Safety, emergency planning, and disaster preparedness are always in the forefront of our minds as Aging Life Care Professionals.
Summers in the Pacific Northwest have us alert to the possibility of wildfires. We are always cognizant of potential earthquakes. During rainy seasons, we consider the prospects of flooding and landslides. In coastal areas, tsunamis are also a consideration.
Then there are the day-to-day emergencies: a fall or stroke resulting in a hospitalization, a car accident, a house fire.
How do you prepare before a disaster or emergency occurs?
Last week we looked at How to prepare for a medical emergency in your home. Today we’ll look at emergency and disaster planning in general, building on last week’s homework.
Here are a few easy steps to make sure you have items and a plan in place:
Step 1: Be Informed
- Anticipate likely disasters: as shared earlier, in King and Snohomish Counties, it’s wildfires, earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, and landslides; add severe weather and volcanoes to that list as well.
- Research Community Response Plans: both King and Snohomish Counties have Emergency Management Centers. Check your municipality for local plans. Sign up for alerts and warnings. Here’s the link for Seattle’s Office of Emergency Management and City of Bellevue Emergency Management.
- Basic Training: enroll in a First Aid/CPR course. These skills can prove critical in an emergency. Check the Red Cross website for classes in your area.
Step 2: Make a Plan
- Use the Family Emergency Plan available at ready.gov to organize and develop a plan that works for your situation.
- The Make a Plan form is a great place to capture all your key contacts such as family, friends, and neighbors, as well medical and insurance information, and designated emergency meeting places.
Step 3: Take Action
- Understand how your needs, be they medical, physical, or cognitive, may affect your ability to respond to a disaster or emergency. Go to ready.gov/disability for a comprehensive review of what you’ll need to be prepared.
- Communicate with the family, friends, neighbors on your key contacts list. Let them know about any special needs you may have and what assistance you may require ahead of an emergency or disaster. This is your Support Network. Establish a communications plan.
- Gather Your Supplies. Use this list of basic survival items from the American Red Cross, which includes some of the items we encouraged you to put in your Go-Bag. As the Red Cross advises, “Keep your supplies in an easy-to-carry emergency preparedness kit that you can use at home or take with you in case you must evacuate.”
Safety starts with preparation. Be informed. Make a plan. Take action. Communication in advance is key. Talk with your family, community, and other support networks to protect your health, safety, and property during an emergency or disaster.
Could you use a jumpstart with emergency preparation? Put our expertise to work for you! Schedule a get-acquainted call today with one of our Aging Life Care experts to explore how we can be of assistance.
