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Avoiding Family Emergencies
In a disaster, it’s important to have food and water stored, to have an emergencyevacuation plan, or to have a grab-n-go kit. But all of these steps contribute to oneoverarching goal: keeping one and one’s family safe. And the most important part of this isprotecting the children, who otherwise might not be able to cope with a disaster bythemselves. It is also important to prepare for a time when an emergency could be centeredon the family. A child disappearing, or becoming injured or lost is something no parentwants to think about. But if they will be diligent and take precautions, they can reduce therisk that their child might be in danger.Preparing kids for disaster is one of the most important things to do in order to be fullyready for any emergency. Because no matter how many supplies there are, or how muchpeople understand about their local emergency procedures, if their children don’t know whatto do in these disaster, all of their preparation isn’t going to help them.Kids are a unique part of disaster preparedness: just like adults, they must be informed andtrained in order to be ready, but parents also have to balance this knowledge with age-appropriate material, since children are often easily frightened. Too much information, andkids could become terrified of disasters; too little, and they won’t be prepared.In order to make this work, parents must discuss the disasters that could happen in theirarea, but do so in a friendly, easy-to-understand way. A great deal of the fear that childrenoften feel comes from not understanding the situations that could occur; when children areinformed they feel prepared and will be more likely to make wise choices in any disaster.In order to talk to kids about disasters, adults must first be informed themselves. Learnabout what disasters could happen in the area, and then find out what emergencyevacuation plans and alarms are already in place. Talking to a local police or fire departmentwill provide people with this information.Pass this information onto kids, and then involve them in any emergency preparednessplans that the family makes. When kids are involved in the planning, they are more likely toremember the steps in an actual emergency. Kids should also be told how to dial emergencynumbers--and how to use them responsibly! They should be able to recognize smokedetectors, alarms, and any danger signals of an emergency. Everyone in the family shouldknow the number of an out-of-state contact so they can communicate with one anothereven if communications within their area are down.Another important aspect of preparing children is to give them precise steps and directions.Vague commands like, “In case of a fire, get out of the house,” probably won’t benefitchildren in an actual disaster. But saying something like, “When there’s a fire, crawl on thefloor and go downstairs and out the back door--unless there’s fire that way. Then use yourfire escape ladder in your window,” is much more likely to succeed.After kids have had at least basic emergency training, the next step is to get anemergencykit.These kits can be bought pre-made or can be assembled with individual items. They canalso mean the difference between struggling to survive and having as easy a time aspossible during an emergency. The list of supplies that these should contain is extensive,but each item is very important.First, emergency kits should contain at least 72-hours’ worth of foodandwater. The food storage should be nonperishable and should be low in sodium and high in calories. Thingslikefood barsor other carbs are great ideas for efficient food in an emergency. Water iseven more important than food, since people cannot survive as long without it and it shouldnever be rationed. Keep a lot of water handy, as well as some way topurifywater if it everruns out. There are many ways to do this, including devices thatfilter water, using bleach oriodine, or even boiling it.Another great thing to have on hand in case of disaster is afirst aid kit. These can besimple or verycomplex, and the number of supplies needed depends on each individual family.People should assess their family’s needs and conditions and plan accordingly. However,
 
there are some supplies that should be in every kit, and these include: adhesive bandages,gauze pads, triangular bandages, and roller bandages.It’s also important to include scissors, tweezers, a needle, moistened towelettes, antiseptic,a thermometer, safety pins, soap and anti-bacterial gel, and latex gloves. While this mayseem like an exhaustive list, most good first aid kits will supply all these items and more.The last thing to consider for the family’s first aid kit is both prescription and non-prescription drugs. Have aspirin and ibuprofen on hand; and when it comes to children, alsopack something like Tylenol, which will be gentle on younger stomachs in case they everneed pain relievers. Also pack anti-diarrhea medication, antacids, syrup of Ipecac, laxatives,and activated charcoal (for use if advised by the Poison Control Center).Besides food, water, and first aid materials, also include items forwarmth and shelterinevery emergency kit. Children are especially susceptible to getting diseases because of thecold or damp, so if they are a part of the family, then people should be especiallyconscientious about keeping everyone warm.Keep sleeping bags by these emergency kits, as well as extra blankets and at least onechange of clothes. People should consider packing warmer clothes, even if they live in anarea with mild temperatures. One never knows where a disaster is going to lead them!A few other important supplies includelight sourceslike flashlights and/or candles, aradio, special items for the elderly or infants, cash, and photocopies of important documents likebirth and marriage certificates, insurance policies, social security cards, credit cards, andother forms of ID.When kids begin to factor into emergency preparedness, another problem arises. Besides just simple survival, people want to make sure that the experience isn’t going to betraumatic for their children. In order to do that, they should pack a box of fun toys, games,and puzzles. This will serve a dual purpose of taking the kids’ minds off of the currentdisaster, and providing them with a sense of normalcy.Finally, practice! The last step to being prepared is to constantly practice everything withthe whole family. As mentioned above, when people have gone over something multipletimes, they feel more prepared and will therefore be calmer and more likely to make gooddecisions if an emergency ever does strike.Quiz kids every six months or so to see if they remember what to do in each emergency.Present them with hypothetical situations and ask them what they would do in each one,and conduct fire and evacuation drills every so often so their memories will be fresh. Bykeeping everyone in the family updated on these procedures, parents and children alike canbe ready for any disaster that comes their way.Finally, people must take precautions to be sure their children won’t be lost or injured ineveryday life, regardless of whether there is an emergency or not. The first step to doingthis is to recognize that no matter how safe a neighborhood or city is, there is always thepossibility of danger. However, parents must not become paranoid. It is one thing torecognize that danger, and quite another to get carried away with it.As usual, parents need to warn their children about potential dangers. It is important thatthey be careful to do this in such a way that the child understands what to do in possiblydangerous situations, but that they are not overly frightened. This world can be a scaryplace, but kids don’t have to be made fully aware of that in order to be safe. Simply tellchildren basic rules: no going off alone, don’t talk to strangers, be sure they can always seea parent, etc. When kids learn to follow these rules, their risk is reduced.Lastly, parents should prepare for the worst. Again, they need to be careful not to getcarried away, but if a child ever does go missing, then there are several things they canhave ready that will help investigators find their child that much faster. A child I.D. kit isimportant to have and easy to set up. These kits include a fingerprint card, a recent photo,a list of physical characteristics and medical information, and a knowledge of commonhangouts and a good idea of where the child might have been last.Although disasters aren’t pleasant to think about, they do happen often. By becomingprepared and by preparing kids, families will be able to avoid the tragedy that so often
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