One of the most important steps to take as a parent is to protect your family from accidents or disasters that can occur. Both natural and man-made disasters can occur for residents in Boise, ID, making it necessary to take the right steps to prepare for the unexpected. If you want your family to be ready for disasters, there are a few critical steps to take to protect yourself.
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American Red Cross
Create a Fire Escape Plan
It’s important to know how you’ll escape the home if it’s on fire, making it necessary to create an escape plan with your family. Create a map that shows the best ways to exit the building from any area of the home. Add fire escape ladders in rooms on the second floor to make it easier to exit through a window if the doors are blocked. Each adult should be assigned to a child or pet in the home to ensure that everyone gets out safely. Decide on a meeting spot that is away from the house, which can include at a neighbor’s house across the street or at a nearby stop sign.
Pack an Emergency Kit
Every household needs an emergency kit to ensure that they have everything they need if an earthquake or disaster occurs and there are limited supplies. Emergency kits should include water, non-perishable food, a flashlight, a seven-day supply of medications, extra batteries, a battery-powered radio, personal hygiene items, extra cash, chargers, sleeping bags, portable toilets, copies of personal documents, and an emergency blanket. A map of the local area should also be available.
Have a Backup Generator
Backup generators are essential to have on hand for emergency preparedness, which is installed permanently and can run on natural gas or propane. The generators will allow you to continue having electricity in your home after a hurricane or blackout storm occurs to ensure that you can continue to inhabit the building. Most generators can provide energy to a home for several days.
Perform Inspections on Basement Drains
You’ll need to hire a professional to perform an inspection on your basement drains to ensure that they’re working correctly. Properly working basement drains will reduce the risk of a flood when a natural disaster occurs and can protect your property from a significant amount of damage.
Decide How You’ll Communicate with Family Members
You’ll need to find a way that you can continue to communicate with family members for emergency preparedness, which can include providing each person with a prepaid cell phone. Creating a contact card for each person will also allow them to know the right numbers to call to reach the authorities and their loved ones.
If a natural disaster or accident has occurred to your residential property and damage is present, you’ll need the help of professionals to reduce the risk of loss. Contact restoration experts who are trained and skilled in working with different types of disasters to reverse the damage.