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How Prepared is Your Family for a Potential Disaster?

Last Updated: March 30, 2009 Related resource areas: Agrosecurity and Floods

"Having a plan at the family and individual level is just as important as it is at the community level," said an Arkansas official.

Released March 27, 2009

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Having a family plan together eliminates uncertainty in a disaster, reduces the amount of chaos you have to handle, and ensures that if disaster strikes you are ready.

"The Cooperative Extension Service works to help communities become resilient in the face of disaster," said Deborah Tootle, associate professor for community and economic development for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. "Having a plan at the family and individual level is just as important as it is at the community level."

Tootle, who has helped in the Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts, is involved in EDEN, the Extension Disaster Education Network, which contains information for disaster preparation and for coping with the aftermath.

For families seeking to assemble a plan, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (http://www.fema.gov/plan/index.shtm) recommends the following steps:

Recognize and understand potential hazards in the community, such as chemical storage or nuclear plants, in addition to natural dangers from weather or earthquakes.

Know evacuation routes in and around your area.

Be sure each family member has contact information for the other members.

Know where your gas, water and electricity shut offs are.

Know where your insurance and other vital records are. This category should include an inventory of home possessions, as well as money.

If you have a special needs family member, such as one who has vision, hearing or mobility impairment, special planning may be needed.

Knowing first aid, CPR and how to use a fire extinguisher are also useful skills.

Arkansans needing information on disaster preparation can visit http://www.aragriculture.org/disaster.

"This online disaster handbook contains an enormous variety of information, including managing financial losses from natural disasters, to biosecurity on the farm and dealing with fires and floods," Tootle said.

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http://www.uaex.edu/news/march2009/0327severe_weather_families.htm

Contact: Lamar James, (501) 671-2187, ljames@uaex.edu