One of the biggest anxieties surrounding the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is the unpreparedness for such a large-scale evacuation, and the despair of those who have been separated from their loved ones in the chaos and who have no idea if they are safe. safe, or even alive.
Don’t get caught off guard if disaster strikes your family. Before you need it, you and your family should have a plan to keep yourself safe and keep others informed of your situation. Do not trust rescue workers and relief organizations to ensure the safety of your family, or to tell you if they are okay or not. These organizations, if they are present at all, will surely be overwhelmed and understaffed. They will be dealing with the situation in a triage fashion and even if they can help locate family members, their information may be incorrect. Make sure you have backup plans to keep your family safe and connected.
- Have at least two out-of-state relatives or friends designated as registration bases, by whatever means necessary. Make sure everyone knows to call, email, or mail these places as soon as possible, in case you get separated in an emergency. Of course, you must offer the same service in return. Note: Sometimes text/SMS will work even if cell phone services are patchy and unreliable. Use this feature whenever you cannot establish a good connection in any other way. Please send as short a message as possible to ensure delivery, even just your name and “fine” to let everyone know you are safe.
- For localized emergencies (fire, tornadoes, etc.) have a designated meeting place close enough to reach, but far enough away for safety. Everyone should know to meet there to check in as soon as they can safely. Ideas include a local store or church, the mailbox on the corner, the neighbor’s yard, a nearby park or school, etc. You should configure more than one, to allow for varying degrees of interruption. For example: in the event of a house fire, everyone gathers at the corner lamppost. But in case of widespread destruction, go to the church on the top of the hill. For truly large-scale events, such as hurricanes and massive earthquakes, evacuation orders will likely supersede these options, but try to regroup first and then evacuate if possible.
- Prepare an “exit” bag (see article here) and make sure everyone knows where you are and that you will be part of any evacuation except a house fire; fire event. Also make sure everyone knows where emergency equipment is kept, such as fire extinguishers, first aid kits, evacuation maps, emergency numbers, etc.
- If you have a bank account set up for emergencies, make sure all responsible adults have access to it and know how to get there. Also make sure that anyone who has access is a responsible adult. You don’t want to be out on the streets after a disaster only to find your emergency account empty because “someone” needed money to shop (or worse) last month.
- Designate someone in your family to be the “tribal leader” in case of an emergency. Typically this will be a parent or guardian, but in some cases it may be an adult child or other relative. Choose someone who has shown they can operate with a clear head in emergencies, reliably makes smart decisions from bad choices, and has demonstrated the ability to lead without abusing power. Calculate an order of second and third options, in case the originally chosen leader is incapacitated. In an emergency, it is vital that valuable time is not spent debating various alternatives. Unless someone clearly sees a better option that the leader doesn’t know about, everyone should know in advance that no matter what normal give and take the family is used to, in an emergency situation they should do exactly what the leader says without arguing. . golden hesitation
Don’t leave your family’s survival in an emergency up to luck and quick thinking. There are just too many things that can go wrong in a situation like this. Set up a plan and run it with your family several times a year, much like a fire drill, to make sure everyone knows what to do. First, be safe. Second, do a head count if possible. Third, follow the leader until the situation stabilizes. Fourth, try to contact the missing members. And finally, if the emergency is a long-term situation, establish a “base camp” with regular routines and checks to establish a sense of order and safety as soon as possible.
Facing the prospect of partial or even complete destruction of everything you know and love is terrifying, and many people prefer to avoid thinking about it as much as possible. But knowing that your loved ones are prepared to get through such an event, and that they know how to take advantage of this preparation, goes a long way to making the crisis bearable.