Back to School an ideal time to review the “basics” of preparedness — the family emergency plan In addition to back-to-school season, September was also National Preparedness Month. Now, with the return of hurricane season and the school year adding
Back to School an ideal time to review the “basics” of preparedness — the family emergency plan
In addition to back-to-school season, September was also National Preparedness Month. Now, with the return of hurricane season and the school year adding to recent traffic woes, the Hawaii Red Cross is encouraging residents to get back to the basics of being prepared.
There are several things everyone can do to be prepared:
• Make a family emergency plan;
• Build an emergency preparedness kit;
• Get trained and volunteer.
“If we all take these proactive steps, together we can make Hawai‘i safer and minimize the impact disasters and emergencies have on our lives,” HRC CEO Coralie Chun Matayoshi said in a release.
Making a plan is the first and perhaps most important part of a family’s emergency preparedness, the Red Cross states.
Each family should determine what disasters may occur in its community and how each member of the family may be impacted. Use that information to plan lines of contact, supply shopping and meeting places. The Red Cross recommends having two meeting places, one right outside the family home and another outside of the neighborhood in case access to home is cut off in an emergency.
After determining places to meet, an off-island relative or friend should be identified as the family contact, Red Cross officials say.
“After a disaster, local telephone lines may be busy and overloaded so it’s often easier to call out of the affected area,” Matayoshi said. “The role of the family contact is to collect and communicate the location and status of each individual family member, and then when conditions allow, help everyone connect.”
Each member of the family should have the emergency contact information handy.
The Hawaii Red Cross is exhibiting and selling a variety of ready-made emergency prep kits from Oct. 13 to 15 at the New Food and Product Show at the Neal Blaisdell Center in Honolulu.
For information purchasing or assembling an emergency disaster kit, visit www.hawaiiredcross.org or www.redcross.org, or call the Hawaii Red Cross Store at (808) 739-8128.
