The world that we live in is ever changing and things like natural disasters are becoming more commonplace. Not to mention the everyday dangers of life and the impact that these things all have on family life; would you know what to do if disaster did strike? In an ideal world, you wouldn’t need to make plans or ever have to implement them, and hopefully you will never have to do so. But being prepared and making sure that the family knows what to do as well, is all really key. Here are some things that you can be doing to help.

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Food Supplies

If you get stuck in a blizzard or storm, or even extreme weather temperatures as they are experiencing in places like Chicago right now where people are being advised to stay indoors, you can have limited supplies to food and water. So building up a supply of food storage in your home is such a good idea. As much as you can is good, but at least three or four days is a good idea. Ideally, you will want to stock up on a week or two. You can either put together your own food shelters, or buy a pre-made emergency food pack at a retailer like legacy food storage. This way, you don’t have to calculate the number of servings you need or worry about if the packaging is good enough quality.

Make sure that you rotate what you have so that it doesn’t all end up being out of date when it comes to wanting to use it all. Think about your whole family too. If you have a baby on formula, would you have enough for them? How about pets? Make sure that there is enough for everyone. This guide walks you through How To Build a 2 Week Emergency Supply.

Talk and Make a Family Plan

Talking together about a plan for when a disaster may strike is important, especially if you find yourself moving to a new area; are there different or more risks in the area that you now live in? The risks can really vary, from needing to have a fire evacuation plan if you live somewhere like Malibu where the California wildfires were, to needing to know how to leave the house if it has flooded. Keep the communication open with children, at a level that they will understand. Then you can talk and make plans, so that if something happens, they will know what to do, what to take, and where to go. Even practicing what you will do from time to time can be a good idea as well, to keep it fresh in everyone’s minds.

Emergency Numbers

Having a printed out list of emergency numbers is a really good idea, as you may not always have phone signal or even have a cell phone with you. So if you’re not sure of each others numbers without looking at a phone, then get a list together for all members of the family. It could have extended family members on there with their numbers, as well as doctors office, dentist, schools, car accident lawyers from an established firm, and even things like an emergency plumber. Then you can just grab the list, call who you need to quickly and easily, and then off you go. If you live alone and don’t have family nearby, a medical alert system is something you should also consider.

Making plans and then regularly revisiting them is such a good idea to keep all of the family up to date. Empower them to help and they will feel much less afraid.