EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS 1

• Schedule quarterly family conferences to discuss prodedures to follow in different kinds of emergencies.
• Hold practice drills.
• Post and memorize emergency telephone numbers.
• Assemble and store a survival kit containing:
  • Flashlights and portable radio with extra batteries.
  • First Aid Kit with manual.
  • Crescent and pipe wrenches for turning off utilities.
  • Emergency food and beverage, 3-day supply (nonperishable food, juices, and one gallon of water per person per day).
  • Chlorine bleach for water purification.
  • Fire extinguisher.
  • Spare eyeglasses, prescribed medications, baby food, pet food, and special dietary foods.
  • Manual can opener.
  • Sanitation supplies; large plastic trash bags, soap, toothbrush and paste, feminine supplies, infant care items, toilet paper, newspaper and a camp shovel.
  • Camping equipment; blankets, sleeping and cooking gear.
  • Complete change of clothes for each person in the family.
• Learn First Aid.
• Establish a location for the family to reunite if members become separated.
• Arrange for a friend or relative in another town to be a communication contact for the extended family.
• Learn the emergency plan of the family's school, day care centers, workplaces, and clubs.
• Make a habit of tuning in to daily weather forecasts and be aware of changing conditions. The Emergency Broadcast System on commercial radio and TV stations will announce a WATCH if an emergency situation is expected and a WARNING if it is imminent or in progress.
• Learn Emergency Food and Water Procedures.
  • Be prepared to take care of yourself and your family for up to five days.
  • Take emergency drinking water from melting ice cubes, toilet tanks (not bowls) water heater, and canned fruits and vegetables.
  • Don't drink municipal tap water, or water from any questionable sources, until it has been strained with a clean cloth and treated. To treat water add 10 drops of chlorine bleach to each gallon of water, mix well, and let stand for about 30 minutes.
  • Freezer foods will last from 48-to 72-hours if the freezer is full and the door always stays closed.
  • Discard all open food and beverages that could be contaminated.
  • Eat perishable foods first. Cook on portable grills, only outdoors.
• Determine an evacuation route and with alternatives.
• Find out where main utility switches are and learn how to turn them off if they rupture and trained technicians aren't available.