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Write a 120 word reply to Patrick post

Patrick,

The Family Disaster Plan is neat tool for helping to determine how prepared you are for potential emergencies or disasters. The most difficult part for me to complete was the “Connect” page. I had a hard time thinking of people I could call or rely on during an emergency. Sure, neighbors will always be kind and offer assistance, but when it comes to needing long term help; loss of a spouse, uninhabitable house or something truly devastating, nothing replaces familial help. Unfortunately, I have very little family to rely and now more than before, realize that I have to figure out a plan B. Also, it would be easy for me to find an in-town meeting place unless there was widespread devastation, but it would be truly difficult to find an out-of-town place. My parents are elderly and have a hard time finding their way across town sometimes, they would almost certainly need to come with us. In an event that came with fair warning this would be possible, but if it were a large scale unplanned event that called to vacate the area I don’t know that it would work. Personally, I felt that the most beneficial part of the form is the checklist for recommended items.

There were a few on there that I didn’t even consider having. I planned for a hurricane, because that is the likely suspect for me in Florida. I felt that walking through this plan would help prepare me for an event I will most likely experience. Some items I have for my “disaster kit” are:

· Multiple Generators with fuel cans

· Window Air conditioning units

· Battery operated and hand tools

· Lots of batteries and flashlights

· First aid kits

I am lacking on nonperishable food items, stored water supplies and weather radio. I rely heavily on the fact that I will have advance notification and can fill bottles I have with water as well fill all the tubs up in the house. I also have a pool I can use for bathe water.

I have been through a few hurricanes in the past that have come through the Orlando area. I am fortunate enough that there was enough land between my residence and the coast that the storms slowed significantly and I have only experienced mild damage.

Write a 120 word response to David post

David,

For this week’s discussion post regarding developing a family disaster plan, I found filling out the pre-formatted Family Disaster Plan Guidebook a simple and effective way to layout and document the necessary strategies and tactics that will provide the framework to my customized individual family disaster plan. I focused my family disaster plan around hurricanes and flooding, because these hazards have the highest likelihood to occur in my community that would affect me. Creating the plan by answering the questions and selecting the types of emergencies that could occur in my community was easy and straight forward. Following the Keys to Disaster Health tabs Safety, Function, and Action made navigation through the plan easy. Reviewing the strategy and tactics categories wasn’t difficult, but it did take some time to go through each one and align it with my personal data.

Under the Safety tab is Safeguard and Sustain. This is where the tactics and processes are decided to protect my home and ways to sustain my family for unexpected durations without food or other resources. I live in an apartment so during an emergency such as a hurricane, for me to shelter in place with my family is hazardous because the building doesn’t have any type of protective covering for the windows and doors. In past hurricane warnings, I’ve taken it upon myself to board up my windows and secure my front door to make the apartment more resilient to winds and flying debris. Sustaining my family for a long duration isn’t a problem because I maintain an emergency supply of food for 3 months and water for a minimum of 1 week. I have two generators, two propane gas grills, and 4 large coolers for food storage. Part of my family disaster plan for an approaching hurricane is to ensure I fill my propane tanks and extra gasoline tanks with fuel once a hurricane  Living in Florida much of my adult life I’ve learned these preparations are necessary each year.     

Under the Function tab is Comfort and Connection. Comfort describes the ways that we care and watch over one another during stressful times. It is important to communicate openly with each other and voice our concerns, challenges, and feelings about what we’re going through. Connection is how we maintain our communications within our community and with family and friends both local and distant. This section of the family disaster plan I found to be a little challenging because my family doesn’t have a long distinguished list of friends or family contacts who we could rely on during and emergency or disaster.  I did find the Emergency Services Contact List section to be very beneficial to have documented in the plan because during stressful times when an emergency is happening, this information would be difficult to obtain in the heat of the moment.      

Under the Action tab is Advise and Activate. Advise describes how my family and I would get the most up-to-date information regarding an emergency or disaster. Cellphones are a great resource when they have battery and a good signal however, when there is no cell service you have to rely on other means of communications. In my emergency disaster kit I do have two portable radios, one works off batteries the other is a wind-up (crank) radio with an internal battery which also has a built-in flashlight.  Additionally, I’m a HAM radio operator and have portable radios that can be used to communicate when most other means are unavailable. The activate section I find to be the most important. This is where the entire plan comes together and is put into motion. This is where all the specific details are documented of how and when the family disaster plan will be activated. This section should be well communicated and practiced with the entire family. Going over the plan ahead of time to familiarize everyone with the details of the plan is critical in ensuring it can be effectively applied to any emergency or disaster your family may face.