Creating a Detailed Home Emergency Plan
There are many different types of emergencies that you might be faced with in your home. If you are homeowner or even a renter some of these different types of emergency plans are things that you should have in place.
Getting Started
The first thing that you need to do when you are creating a detailed home emergency plan is to grab a three ring binder, dividers, and sheet protectors. A great home emergency plan is well detailed and easy to navigate through during an emergency. There are so many different sections that you should consider including in your plan. The following are some ideas but what you include in your own emergency plan is really up to you.
Medical Emergency Information
The medical emergency information sections should be divided by person. You should have detailed records for each family member that includes their immunizations, previous illnesses, current medications, past medications that had reactions, allergies, past injuries, any surgeries, any disorders or medical problems, treatment plans, and information about insurance and doctors that they have seen. You should have a record of every doctor and hospital that each person in your family has ever been to if possible. If this is not possible, you should have them for as far back as you can remember.
If you have a medical emergency you can easily grab your binder and take with you to the emergency room. If you are not home when an emergency occurs and you need this information, you can send someone to your home to grab it for you. Having it all in one binder and in one place is going to make it easy to find.
Natural Disaster Emergency Information
Being prepared during a natural disaster is also important. Make sure that you have information that you would need if something were to happen to your home because of a natural disaster. There are some great resources that the US government puts out for you to take advantage of. These resources offer you all of the information that you need to have if there is a natural disaster.
In addition to having this information you might want to prepare a “go” bag that you can take with you if you are forced out of your home quickly. Preparing water and food that can last for a few weeks without refrigeration or cooking is also a great idea. If you do have emergency food around you should make sure to keep up with watching expiration dates.
Family Emergency Information
Families have emergencies all of the time. The loss of a loved one or having someone get very ill or in an accident could mean that you need to leave your home quickly to help care for them. It is a good idea to have all of your parents’ medical information, like their doctors,
included in your family emergency section. You will also want maps of routes for driving, information on travel options, and hotel information for the areas in which they live.
If you keep this information in the binder it is easy for you to plan where you are going to stay and to talk to the right healthcare professionals while you are on the go. This means that you can have your other half or someone in the car calling and making plans for you while you are driving.
Home Emergency Information
Finally you need to have a section that lists all of the home emergency information that you might need. Make sure that you have all insurance contacts and information. Also make sure that you have information on professionals that you might need to hire in the event of a home emergency. Pest control and animal control are important to include in case a not-so-friendly addition joins your family. Plumbers that offer emergency plumbing services should be included.
Keep in mind that you want to make sure that any food that is available should be stored in a way that is going to protect it in the event of an emergency. There are some great tips for safe food storage that you can really learn from.
Having an emergency plan is very important to be prepared and calm during a tough situation. If you have these in place then you will be prepared. Creating a binder makes it efficient and easy for you to have any information that you could possibly need during an emergency.
Having a home emergency plan is a great idea that is so super important. I think we will work on ours over the summer and also stock up on even more extra emergency supplies just in case.