Emergency Preparedness Begins at Home
There are several things that you can and should do to prepare you and your family for an emergency situation.
1. Start by preparing a simple Emergency Kit for your home.
When you are looking for a radio for your Emergency Kit, you may want to consider which type will be the most reliable.
A few tips are listed here:
Battery Power
You can find lots of small radios that are battery powered. They’re inexpensive and easy to store. But if you don’t have fresh batteries, or if the emergency goes on for too long, you will need a radio that can use other sources of power to keep broadcasting.
Hand Crank Power
These radios let you recharge the battery in the radio by cranking a handle on the radio. By cranking for a minute or less, you can get from a few minutes to more than an hour in broadcast time. So, look for a radio that has a crank feature.
Solar Power
Provided you’re in a place where there’s sunlight or room light, you can also recharge the radio battery with solar or power. It may take several hours of sunlight to charge the battery, but it will run for a considerable length of time. Look for both a hand crank and solar power feature, if you want to maximize your options.
Car Charger Power
You can also find emergency radios that can be plugged into the battery charger outlet in your car for recharging. Again, a good option, when you have access to your car and a charged battery.
2. Consider your family’s specific concerns.
How much do you need community services and resources such as medical, utilities and transportation? What if these were not available to you in an emergency? By planning for and solving these challenges in advance, you will alleviate a good deal of the chaos that comes with an emergency situation.
3. Assess your home.
Tour your home, considering what could go wrong in a crisis. Have an eye out for loose objects, home hazards and poisons; and consider prevention devices for various situations, escape routes, electronic equipment/appliances, and utility shut-off locations. Post emergency numbers as listed at the end of this publication near your telephone.
Responsible family members should know how to safely shut off the following utilities.
Post instructional signs on the breaker panel, gas valve and water valve and write the procedures as here:
Main Circuit Breaker: ___________________________________________
Gas Supply: ____________________________________________________
Water Supply: __________________________________________________
Do not attempt to relight any gas appliance. Only qualified personnel from the gas company should do this.
4. Insurance.
Make certain you speak with an insurance professional to ensure that you have adequate coverage for all situations.