8 Ways to Be Proactive for Emergencies
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Last month we talked in-depthly about emergency preparedness. As they say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The inconvenience now of being proactive about things can save lots of headaches, pain, and maybe even worse, later on.
Here are 8 ways I’ve been thinking about to be more proactive, more prepared:
1. Store ICE contact numbers in your phone.
What would happen to you if you were hurt while away from work, home, or anyone you knew? “In case of emergency” phone numbers can be programmed into your cell phone so that if something were to happen to you, emergency personnel would know who to contact. The Happy Housewife has the details as well as info on an app for your smart phone to help you be better prepared.
2. Fill an emergency supply closet.
I’ve slowly been building my stockpile of water, but this emergency supply closet just blew me out of the water. Brilliant. We even have some storage cupboards in our garage that I could repurpose this way.
3. Get a full medical physical.
Yes, really. I know it’s a total pain. But, most of us moms don’t do this very often. And all too often, there can be little things that get overlooked. But, regular check-ups can be helpful in diagnosing issues early enough to be treated successfully. Make sure to check your skin and do monthly breast exams as well.
4. Inventory your home.
Last Spring my friend Lynn‘s home was hit by a tornado. Thankfully, they were all safe, but there was a fair degree of damage to the house and property. Lynn went through the process of recreating lists of the items that were damaged for the insurance claims adjuster.
While I may not live in tornado country anymore, we aren’t immune to fire or theft. Having a list of the big ticket items, their purchase prices, and date of purchase would be helpful later during what would surely be a stressful time.
Now, you might not think you have anything valuable. That’s what I thought, too. But, then I just thought about all my kitchen appliances! I would hate to have to replace my food processor, stand mixer, bread machine, and so on. While I can certainly live without them, I’d honestly rather not have to.
5. Pack go bags for your kids and you.
Lauren shared some great tips last month for how to pack emergency evacuation bags for your kids. Check out the post and then think about the supplies you can gather in one place to be better prepared.
6. Stock your car with a small on-the-go emergency kit.
We never know when an emergency situation will hit. So, while you’re packing go bags, make an extra one for the car filled with general supplies, like water, non-perishable food, and first aid kit.
7. Think about life insurance and then do something about it.
We think about it, but we’ve yet to do anything about it. Life insurance is really not that expensive, and it can be a good cushion for your family to land on if the worst happens.
8. Store valuables in a fireproof safe.
While most of us aren’t worried about protecting the Hope diamond, we are concerned about more important things: birth certificates, family photos, contracts, and property documents. A good way to protect these items is to store them in a fireproof safe.
I honestly have not been being very pro-active when it comes to emergency prep….I do however always have a ton of over stocked canned food items that would definitely come in handy in an emergency. Thanks so much for the give-away!
We have life insurance and have been stockpiling water and food. I also bought candles and an oil lamp, which we actually used when the electricity went off here. We have a kerosene heater in the event that the electricity goes off during cold weather.
I don’t live in a tornado or hurricane prone area, and the area where I live doesn’t normally flood. However, I do live near chemical plants so we never know when we might have to shelter in place or evacuate.
During a snow storm a few years back, my entire family didn’t have electricity for 3 weeks. We learned a lot about what we would need in an emergency.
I have ICE numbers programmed and life insurance. But there are so many other things I need to do. Thanks for all of the great ideas!!
Wow – this is so timely. I have an emergency kit for one car, and at a street fair, the city was giving away an important documents bag – one where you can load up your important documents as you flee . . .but – where are all those important documents??? I now have a project for the month of November!!
I think this is something very proactive that I did. My two kids were going off to college here. One at the dorm and one in an apt with two other friends. I made sure they had a FULLY stocked medicine cabinet.
It has come in handy because my 20 yr old VERY independent daughter just told me that she had a fever of 100 degrees last week and had taken all the theraflu and cough medicine I packed. She NEVER gets sick but apt life must have done it !
I was like ” so that thermometer I packed you came in handy huh?” and she said “oh yes!”.
A fireman visited my son’s class yesterday, so we followed my son’s suggestion and went through our fire safety plan, made sure the kids knew how to dial 911 and how to talk to the dispatcher. Today we are going to check our fire extinguishers and make sure they work.
My husband and I have life insurance, shelf stable rations, and our important documents in a fire/ water proof safe.
We have extra food and water usually in the house, we have go backs packed and emergency supplies in the car. I haven’t done a full inventory, but I did take pictures around my house and email them to myself. TIP** I found this tip out the hard way when my home was broken into a few years ago and the insurance adjuster kept asking for receipts or what credit card I bought things on to verify their existence–well I had bought many of my things while serving overseas and some were housewarming gifts, and I didn’t use a credit card at that time! I didn’t know what to do, they wanted proof these things existed (esp. my laptop that was taken)–then the adjuster asked if I had pictures of them. I did have a few pictures of myself working on the laptop, etc. So then I went around and took pictures of all the major items in my house!!
My husband is checking into life insurance for the both of us. And I am starting to eat more a more healthy diet, because I have an extensive history of heart disease in my family. I have my husband & my 18-month-old son to take care of, & i need to be healthy for them.
The home inventory is on my list to do, but I always put it off. I think November will be the month I complete that project.
All steps are extremely important to be prepared.. Great info….