Disaster Planning for Families

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Is your family prepared?

The fact that natural disasters are sudden and inevitable and do not have a way of preventing ourselves against them, a natural disaster plan needs to be made available for families within their immediate communities with proposals and guidance on creating an in-house disaster plan for their families if these non-controllable events happen. The relevance of this topic, in this case, is the fact that prior planning saves families a lot of time and agony once they are faced with such disasters. Before any disaster strikes, a family needs to develop a sustainable disaster plan for most of the common kinds of disasters, which have a high likelihood of affecting it (Schaefer-Jones, 2007). Planning to stockpile several disaster supplies as well as protecting the families’ homes will be achieved by keeping in touch with all constituent family members. Here, it is important to make decisions for the times that you will offer shelters at other homes or during evacuation. The thesis also proposes that the essence of thorough disaster management preparations (Kumar, 2011). Here, it is prudent to gather all necessary disaster requirements and supplies for sheltering back at home as well as prepare mobile disaster supply kits if the family has to evacuate.

It is important to note that disasters have the possibility of striking quickly without warnings. This forces you to evacuate the immediate neighborhood or even confine yourself to your respective homes. It is therefore prudent to plan for various basic services including water, gas, electricity, and telephones which are cut off. Even though local officials as well as relief workers will be at the scene due to the disaster, they cannot be in a position to reach everyone immediately (Bradley & Bradley, 2011). This way, families can cope with such a disaster through proper preparations made in advance as well as working together as teams. Acknowledging what to do is one of the best forms of protection and a fundamental responsibility therein.

This topic also focuses much emphasis on the importance of practicing prior the eventful occasions. Training the family on how best to manage disasters through practicing as well as conducting family disasters is a sustainable drill in achieving safety. This also helps the family bring to attention what needs to be done in times of difficulty. The aspect of protection is on an individual basis and this needs to be cultivated within each family member (Panneerselvam, 2004). Protect one, home, and possessions in times when disaster warnings are issued is critical and instrumental in developing emergency communication plans. If family members will be separated from each other due to floods or subsequent disasters, having a thorough plan to get back together is useful. Aspects of separation are a real possibility in the times when children are at school and adults are at work.

Studies indicate that the most important aspect of disaster preparedness and management is commination. The ability to send and receive information about the emergency at hand is very important if the affected are to deal with the situation effectively. Any emergency preparedness plan should outline how communications among family members are to be carried. Those involved need to know the source of danger and how they can evade it. Rescuers need to know the position of those affected by their immediate needs and the nature of their disabilities. Besides, the communication devices used by the family should be versatile enough to accommodate the extraordinary challenges presented by the disaster at hand.

Communication with the outside world is also an important factor that determines the success of rescue and evacuation measures in times of disaster. Many families are connected to the outside world using telephone and cable internet connections. These rely on a physically wired network. Natural disasters such as earthquakes can easily destroy these systems and cut out the center from the rest of the world in terms of communication. There is, therefore, a need to consider installing alternative means of communications that can withstand such disasters to ensure that communication breakdown does not hamper rescue and evacuation efforts during an emergency. Such communication equipment includes walkie-talkies, which can be able to transmit information during a disaster.

Studies have also shown that families serious problems of lack of proper preparation and planning in terms of emergency preparedness. However, families can be able to adopt an emergency preparedness plan to improve the ability of all the people in the family to help in the rescue and evacuation procedures. The training plan can be introduced to all members of the family. Individuals in the family are equipped with the necessary abilities and awareness concerning emergency operations. Such training ensures that individuals can effectively cope with emergencies. Without this, they are ill-equipped to handle the stressful nature of disasters and the casualty rates will be undesirably high.

The basic level of training is meant for all family members. This level is called the awareness level and offers the necessities for emergency rescue and evacuation. The awareness level equips individuals with the following competencies;

Awareness of individual roles and responsibilities in case of emergencies – this includes the role of alerting others as soon as possible and helping in evacuation if in a position to do so
Awareness of policies and procedures that govern emergency/disaster situations
The ability to raise an alarm in an emergency
Ability to recognize injuries related to emergencies and take appropriate actions to minimize casualty numbers from these injuries
They should have a good understanding of the impact of emergencies on the behavior of individuals and how to cope with abnormal behavior expected
They should have the ability to make use of personal protective equipment.

Lastly, family members should be able to take care of those who are disabled. Many families cater to people who are less capable of escaping threatening situations, as compared to their counterparts without disabilities. As such, such families that have disabled members need meticulous plans to tackle emergencies and disasters. Potential dangers that may affect the disabled include fires, floods, earthquakes, acts of terrorism, and industrial accidents among others. The family has a role to protect the disabled members from such dangers since they are affected greatly by emergencies and their aftermath. In addition to putting up protective measures, there is the need to have meticulous evacuation measures to eliminate and reduce injuries and the death toll arising from emergencies.

References:

Bradley A., Bradley C., (2011) The Disaster Preparedness Handbook: A Guide for Families. New York: Skyhorse Publishing Inc.

Greenstone J., (2008) The Elements of Disaster Psychology: Managing Psychosocial Trauma: An Integrated Approach to Force Protection and Acute Care. New York: Charles C Thomas Publisher.

Kolberg J., (2005) Organize For Disaster: Prepare Your Home And Your Family For Any Natural Or Unnatural Disaster. New York: Squall PressInc.

Kothari C., (2009) Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques. New York: New Age International.

Kumar R., (2011) Research Methodology. New York: APH Publishing.

Panneerselvam R., (2004) Research Methodology. New York: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.

Read T., (2008) Family Emergency Preparedness Plan. New York: Cedar Fort.

Schaefer-Jones J., (2007) Preparing for the Worst: A Comprehensive Guide to Protecting Your Family from Terrorist Attacks, Natural Disasters, and Other Catastrophes. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Ursano R., Fullerton C., Weisaeth L., Raphael B., (2007) Textbook of Disaster Psychiatry. New York: Cambridge University Press.

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Disaster Planning for Families

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