Create a Disaster Preparedness Plan You never really know what could happen when a major earthquake would

strike you r area but a proper disaster preparedness plan would help you and your family co pe with these calamities accordingly. While it's difficult to guess how each mem ber of your family would react in the face of scary disasters, the fact that you are armed with the right resources and information should make a whole lot of d ifference. You only need one clear mind to lead everyone and remind them of what they need to do, after all. Why prepare? Knowing how to anticipate the unknown helps ease fear and anxiety. When every me mber of your household knows that you have a disaster preparedness plan they wou ld feel more assured that everything is going to be alright even when the hurric ane appears to be blowing everything around them apart. Being well-prepared can also minimize the impact of these disasters. For instance, elevating the home or addressing flooding issues can reduce the damage that hurricanes may cause on y our place. While there are government rescue teams who are always on stand-by to provide as sistance, they can only do so much. You need to help yourself as well. A disaste r preparedness plan allows you to take care of your household to make the job ea sier for the rescue personnel. This translates to more people being saved and ev eryone evacuated in designated sites in a more organized manner. What is covered? A disaster preparedness plan covers everything that needs to be done before, dur ing and after a disaster strikes. For starters, you need to identify warning sig ns, risks and danger signals that will allow you to foretell an impending calami ty. You will also want to build your disaster kit so you can easily survive on y our own until help is available. During the disaster, you need to put the plan i nto action. Having a working plan will also allow you time to help other people out and guide those who are in charge of the rescue operations. Your plan should also consist of guidelines for repairing any damages that the d isaster inflicted. These are efforts that will allow you to prevent or at least minimize further losses. Anticipating the possibilities The type of disasters that may strike vary from one place to another. For natura l calamities, these are dependent on your geographical location. For instance, i f you live in an area located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, expect to experien ce a lot of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. If you live near tropical cyclon e basins then hurricanes will probably be paying your home a visit several times within the year. Understanding the possibilities help you anticipate them and p repare for them accordingly. You will also want to identify your community's warning signals in cases of disa sters. These are alarms that go off each time the area is about to face a calami ty. You need to formulate a disaster plan so you react properly when you hear th ese alarms. Plan with your family A disaster plan should be made with the family or the company where you are empl oyed. You want to meet the members of your household so you can agree on several different details including the responsibilities that each one has in case a di saster does strike. You will want to explain to your children the potential dang ers that they may encounter. In case they get separated from the group, you will want to agree on at least two places where you can meet. Make sure that every m ember knows the address and phone numbers for these places. Assemble your survival kit One part of formulating the disaster plan is putting your survival kit together.

Everyone has to know where the kit is located so that in case you become indisp osed or incapable of getting it yourself, someone else can pick it up for you. W hen building your survival kit, it's important that you factor in the specific n eeds of each of your family members. For instance, those who are suffering from certain health conditions will have to have a stock of prescription medications available. Conclusion Life would have been so much easier if disasters followed a certain schedules so we can easily anticipate the extent of the damage they inflict. But such is not the case and disasters can strike anytime and usually when you least expect the m. As such, you want to be prepared with a proper disaster plan so you can easil y cope with any calamity that may strike your area. Planning helps you anticipat e the unknown and enables your family to react accordingly so that damage and in juries are minimized.