Ohio has seen its fair share of severe weather this year, and many of us have learned from that just how important it is for your family to be prepared for disaster situations.
September is National Preparedness Month, and in honor of this, we wanted to provide a list of safety and preparation reminders that could be helpful in the case of an emergency.
Whether prepping for natural disasters or even just avoiding dangerous situations from occurring inside your home, there are numerous ways you can help equip your home and your family.
Read on to learn five of the ways that you can help your family prepare for emergency situations in the future…
1) Sign Up For Alerts
The Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus areas all have emergency alert apps available to download through local news stations or elsewhere. You can sign up for any of these apps in order to receive notifications on your phone before severe weather hits. Receiving these notifications could make all the difference in preparing your family to find shelter or evacuate before facing an oncoming disaster.
2) Save For Disaster Expenses
Preparing financially before severe weather or other disasters strike is important for giving you peace of mind if that day ever comes. Set aside a small amount of cash from each paycheck to ensure that you have it available if needed for any immediate expenses, and take photos of important documents and personal belongings in case they are ever damaged. Make sure that your home is insured, and that you know what all your insurance covers. For example, many times homeowners’ or renters’ insurance does not cover flooding.
3) Review Your Emergency Plan
Not only is it important to have a plan in place for you family in case of emergency, but it is also important to review that plan often with your family. Ready.gov recommends practicing a fire drill with your family at least twice a year. If you have children, be sure that they fully understand the plan your family has in place and what to do if you are not with them during an emergency situation.
4) Keep Food And Supplies Ready
If severe weather hits your area and your family is in need of food or other supplies, you may not be able to reach a grocery store in a timely manner. Before this can happen, gather these supplies in your home. Be sure that you have enough food and water, as well as any medications your family might need, available at any time to last your family for at least three full days.
5) Prepare Your Home
Preparing for the weather outside isn’t the only way to keep your family safe. Replacing batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors will help to alert you of dangers inside of your home while changing your furnace filter and maintaining your heating and cooling system will help to prevent emergency situations from occurring.
