Putting Together a Home Emergency Plan

Many families do not think about what they would do during a home emergency until a devastating event happens to someone we know and love. Unfortunately this is not the best way to learn what not to do. While it is easy to learn from others’ mistakes, why take the chance that it is your mistake others will learn from? Be prepared for a fire, flood or other natural disaster which may turn a regular day into a nightmare. Walk away alive and you will see just how important taking the time to plan really is.

Valuables and Important Documents

It’s most important to have a plan for irreplaceable valuables and important documents. Items such as family heirlooms, expensive jewelry, birth and death certificates and family memorabilia should have a special place in the home. If you keep these items near each other in a specific location, it will be easier to locate and evacuate them in case of an emergency that leaves you time to gather belongings. Remember that no life is worth any material thing, and your life should never be risked to re-enter a dangerous home in search of such belongings. Though some things can never be replaced, nothing is worth the loss of life, even if it means having to leave animal friends behind.

Escape Route and Exits

Emergency planning is so important that police and fire personnel begin visiting schools to teach children as young as kindergarten how to practice safety. Older children are often asked to speak with their parents and draw out a detailed emergency evacuation plan in case of fire of other incident. It is so important to sit down as a family and come up with an evacuation plan, with escape routes and alternate exits. If children’s bedrooms are located on the second story, the children should be taught how to open the windows and remove the screens. A safety rope ladder is important to keep in each upstairs bedroom, in the case the window is the only available exit route.

Who to Call and Where to Meet

A part of every emergency plan should include notes on who to call once the emergency situation has been identified. For instance, should children take the time to call 911 if there is a fire? These are things that should be discussed ahead of time so that children do not get confused in the event of an evacuation. It is often safer to leave the home and make phone calls from a neighbor’s home, though children may not think of that. It is also important to choose a place off the property for each family member to meet. This way each family member can leave the home on their own, feeling secure and sure of where to find the others.

About the Author:
Joe Cline writes articles for Austin Texas Realtor. Other articles written by the author related to Cedar Park real estate and Austin real estate can be found on the net.