MAKE A PLAN

September is National Preparedness Month sponsored by the US Department of Homeland Security.  The Allegany County Health Department is taking part through a series of educational articles encouraging individuals and communities to be prepared for emergencies.

It is important to have an emergency plan for your family before an emergency occurs.

Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to plan in advance.  An emergency plan should include how you will contact one another, how and where you will meet up to get back together, and what you will do in different situations.

When making an emergency plan, it is important to plan for all possibilities.  You should have an emergency contact person, in case you cannot make contact with your family members.  When deciding on a contact person, consider that it may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call someone in town.  An out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate among family members.  Also make sure that every member of your family knows the phone number and has coins, a prepaid phone card or a cell phone to call the emergency contact person.  It is also important that you remember to remain patient.  The telephone systems may be jammed or down and may cause problems getting through to your emergency contact person.

While preparing, find out what kinds of disasters, both natural and man-made, are most likely to occur in your area and how you will be notified when the emergency is occurring. Methods of getting your attention vary from community to community. In Allegany County, emergency information will be broadcast via local radio stations, the Cumberland Times-News, local TV stations, and through the health department website. You also might hear a special siren, or get a telephone call, or emergency workers may go door-to-door.

You may also want to inquire about emergency plans at places where your family spends time: work, daycare and school. If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one. Talk to your neighbors about how you can work together in the event of an emergency. You will be better prepared to safely reunite your family and loved ones during an emergency if you think ahead and communicate with others in advance.

A family emergency plan template can be found at http://www.ready.gov/america/_downloads/familyemergencyplan.pdf. 

For more information on emergency preparedness visit the Allegany County Health Department’s website at www.alleganyhealthdept.com or the Department of Homeland Security’s Readiness website at www.ready.gov.

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