Well let\'s face it, disasters seem to be happening
more often than ever before. Whether or not you are counting, you have
thought about it. We all should prepare for the eventual earthquake or
storm which will leave us without many options for going to the
neighborhood market or hardware store for supplies.

This article
is to help you plan for such an event in your life. Your needs at home,
school or the office need to be planned for ahead of time. After the
event is not the time to look for essentials. So, let\'s discuss some of
the basics allowing you to modify the essentials for your particular
situation.

The family home is our mainstay of family life. We
have our family, our belongings and our lives there. If you live in an
earthquake prone area, you need to prepare for the eventuality of a
disaster involving you and your family.

Sit down with your family
and decide how you are going to get in touch with each other if an
emergency occurs. Gather your family together and figure out how to
contact each other. Your family will need to be able to contact each
other so be sure to make plans with the entire family. Designate one
person who does not live with you to be your family contact person. You
will need a person who does live with you to be the designated contact.
A close friend or relative who does not live with you should be the
designated contact person.

Make sure everyone in the family
carries the phone number of the contact person with them. In the event
of an emergency and the family is not together, everyone should contact
that person to let them know where they are. The person whom you have
designated as the contact person should be available most days, in
another words, do not pick someone who travels or is gone quite often.

Designate
a meeting place near your home so everyone can be assembled. Everyone
should know the place you have decided to assemble after an emergency.
Emergencies are hectic and everyone should know where to meet
afterwards. Run through a mock evacuation of your home to determine the
best escape route for each part of the home. Time the evacuation to
make sure the routes you have chosen are the shortest and safest. Your
home might have multiple escape routes and these should be evaluated to
insure a quick escape from emergencies.

Think about what items
you might wish to take with you. Be sure to remember mementos, family
heirlooms, wills or pictures. You will need to keep valuable and
non-replaceable in mind when an emergency happens. Take care to have
the items you want to take nearby if you need to move quickly

Have an emergency kit handy and assemble in a designated place,
making sure the kit has the essentials you will need for at least 3
days. Fully stocked emergency kits are vital and should be kept near
the escape routes in your home. Keep the emergency kit where it is
accessible to the whole family, think of the laundry room, or the
closet near the door.

Remember to keep enough water and food for
at least 3 days in your emergency kit, including a can opener if can
goods are included. Include a can opener if can goods are included in
your emergency kit, along with 3 days of food and water for your
family. Keep 3 day\'s water and food handy for quick evacuation.

Remember
to include First Aid supplies, including bandages, scissors, rubber
gloves, tape, radio, a flashlight along with the food, water and
shelter in your emergency kit are some vital things to remember. If
possible include some sort of shelter, for example a tarp and light
rope. Keep a portable light source like a lantern filled with fuel or
batteries ready at all times.

If you have pets, include pet food
and supplies so our animals can survive also. Your pets will need food
and water to be provided in the event of an emergency. This can be a
trying time for pets so remember to provide food and water for them
along with the families\' 3 day supply.

This article has been
prepared to make you aware of the basics of preparing for the
inevitable eventuality of a disaster involving your home and family. It
is not a complete essay of everything possible you can do, but a short
list of things you can do at little expense that could save lives. Good
luck and think about the forgoing as prudent planning.