Fontana Family Chiropractic

Be ready - how to build your emergency plan.

We are not exactly living in tornado alley here but the frequency of tornado sirens is beginning to make me nervous. I am located inland just south of Charlotte NC, but actually living in the slightly less taxable state of SC. It’s beautiful here for sure but we are close enough to the eastern seaboard to have to worry about those tropical storms that become hurricanes, or those tropical storms that turn into high winds and tornados.

With that in mind my family and I decided to look at making an emergency plan, after all on any given day my kids are at school, I am at home or out somewhere, and my husband is diligently working away in his office. All points are a good distance apart from each other. The last time the sirens screamed a warning I had just put my son on the school bus and was practically still on the porch waving him off.  That was a scary experience.  It turns out though, that like all smart establishments, his school had their emergency plan in place. Everyone knew what to do, even the kids. The whole school district spent most of the morning on lock-down, with children playing in the tornado shelters set up in the school.  My daughter and I were home where we spent the morning discussing all things 3-year-old in the laundry room under the stairs.  Now bare in mind my laundry room is big enough for just the two machines and a slight gap that might be just big enough for a laundry hamper, or on tornado days, my daughter and her pillows!  So there I sat on top of the dryer and she sits on the floor snuggly surrounded by old shoes and dryer lint, and we talk until the sirens stop wailing.  Night time is a different matter of course, there have been nights that we have carried both children down stairs in the blankets and laid them to sleep on TOP of the washer/dryer. Those are the scarier times, we are disorientated and tired, and one is never sure how dire the threat might be or how long the alert might last.  Huddled under the stairs in the cramped closet, overtaken by claustrophobia, all kinds of scenario’s run rampant through our heads. We laugh and joke in an effort to remain calm and diffuse the tension, but our bodies remain on high alert, waiting for the loud train to thunder overhead. It’s during these times that I begin to think that cowering in the laundry room might not be enough of a plan when it comes to keeping the family together. Never mind the immediate situation, what about meeting up after an emergency situation? Should we really nominate a family member in another state to be our go-to-contact?  Who do we contact to help after a true emergency? So armed with my questions off I went with my notebook to see what I should be thinking about (in advance should a true emergency situation arise), to ensure our family could focus on the immediate problem at hand, not on the details of the aftermath.

Things to think about when making a plan: 

1. How will the family get in contact if separated?  Designate a local meeting point. Designate an out of state family member or friend as the go-to-contact in the event of an emergency. Remember if power lines and cell towers are out in your area the only way to contact someone might be via a long-distance land line call. There is a very good chance your local wireless coverage might be incapacitated. 
2. What about basic supplies: Do you have pets?  Pack a small cooler or box and stash it somewhere in your garage or laundry room with basic supplies. Include items such as a small first-aid kit (nothing worse than dealing with an emergency when you have a headache that won’t quit!) with the essentials: Pain pills - preferably ibuprofen as this will deal not only with pain but with inflammation as well, band-aids, a topical antiseptic ointment, gauze, tweezers and children’s pain medication if you have kids. Remember to pack half a dozen water bottles, and stash some dry dog or cat food if you have pets.  Energy bars or cereal bars are long-lasting and can provide a good dose of energy when you need it and they are easy to pack and take with you. Finally throw in a small flashlight and some spare batteries. Remember it is best to just pack the basics, no one needs make-up, toothpaste or soap at a time like this, food, water, medical supplies and a method of staying in touch are the 4 basic requirements. Finally, remember to keep a weather alert radio in easy reach, it will broadcast emergency messages and warnings to you during the high alert.  
3. Know your children’s school emergency plan, keep those phone numbers close at hand, type them on a card and put them in your wallet, throw a copy in the emergency box/back-pack.  What about employers? Know your emergency plan at work; know where those designated shelter locations are and who the point of contact is for an emergency situation. Share this information with the entire family. You may not need it, but your family might if they are looking for you after a disaster.
4. Finally - prepare for an actual emergency event. Have your children practice what to do when at home, after all they make them do it at school. Practice makes for less hysterical and confused people and level heads are an asset in any crisis situation. If your children have been taught what to do and where to go, the hysteria will be kept to a minimum.  This is a wise thing to do in regards to any emergency situation in the home. Set the fire-alarm off in test mode, have your kids leave their rooms and crawl across the floor (not too low not too high) and help them to leave the house in the safest way possible. Have them stand where you would want them to stand in the case of a house fire or other emergency.  Make it fun, turn STOP-DROP-ROLL into a poem or game, and when the time comes hopefully their instincts and training will kick into gear.  As a side note consider purchasing ladders for each child’s room upstairs, houses can burn fast, especially if the fire starts down-stairs and there is no clear escape route that way. In the case of a house fire time is the enemy. Window ladders are available at plenty of locations, including online and at your local hardware store. It could be the best investment you ever make. Be sure to research the best option for your home and the age of your children or other family members.
5. Ready America has more ideas on what to do and how to respond in an emergency.

Make an adjustment: Stay SAFE ~ Be Happy. Call Dr. Paul and Dr. Susan for all your families chiropractic needs at 303.674.1500 or email the office in Evergreen CO. at office@fontanachiro.com

Feedback