check your emergency kits and replace anything that requires it.<\/p>\n Think you could do even more to help in an emergency? Consider training as a Community Emergency Response Team<\/a> volunteer. This certification helps you prepare for hazards in your area, teaches you how to prepare, and gives you more confidence in how to act in the middle of an emergency.<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/NCDP-Model-v3_863sq-775x652.jpg\")
<\/a>Step 1: Be aware of your surroundings and know your risks<\/h2>\n
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![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Screen-Shot-2021-03-08-at-9.26.10-AM-775x579.png\")
<\/a>What about out-of-the-ordinary or human-made emergencies?<\/h3>\n
Should you stay or should you go? Listen to the experts<\/h3>\n
Wireless emergency alerts<\/h4>\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/iPhone-emergency-alerts-on-lock-screen.jpg\")
<\/a>Emergency alert system<\/h4>\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hqdefault.jpg\")
<\/a>NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards<\/h4>\n
National Weather Service severe weather alerts<\/h4>\n
Reverse 911<\/h4>\n
Step 2: Ensure enough water, food, and supplies<\/h2>\n
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Step 3: Protect yourself and your family<\/h2>\n
Before the emergency<\/h3>\n
Get your insurance in order<\/h4>\n
Inventory your belongings<\/h4>\n
Secure precious items<\/h4>\n
Manage your documents<\/h4>\n
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Will your house benefit from lights?<\/h4>\n
Back up your files<\/h4>\n
Keep your car ready<\/h4>\n
Learn about your house<\/h4>\n
Include anyone who can\u2019t help themselves<\/h4>\n
If you\u2019re staying home<\/h3>\n
If you\u2019re evacuating your home due to an emergency<\/h3>\n
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![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/home-emergency-evacuation-plan-bags-666x381.png\")
<\/a>Step 4: Communicate with your family and community<\/h2>\n
Step 5: Involve your community and practice just in case<\/h2>\n