Depending on where you live, natural disasters may be a regular part of your life. Regardless of their frequency, it is always important to have a plan in place with your family in the event that disaster strikes. Just like fire safety, it’s equally important that your children are aware of the plans in place. Below are some basic emergency tips from Modern Survivalists to help your family be prepared.

Know Your Area

First, it’s important to know your geographical area and what natural disasters it may be prone to. If you live in California, for example, you may be vulnerable to earthquakes. According to USA Today, areas along the Gulf Coast and in the deep south are subject to hurricanes, especially during hurricane season. Refer to a topological map to find out if you are in a low-lying area prone to flooding. While some areas are more at risk for tornadoes than others, tornadoes have been known to occur anywhere during a thunderstorm. Once you have an idea for the natural disasters in your area, you’ll be able to better make a plan.

Prepare Your Family

Depending on the age of your child, you may be worried that talking about natural disaster preparation may scare them. Prepare yourself for the conversation, keep it age appropriate, and carve out a special time to sit down and have a calm discussion with them. Huffington Post suggests asking them what questions they have to ensure that you are answering their fears and curiosity. The goal of the conversation is for them to understand what to do in the event of a natural disaster, and it is a good idea to do a few practice runs. You can explain that it’s similar to fire drills at school, and that being prepared helps keep you safe.

Prepare Your Home

An important part of emergency preparation is to have your home ready in the event of a disaster. If you live in an area where strong winds may occur with hurricanes or tornadoes, it is helpful to help protect your house by keeping your trees trimmed away from your home. Because it is dangerous to climb up into trees and cut down large limbs, you may want to consider calling a professional. Additionally, if your home is in an area that has a high frequency of tornadoes, you need to build a reliable tornado shelter — which can easily cost you around $3,000. During all natural disasters, you should have all of your important documents located where you can easily find them, preferably in a sturdy safe, in the event you have to evacuate.

ZenBusiness also has some great suggestions for preparing your small business (especially if you work from home), like backing up your computer files and inventorying all your equipment and software – including the make, serial number, and purchase prices – in the event that you need to file an insurance claim later.

Create an Emergency Plan

When creating your emergency plan, you need to decide whether to evacuate or stay. Natural disasters like hurricanes often come with enough advance warning that you can evacuate the area to safety. If this is part of your plan, make sure that everyone knows what to grab quickly to take with them and know where you plan to go. Some disasters, like tornadoes, occur with little to no warning. Explain to your family the importance of immediately going to the designated storm shelter in your home. It’s also helpful to have a plan in place for after the storm. Have phone numbers handy to contact repair companies and your insurance.

With a detailed, well-thought-out plan in place and practiced family safety drills, your family will be safe if and when disaster strikes. Modern homeowners place a premium on security and self-sufficiency. Knowing that you can retreat to your private space when you need a break from the world can bring great peace of mind. But how can you create a safe property—without breaking the bank? Modern Survivalists tell you how it’s done. Check out our gear today.

This Guest Post was written by : Alice Robertson of tidyhome.in

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