No one wants to envision a catastrophic event suddenly wreaking havoc on their home or business. While the thought may be unpleasant, it is vital that homeowners and business owners develop evacuation plans to ensure everyone gets out safely should disaster strike.
Residing in a coastal community comes with the possibility of storms and floods that may require evacuation. It is important to develop a plan to get out of a home or other structure on short notice. These 8 tips below will help you prepare for your successful evacuation plan.
1. Educate yourself on hurricanes, flooding and tropical storms that are likely to occurs in the coastal area your reside in. Investigate community and local shelter plans for each disaster.
2. Check with local officials to determine if shelters are currently available. COVID-19 may have altered community or city ordinances for shelter usage and other evacuation plans.
3. Identify where everyone can go in the event of an evacuation. Have a few alternative lodging plans in place, including the homes of family and friends in another town or city, a hotel, or a shelter. Store the phone numbers for these locations in your phone or write them down in a readily accessible notebook with other important information.
4. Designate a meeting spot outside of a home or business that is a safe distance from the building. Each family member or work associate should know to report to that meeting spot so everyone can reassess their options together.
5. Pack “go bags” that include key materials pertinent to you. In addition, pack a first aid kit, bottled water, flashlights, cherished photos, identification/travel documents, wills/deeds, banking documents, and a laptop.
6. The Insurance Information Institute advises taking a home inventory in the event that you need to apply for disaster aid or file an insurance claim. Store this inventory with other important paperwork, and make a digital copy to store on a cloud service.
7. Check in with an out-of-area family member or contact so that others know your plan.
8. Conduct a real time test to get out of the building. Aim for evacuating in just 10 minutes with family and belongings. Don’t forget to include pets in evacuation tests.
Evacuation plans may never be called into action, but they are an important component of disaster preparation.
