Family Safety Plan
A family safety plan is very useful in case of an emergency. Take a few moments to prepare your own plan. It’s easy!
Prepare your emergency kit. Your kit should contain enough material, food and water to provide for your family’s basic needs of life during the first 72 hours of a disaster.
Make a list of emergency numbers. Fill out the emergency contact list (501 KB).
Prepare escape plans and meeting places if you have to evacuate. At home, make sure you know how to shut off the water, electricity and gas, as the case may be. Identify all emergency exits; ideally, one for each room. Fill out the list of emergency exits and meeting places (461 KB). If you live in an apartment, make sure you know where the emergency exits are located. Never use an elevator in an emergency situation.
Plan an emergency route if you have to evacuate your neighbourhood. Plan an alternate route if some roads are closed. For your safety, remember to notify authorities that you have evacuated your home and of the location where you are staying.
Take an inventory of all your belongings, as well as proofs of purchase, photographs or videos. Keep these documents and a copy of your home and automobile insurance policies outside of your home in a secure location, at the office for example.
Incidentally, are you insured? Most home insurance policies cover damage caused by natural disasters such as hail, lightening windstorms, tornados and hurricanes. You can even get earthquake insurance!
