Tornados, hurricanes, wildfire, earthquakes, flooding and human-caused fires and disasters often happen unexpectedly, leaving families no time to prepare to evacuate or to shelter in place in their own home. In support of National Preparedness Month, the Home Safety Council (HSC) is urging families to make a communications plan and assemble readiness kits now, in order to be ready for the unexpected later.

A recent HSC survey found that while more than half of survey respondents (58 percent) have experienced a disaster first-hand, very few have taken action to prepare for another emergency. In fact, only 25 percent of those polled have assembled basic emergency supplies such as water, food and clothing.

“When a disaster occurs, it’s already too late to make an emergency plan,” said Meri-Kappy, president of the Home Safety Council. “The time to get ready is now, before disaster strikes. By investing a few minutes today, families will have the knowledge, supplies and the plan needed to safely and securely make it through any type of emergency situation.”

To help families get ready, HSC offers these tips and resources:

PREPAREDNESS TIPS FOR FAMILIES
Develop a Family Communications Plan:
Being prepared starts with having a conversation. HSC encourages families and neighbors to talk about the kinds of disasters that can occur in their area and to make a plan to stay safe if a disaster should arise. Family communication plans should include:

Places in and out of town where you and your family could meet.

Phone numbers of in-town contacts.

An address and phone number of someone out of town (this could be a friend or relative).

A card for each family member to keep with them with this information written on it.

Put Together a “Ready-to-Go Kit”:
HSC encourages every family to keep the following items in a backpack, tote or duffle bag in order to be ready if an emergency situation forces them to leave home.

*One gallon of water per person     *A small amount of cash     *Food that does not have to be refrigerated                                

*A manual can opener     *Plastic/paper plates, cups and utensils     *Flashlight and extra batteries

*Battery-operated radio and extra batteries     *Change of clothes     *Small first aid kit                              

*Card with your contact information and the number of someone out of state to call   

*Personal hygiene items, soap and hand sanitizer

*Pet food and supplies for one or more days; and leash or carrier

Important: Plan ahead for family members who take medicines and wear eyeglasses, hearing aids, dental appliances, etc. Rather than storing these items in your “Ready-to-Go” Kit, determine the best way for your family to prepare to take these essential items in an emergency. In some cases, it may make sense to store them in the same area as the Kit. But for families with young children, it’s very important to keep all medicines locked up.

For more information on what you can do to help your family prepare for disaster, visit the Home Safety Council’s new interactive safety destination, MySafeHome.org