In the event of a sudden emergency such as a hurricane, you may have just minutes to gather your family and important papers, and get out of your house, possibly for good. Are you prepared? Where would you go? What would you take with you?
With preparation and practice, you stand the best chance of getting out with what you and your family need, and ending up in the right place.
Planning ahead is crucial; this five-step plan can help get you and your family on the road to safety.
1. Arrange Your Evacuation Ahead of Time
Identify where you can go in the event of an evacuation. Try to have more than one option: the home of a friend or family member in another town, a hotel or a shelter. Keep the phone numbers and addresses of these locations handy.
Map out your primary route and a backup route in case roads are blocked or impassable. Make sure you have a map of the area available.
In case your family members are separated before or during the evacuation, identify a specific place to meet and ask an out-of-town friend or family member to act as a contact person.
Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or local radio or TV stations for evacuation instructions. If advised to evacuate, do so immediately.
2. Create a Home Inventory
A home inventory will help ensure that you have purchased enough insurance to replace your personal possessions. It can also speed the claims process and substantiate losses for income tax purposes. A detailed home inventory is also helpful should you need to apply for disaster aid.
To make creating a home inventory easier, the I.I.I. offers the the free Know Your Stuff® Home Inventory Tool that enables you to create and maintain a home inventory on any digital device or computer and safely store it online for easy, secure access--anywhere, anytime.
3. Plan What to Take
Medicines, prescriptions and first aid kit
Bottled water
Clothing and bedding (sleeping bags, pillows)
Flashlight, battery-powered radio and extra batteries
Special items for infants or elderly or disabled family members
Computer hard drive or laptop
Photographs
Pet food and other items for pets (litter boxes, leashes)
4. Gather Important Documents
Keep important documents in a safe place that you can access easily. In the event of an evacuation take the following documents with you:
Insurance policies
Prescriptions
Birth and marriage certificates
Passports
Drivers license or personal identification
Social Security cards
Recent tax returns
Employment information
Wills, deeds and recent tax returns
Stocks, bonds and other negotiable certificates
Bank, savings and retirement account numbers
Home inventory
5. Take the Ten-Minute Challenge
To find out if you are ready, do a real-time test. Give yourself just 10 minutes to get your family and belongings into the car and on the road to safety. By planning ahead and practicing, you should be able to gather your family members and pets, along with the most important items they will need, calmly and efficiently, with a minimum of stress and confusion.
With preparation and practice, you stand the best chance of getting out with what you and your family need, and ending up in the right place.
Planning ahead is crucial; this five-step plan can help get you and your family on the road to safety.
1. Arrange Your Evacuation Ahead of Time
Identify where you can go in the event of an evacuation. Try to have more than one option: the home of a friend or family member in another town, a hotel or a shelter. Keep the phone numbers and addresses of these locations handy.
Map out your primary route and a backup route in case roads are blocked or impassable. Make sure you have a map of the area available.
In case your family members are separated before or during the evacuation, identify a specific place to meet and ask an out-of-town friend or family member to act as a contact person.
Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or local radio or TV stations for evacuation instructions. If advised to evacuate, do so immediately.
2. Create a Home Inventory
A home inventory will help ensure that you have purchased enough insurance to replace your personal possessions. It can also speed the claims process and substantiate losses for income tax purposes. A detailed home inventory is also helpful should you need to apply for disaster aid.
To make creating a home inventory easier, the I.I.I. offers the the free Know Your Stuff® Home Inventory Tool that enables you to create and maintain a home inventory on any digital device or computer and safely store it online for easy, secure access--anywhere, anytime.
3. Plan What to Take
Medicines, prescriptions and first aid kit
Bottled water
Clothing and bedding (sleeping bags, pillows)
Flashlight, battery-powered radio and extra batteries
Special items for infants or elderly or disabled family members
Computer hard drive or laptop
Photographs
Pet food and other items for pets (litter boxes, leashes)
4. Gather Important Documents
Keep important documents in a safe place that you can access easily. In the event of an evacuation take the following documents with you:
Insurance policies
Prescriptions
Birth and marriage certificates
Passports
Drivers license or personal identification
Social Security cards
Recent tax returns
Employment information
Wills, deeds and recent tax returns
Stocks, bonds and other negotiable certificates
Bank, savings and retirement account numbers
Home inventory
5. Take the Ten-Minute Challenge
To find out if you are ready, do a real-time test. Give yourself just 10 minutes to get your family and belongings into the car and on the road to safety. By planning ahead and practicing, you should be able to gather your family members and pets, along with the most important items they will need, calmly and efficiently, with a minimum of stress and confusion.
