Emergency Preparednes

In case you hadn't noticed when I write, I write from the heart. This week, my heart is with the recent tornado victims. I'm sure you feel the same.

I'd like to talk about emergency preparedness. We all need to address this issue. We need to take personal responsibility for our homes and our families. We need to make sure we have the necessary supplies in the appropriate place or places. 

The first question that arises is what constitutes an emergency preparedness kit? The best information I found was at www.ready.gov/america/getakit/index.html. This website gives a ton of information in list form, and is very readable. The ready.gov list is easy for all of us to accomplish. The thing that is striking about the ready.gov list is that it talks about having 3 days worth of food and water. The American Red Cross website says that, also. Emergency crews may get to you in a couple of hours, or it may take 2-3 days. The second question is do you have a specific place in your house that is your "emergency area?" You need a place to store these things in advance. This place should be close to where you take cover.

I'm not going to go through the list on ready.gov. Instead, let me talk about your children. Preschool and school aged children can help by making their own emergency box. All it takes is a shoe box and a little forethought. Let them help. They should each have their own box. It should contain a couple of favorite photos of the family. These are fun to look at while waiting for an "all clear," and can be helpful to emergency crews if family members get seperated. Let them each have their own flashlight. Yes, they will play with them and annoy you. However, if you live through a major disaster, you'll get over it! Pack extra batteries. Let them add some favorite non-perishable foods. The quantity of these is not meant to last 3 days. It is meant to get you through a 2-3 hour tornado warning. After all, it's just a shoe box. These boxes need to be packed and repacked once a year. This means photos should be updated annually and the food really does need to be non-perishable. At the same time you pack the shoe boxes, pick out a spare change of clothing to pack in your emergency area.

 Teens and preteens will be happy with the same kind of box with some minor changes. Allow them to pack some old cartridges from a favorite handheld game. Consider headphones and iPods. They can contribute greatly to family harmony in a small space.

I have some miscellaneous items I would like to add to the list. Remember, that you have to stay calm and informed. Make sure your emergency area has extra batteries, playing cards, books and board games. I recommend a television as a way to monitor the emergency, over radio. Some people disagree, others use both. I also suggest packing plastic baggies with zipper closures. They come in handy if everything starts to get wet. Keep several sizes handy. Kansas City suggests shoes and whistles for when it is over, http://sms.mx/CPd6y0.

If you are like most families, you have multiple cell phones. In an emergency situation, turn all but one phone off to conserve battery power. Keep the other(s) on chargers as long as power is available. As power goes out in one phone, turn on the next phone. This improves your chances of having phone power until emergency crews can reach you.

Emergencies happen. While we can't be prepared for each and every one, let us plan for the ones we can anticipate. Involve your children. This will make it more like a game and reduce their anxiety. Have a specific emergency area in your house with supplies there all the time. All you will have to do is add loved ones. Talk about this as a family and consider having drills. Then, when an emergency happens, I hope this will make it easier on everyone.

Dr Nan N
House Call Pediatrician

State of the art care for your child in your home.

http://FiresidePediatrics.com
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