Emergency Preparedness

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Household Emergency Plan

Many disasters will affect essential services and disrupt travel and communication with each other. Get your family or household together and agree on a plan. You should work out:

• Where to shelter in an earthquake, flood or storm
• How and where you will meet up during and after a disaster
• The best place to store emergency survival items and know who is responsible for checking essential items
• What you will need to have in your getaway kit and where you'll keep it
• How to turn off the water, gas, and electricity in your home or business
• How to contact your local Civil Defence organisation for assistance during an emergency

The location of Community Emergency Centres will be advised over the radio. It is also useful to learn First Aid, how to deal with small fires and how to evacuate your house in the event of a fire.

Plan to recover after a disaster

Make sure your insurance cover is adequate and up to date and that important documents can easily be gathered if you have to evacuate.

Notification

After deciding upon meet up locations and contact information, create a handy sheet and store it some place the entire family can see. It should include:

In an emergency we may meet and/or leave a message at _______________________ (a friend/family members house).

In an emergency the friend/relative/caregiver responsible for collecting the children from school is:________________________ .

The person responsible for checking the Getaway Kit is:_________________________ .

The person responsible for checking the Emergency Kit is:_________________________ .

A plan of our house showing exits, assembly areas & where to turn off water, electricity & gas is prepared.

Check on your neighbours

Your neighbours may need your help in a disaster. In a Civil Defence Emergency you and your family should remain in your home and be prepared to look after yourselves unless you are advised otherwise. However, should a neighbour be in serious harm, be prepared to assist them. Keep a list of your neighbours and their contact information with your notification materials.