Note: This is adapted from a thread I posted on Twitter a few years back. I have been migrating information like this over to my blog since it’s become Birdchan over there.
I originally wrote this in the month of September, which is Disaster Preparedness month. I was encouraging my friends to take a little time to plan what they would do in an emergency. A good resource to get started is to go to https://ready.gov/make-a-plan
Think about what types of disasters you & your family might face, and learn how to prepare for them.
For me, the main danger I might face is severe storms and/or tornadoes. So a lot of my planning centers around that. Theoretically I could see evacuation due to house fire, gas leaks, nearby natural gas well issues, and possibly (but unlikely) large wildfires.
Additionally, I could theoretically see floods, but it would have to be a 1000 year-level catastrophic event- my drainage here is pretty darn good. I got slightly soggy when the Trinity flooded a few years ago. Other areas of my town flooded, but the worst I got was a soggy backyard and impressive flow in the drainage creek at the end of the street. So while it’s good to consider the possibility of that happening, my other plans should take care of most of what I would need anyway, and it’s lower on the list.
Lesser events I have actually experienced, and saw how preparedness helped with are multi-day power outages, water outages, and ice storms.
Think about the same kinds of things – what severe weather happens in your area? Do you get earthquakes or other kinds of natural disasters like rock or landslides? Do you live near a rail line or chemical storage facilities? Is there an airport nearby that you’re along the flight path for (most crashes occur soon after take off or on the approach to landing)?
Think about what bad things might happen inside your home, such as fire or gas leaks.
Now consider: if something happens to make your home uninhabitable, either temporarily or more long term (i.e. requiring major repair or rebuilding) where would you go? What are the most important things you need while you can’t access your home? How would you get news about the event starting, the progress of mitigation, and when it’s safe to return?
How would you contact your family & let them know where to meet you if you weren’t all together at the time of the event?
That’s your homework right now – determine what the most likely disasters to affect you might be, what things you need, how to get information, and how to gather & safeguard your family (whatever family looks like for you) while disaster occurs.
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