Emergencies can strike at anytime, anywhere and without warning. Every household needs an emergency plan. It will help you and your family know what to do if there’s an emergency.
Your family may not be together when an emergency happens. Plan how to meet or how to contact each other. Make sure you discuss what you would do in different situations.
You can complete your personalised emergency plan online, it will only take a few minutes. Visit the Preparing for Emergencies page on the Australian Red Cross website to step through the process of making a Rediplan – www.redcross.org.au/prepare/
While you should be able to complete most sections yourself, there may be some information you need to get from your Council.
Make sure you think about:
- Safe exits from your home and neighbourhood
- Meeting places to reunite with family members
- Designated person to pick up children if you’re unavailable
- Contact person who lives close by and also one who’s out of town
- A place for your pets/livestock to stay
- Risks in your area
- Location of your fire extinguisher, water meter, gas valve and power box.
When you’ve completed your plan, print it out and keep it in a safe place where it’s easy to find such as with your emergency kit. Also keep a copy at work and/or in your car.
Having a plan is great, exercising the plan is even better …