|
3. Complete This Checklist
|
Home Hazard Hunt
|
- In a disaster, ordinary items in the
home can cause injury and damage.
Anything that can move, fall, break, or
cause a fire is a potential hazard.
- Repair defective electrical wiring
and leaky gas connections.
- Fasten shelves securely.
- Place large, heavy objects on lower
shelves.
- Hang pictures and mirrors away from
beds.
- Brace overhead light fixtures.
- Secure water heater. Strap to wall
studs.
- Repair cracks in ceilings or
foundations.
- Store weed killers, pesticides, and
flammable products away from heat
sources.
- Place oily polishing rags or waste
in covered metal cans.
- Clean and repair chimneys, flue
pipes, vent connectors, and gas vents.
|
- Post emergency telephone numbers by phones
(fire, police, ambulance, etc.).
- Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1 or
your local Emergency Medical Services number for
emergency help.
- Show each family member how and when to turn
off the utilities (water, gas, and electricity)
at the main switches.
- Check if you have adequate insurance
coverage.
- Get training from the fire department for
each family member on how to use the fire
extinguisher (ABC type), and show them where
it's kept.
- Install smoke detectors on each level of
your home, especially near bedrooms.
- Conduct a home hazard hunthome hazard hunt.
- Stock emergency supplies and assemble a
Disaster Supplies Kit.
- Take a Red Cross first aid and CPR class.
- Determine the best escape routes from your
home. Find two ways out of each room.
- Find the safe places in your home for each
type of disaster.
4. Practice and Maintain Your Plan
- Quiz your kids every six months or so.
- Conduct fire and emergency evacuations.
- Replace stored water and stored food every
six months.
- Test and recharge your fire extinguisher(s)
according to manufacturer's instructions.
- Test your smoke detectors monthly and change
the batteries at least once a year.
|
If you have only moments before leaving, grab
these things and go!
- Medical supplies: prescription medications
and dentures.
- Disaster supplies:
flashlight,
batteries, radio, first aid kit, bottled water
- Clothing and bedding: a change of clothes
and a sleeping bag or bedroll and pillow for
each household member
- Car keys and keys to the place you may be
going (friend's or relative's home)
If local officials haven't advised an immediate
evacuation:
If there's a chance the weather may get worse or
flooding may happen, take steps now to protect your
home and belongings. Do this only if local officials
have not asked you to leave.
Bring things indoors. Lawn furniture,
trash cans, children's toys, garden equipment,
clotheslines, hanging plants, and any other objects
that may fly around and damage property should be
brought indoors.
Leave trees and shrubs alone. If you did not
cut away dead or diseased branches or limbs from
trees and shrubs, leave them alone. Local rubbish
collection services will not have time before the
storm to pick anything up.
Look for potential hazards. Look for
coconuts, unripened fruit, and other objects in
trees around your property that could blow or break
off and fly around in high winds. Cut them off and
store them indoors until the storm is over.
Turn off electricity and water. Turn off
electricity at the main fuse or breaker, and turn
off water at the main valve.
Leave natural gas on. Unless local
officials advise otherwise, leave natural gas on
because you will need it for heating and cooking
when you return home. If you turn gas off, a
licensed professional is required to turn it back
on, and it may take weeks for a professional to
respond.
Turn off propane gas service. Propane
tanks often become dislodged in disasters.
If high winds are expected, cover the outside of
all windows of your home. Use shutters that are
rated to provide significant protection from
windblown debris, or fit plywood coverings over all
windows.
If flooding is expected, consider using sand
bags to keep water away from your home. It takes
two people about one hour to fill and place 100
sandbags, giving you a wall one foot high and 20
feet long. Make sure you have enough sand, burlap or
plastic bags, shovels, strong helpers, and time to
place them properly.
Remember. Houses do not explode due to air
pressure differences. Damage happens when wind gets
inside a home through a broken window, door, or
damaged roof.
Cover the outside of windows with shutters or
plywood. Tape does not prevent windows from
breaking. All tape does is prevent windows from
shattering. Using tape on windows is not
recommended.
Move objects that may get damaged by wind or
water to safer areas of your home. Move
television sets, computers, stereo and electronic
equipment, and easily moveable appliances like a
microwave oven to higher levels of your home and
away from windows. Wrap them in sheets, blankets, or
burlap.
Make a visual or written record of all of your
household possessions. Record model and serial
numbers. This list could help you prove the
value of what you owned if those possessions are
damaged or destroyed, and can assist you to claim
deductions on taxes.
Do this for all items in your home, including
expensive items such as sofas, chairs, tables, beds,
chests, wall units, and any other furniture too
heavy to move. Store a copy of the record somewhere
away from home, such as in a safe deposit box.
If it's possible that your home may be
significantly damaged by impending disaster,
consider storing your household furnishings
temporarily elsewhere.
|
GATHER
ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES AND PAPERS |
You will need the following supplies when you
leave your home; put them all together in a duffle
bag or other large container in advance:
- Flashlight with plenty of extra batteries
- Battery-powered radio with extra batteries
- First aid kit
- Prescription medications in their original
bottle, plus copies of the prescriptions
- Eyeglasses (with a copy of the prescription)
- Water (at least one gallon per person is
recommended; more is better)
- Foods that do not require refrigeration or
cooking
- Items that infants and elderly household
members may require
- Medical equipment and devices, such as
dentures, crutches, prostheses, etc.
- Change of clothes for each household member
- Sleeping bag or bedroll and pillow for each
household member
- Checkbook, cash, and credit cards
- Map of the area
Important papers to take with you:
- Driver's license or personal identification
- Social Security card
- Proof of residence (deed or lease)
- Insurance policies
- Birth and marriage certificates
- Stocks, bonds, and other negotiable
certificates
- Wills, deeds, and copies of recent tax
returns
|
