Chances are, you and your family have been hunkering down at home for the past few weeks to protect everyone in your household from contracting COVID-19. If you’ve got emergency preparedness on the brain, you’re not alone. During this time, many parents are considering how they could develop better safety plans for their family to follow in times of crisis. With everybody home, this is the perfect time to move forward with those plans.
Wondering how you can ensure that your family is ready to deal with the next crisis? Essentially a Mom presents how to collect the right supplies, decide on the best course of action in emergency situations, and get your kids involved with the planning process.
Stock Your Pantry
First, you want to guarantee that your family would be safe and sound if you were stuck at home again in the future. Even if we don’t see another pandemic in our lifetimes, a nasty snowstorm could easily keep you indoors for days!
To get started, pack your pantry with non-perishable foods, and try to prioritize buying foods that everyone in your family enjoys. Money Crashers recommends basic staples like rice, dried beans, pasta, peanut butter, and baking ingredients like flour, sugar, and yeast. You’ll also want to properly store water.
Gather Essential Supplies
In addition to food and water, you’ll need some other useful supplies on hand. For instance, if you haven’t done so already, you should put together a first aid kit based on your family’s needs. Very Well Health suggests including supplies like Band-Aids, gloves, shears, and, of course, hand sanitizer! Teaching your children basic first aid skills is crucial.
Besides your first aid kit, you should also purchase a high-quality flashlight, which will come in handy during power outages! You may even want to grab a few extra so that several family members can use them. Look for a rechargeable model that shines brightly.
Hire Pros to Secure Your House
Feeling safe and secure in your home may require the help of a professional. Have a contractor inspect things like windows and patio doors to ensure they are in good condition. Additionally, you can also hire a local locksmith to rekey the doors, which will help ensure that only you and your family have access to the keys. Find local locksmiths by searching for “locksmiths in my area” or by visiting sites like Angi and reviewing customer feedback and testimonials. Making sure your home is secure will give you peace of mind, especially in the event of an emergency.
Designate Emergency Contacts
What if you need someone to come to your home in the event of an emergency, or you need help leaving? When you’re dealing with a medical emergency or even a natural disaster, there’s a good chance that you’ll need to get in touch with outside assistance.
Decide on several trusted emergency contacts for your family. You may have discussed this with your family before, but now is a good time to revise this list and display their numbers in a place where your children can see them. Additionally, you should instruct your children on how to call 911 and when it would be necessary.
Create Plans Together
Once you’ve prepped your supplies and chosen emergency contacts, have a family meeting to discuss what you would do in various emergency scenarios. For example, which door would you escape from during a house fire? Where would you hide if there was a tornado warning? If you’ve made plans for these situations in the past, it’s time to look over and update them.
After you’ve developed plans, you may even want to put together a few “bug-out bags” for your family members. If you need to leave your home because of an emergency, you can grab these bags full of necessary supplies and head right out the door!
Act It Out
Now it’s finally time to walk through your plans for different scenarios and make sure that everyone knows what to do! For instance, have your kids practice “Stop, Drop, and Roll” in case of a fire. Let them demonstrate how they would use first aid supplies in the event of illness or injury. You can fine-tune your plans if you notice any issues during this role play.
Right now, everyone is feeling stressed out about the current pandemic. But if you adequately prepare for future emergencies, you’ll be ready to take on similar situations in the future. Creating a family safety plan well before you’re faced with a crisis will help you feel safe and secure.
Photo via Unsplash
Written by Lacie Martin www.raisethemwell.org
Essentially a Mom 