How to determine your risks for disaster
Here’s a solid start to help you determine what emergencies or disasters you should prepare for:
Identify Natural Disasters
Identify the types of natural disasters that are most likely to occur in your area. This may include hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, wildfires, or severe winter weather.
Places to look to determine your risk factors:
Hurricane – Flooding https://www.noaa.gov/know-your-risk-water-wind
Tornados – Check the map to see if you are in an area with a higher risk.
Earthquakes – Explore the Introduction to the National Seismic Hazard Maps
Winter Storms – Living in the south along the coast may not prevent you from dealing with the wrath of a winter storm.
Dust Storms – Its not only in the movies that dust storms can reek havoc on daily operations.
Tsunami – This event is triggered by another event. Problem is the start of it may have had zero impact on your life and therefore come as a surprise.
Being aware of potential challenges and preparing for them in advance greatly facilitates staying ahead and resilient.
Identify technological or man-made disaster
Determine if your area is prone to technological or man-made disasters such as power outages, gas leaks, or industrial accidents. your best source is going to be local news, research the history of your area if you are new to the location as well as keeping up with any changes such a new factories or industrial areas.
In my neighborhood we started experiencing more frequent power outages in just one section. Upon doing more digging when the power crews were out we found out a fuse in the line was older and was installed prior to the addition of several homes that were pulling from the line. This resulted in a strain and increased the fuse popping during heavy usage. By following up we were able to get the repair that was “on the books’ moved to a higher priority. It is more reliable now but due to a high accident location near the poles on the main street we still deal with the occasional accident induced power outages.
Personal Situation
Consider your personal circumstances, such as any medical needs, disabilities, or special needs of family members, pets, or livestock.
In the event that my family would have to evacuate or buckle down, we have large animals and small animals to consider. Horses and goats are resilient but the need to have a way to move them, find shelter and maintain there safety must be considered. Would we have a pet friendly place to go with cats and dogs? Would we have access to get water for the outside animals if we lost water service unexpectantly or for an extended amount of time during the heat of the summer?
Having an elderly and compromised family member required extra considerations as well. During a freeze we were without power for over 36 hours. Keeping everyone warm was a challenge with the addition of a bed ridden family member that required an air mattress, refrigerated medication and assistance with all basic needs was difficult even with planning and a fireplace.
Potential threats to property
Evaluate potential threats to your home, such as fire or burglary, and make a plan for how to respond to these emergencies.
Burglary Prevention:
- Secure all entry points to your home with sturdy locks, including doors, windows, and any other vulnerable areas.
- Install a home security system with alarms, cameras, and motion detectors.
- Use timers for lights, radios, or TVs to create the illusion of occupancy when you’re away.
- Keep valuables out of sight from windows and invest in a safe for important documents and expensive items.
- Develop a neighborhood watch program or stay connected with neighbors to look out for each other’s homes.
Fire Safety:
- Install smoke detectors on every level of your home and test them regularly.
- Develop a fire escape plan with multiple escape routes and practice it with all household members.
- Keep fire extinguishers in key locations and ensure everyone knows how to use them.
- Identify a designated meeting point outside the home where everyone can gather in case of fire.
- Discuss fire safety protocols, including how to crawl low under smoke and the importance of closing doors behind when escaping a fire.
Communication
Determine how you will communicate with family members in the event of an emergency or disaster, especially if you are separated. The use of cell phones becomes difficult if there is a widespread power outage. Increased usage bogs down the network and limits the ease of making phone calls. Following Hurricane Ian in Florida communication was almost nonexistent within the area hit hardest. Keeping in touch with first responders was a challenge we had never faced before. You could move 20 feet and drop all service. Text messages would be delayed by minutes to hours.
Use of satellite phones increased access but still proved spotty and unreliable. This loss of communication was not only frustrating but posed dangers to those attempting to respond to dire situations within the hurricane damage zone.
Stay informed about potential threats by signing up for local emergency alerts and monitoring weather and news reports.
Financial Preparedness
Evaluate your financial preparedness, including insurance coverage and emergency savings.
A common response following a natural disaster is “they should have left”, “why did they not evacuate?” If you have never experienced a situation it is easy to not understand.
Look at it this way, to start with you have to have reliable transportation to get far enough away from the impact zone. That could be an hour or four. This requires that gas to drive that far as well. As we have seen gas prices rise to high prices not everyone is able to have the ability to keep a full tank of gas.
If you have the gas and the transportation you have to consider where are you going to stay when you get to a safe place? An average hotel charges over $100 per night. For 3 nights you are easily at close to $400. Now add in food, extra expenses for not being at home and then hope you have no vehicle repairs to make. Tires are not cheap to replace. When its safe to return home add gas to get there.
That is scenario alone is part of the reason people stay. There is no way to afford the cost if you are unprepared.
Looking at insurance for your home it best to determine what your policy covers. One important task is to keep a home inventory.
Resources – supplies
Determine what supplies and equipment you will need to prepare for and respond to potential emergencies or disasters. This may include food, water, first aid supplies, a battery-powered radio, and a generator.
Emergency Response Plan
Create a plan for evacuation, including multiple routes and destinations, and practice it with your family. If you have to get things in motion quick and communication is spotty its important to have a game plan. Designate contacts outside your immediate area for family members to reach out to if you are not able to use your phone or are away from home.
Personal Documents
Determine how you will access important documents and information, such as identification, medical records, and insurance policies, in the event of an emergency or disaster.
Remember, emergency preparedness is an ongoing process, so be sure to review and update your plan regularly.
While emergency situations are often the focus of preparedness planning there are more things to consider.
Non Emergency situations
- Retirement – It’s important to plan for retirement by saving money and investing in a retirement account to ensure financial security in later years.
- Career changes – Life changes, such as job loss or a desire for a new career, can happen unexpectedly. Preparing for this could mean developing new skills, networking, and having a financial safety net.
- Travel – Whether it’s for work or leisure, preparing for travel can include researching your destination, obtaining necessary documentation, packing appropriately, and making arrangements for transportation and accommodations.
- Home repairs – It’s important to be prepared for unexpected home repairs, which could include having a fund set aside for repairs, researching reputable repair companies, and having a plan for temporary housing if necessary.
- Education – If you or a family member plan to pursue education, it’s important to prepare by researching programs, applying for financial aid or scholarships, and having a plan for balancing work and study.
- Family planning – Preparing for changes in family size or composition can include researching and choosing appropriate birth control methods, planning for pregnancy, and considering adoption or fertility treatments.
By preparing for these non-emergency situations, you can help ensure a smoother transition and minimize stress in your daily life.