Running head: HOUSEHOLD DISASTER PLAN
Household Disaster Plan
Jean Harken
Ferris State University
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HOUSEHOLD DISASTER PLAN
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Abstract
Knowing the disasters that could potentially happen in your area is important to the survivability
and sustainability of one’s life. Having a plan for each potential disaster in place and educating
your family on this plan is a key to success and safety should an event occur. Preparing a disaster
kit and having all members be aware of this kit and the continents is also a huge element in the
success and safety of your family during a disaster
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Household Disaster Plan
Introduction
Disasters are usually unpredictable, you never know where you will be, when they will
happen, or if you will be with you family or loved ones. It is important to plan in advance, know
where a safe place is, how to maintain communication and how to get back together (FEMA,
2014). Figuring out the potential disaster that you could be faced with and then figuring out plans
for these are very important (Quake Kare, n.d.)As a family, you should also have a plan in case
of a fire or other events and educate your children on different ways to get out of the house in
case an emergency or disaster were to strike. These plans should be reviewed often and practiced
to ensure that everyone can follow the plan. If children are involved, the parent should discuss
with them they types of emergencies could potentially happen in there are, not to scare the child,
but to better prepare them should an event occur. Preparation and education is the key is having a
successful and organized disaster plan.
Potential Disasters in my Community
Although you can never really predict the exact type of disaster that could happen in your
community, there are a few that come to mind as potentials issues I have a large school district in
my community so there could be an act of terror at that location. I also live within eight miles of
an international airport, so a potential act of terror could happen there. There is always a chance
of weather related disasters, which could potentially come from flooding, blizzards, heavy rains
or even tornados. Although many people don’t think of chemical emergencies in their area, this
is the area in which I am most concerned. I live within five miles of Hemlock Semi-Conductor,
which is a division of Dow Chemical and deals with very large quantities of several different
chemicals.
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Natural Disasters
In Mid-Michigan we are lucky enough to not experience, tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanic
eruptions major earthquakes and other tropical storms. We have however experienced times of
flooding, tornados, blizzards and very strong and damaging wind and rain storms. These storms
can cause potential problems that require evacuation. This past summer, there was a very large
storm in my area with heavy rains, hail and severe thunderstorms (WNEM TV5 NEWS, 2013).
We as a fire department were dispatched to over thirty fire calls in a couple hour period. These
calls stemmed from trees on wires, with wires on fire, to roads washed out, to rescue calls for
people stranded in vehicles in water, to assisting in evacuations. The local nursing home in our
community evacuated their residents for three days and relocated them due to the immense
flooding that our area received. While no residents other than the nursing home were forced to
leave their homes, having a disaster plan with the nursing home proved to be a very valuable
thing to have.
Act of Terrorism
Acts of terrorism could potentially be the most frightening of all disasters. These are acts
that are often time very random, and typically there is no warning. Although the extent of any
disaster is not predictable, we can often times anticipate when something is about to happen.
With acts of terrorism, unpredictably is a main factor in their level of destruction, and in turn is
why plans should be in place for them. One act of terrorism that has potential to happen in my
region, is a plane crash. Not only do we have an airport in the area, but there are two chemical
plants within 15 miles of my home. Worst case scenario would be a plane crash into the chemical
plant which would cause mass destruction, total pandemonium and a loss of hundreds of
thousands of lives if a terrorist act like that were to occur. If something like this were to happen,
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the death toll would be devastating. In an event of this magnitude, local resources would be
exhausted, if not totally destroyed. In that event, all rescue and response would fall in the hands
of Regional and National agencies. There is a county plan in effect if there were to be a large
plane crash, at the airport or someplace in the county. We have more than once brought in a
simulator plane and had county wide “disaster drills” utilizing that disaster plan with all of the
resources available in our county, improving each time the drill is executed. There are also plans
in place in the occurrence of an attack on a school or a school shooting. I have also personally
participated in drills that execute these plans and changes are then made to make the plans more
efficient and effective if needed in the future.
Chemical Disasters
Chemical disasters are those of the biggest concern for me in relation to the area in which
I live. A short distance down the road from me is Hemlock Semi-Conductor (HSC). HSC is a
large cooperation that utilizes multiple chemicals in their processes. Some of these chemicals
include dichlorosilane, trichlorosilane, silane, silicon tetrachloride, hydrochloric acid,
hydrofluoric acid, and nitric acid (Hemlock Semiconductor, 2014). These chemicals can be very
harmful if inhaled and can cause some major damage if they were to contact unprotected skin
surfaces. Although the chemical companies are extremely careful, there is always room for
human error. In addition to these chemicals being utilized and stored in the plant, they are also
transported down the roadways in my community multiple times each day. There are already
several plans in place depending on what is released, how much is released and where the event
takes place. Since the Fire Department that I serve is responsible for the area surrounding HSC,
we would respond to these types of emergencies. As a department, we are required to have
training on these chemicals. Although HSC itself would execute their plan, we follow it and
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ensure the safety of the public is maintained as efficiently as possible. Though there has only
been small contained releases in the past, there is a great potential for disaster at the plant or an
accident with a tanker, carrying chemicals for the process.
Household Plan
There are several things that go into having a good disaster plan. The most important is
that all members of the family are familiar with the plan and the plan is practiced. You should go
over each disaster that could potentiate in your area as well as a detailed design of action for each
incident. Give each member a responsibly so that you function as a team (American Red Cross,
2014). As for my household, we would utilize an extremely large tree across the street from our
house that will be the meeting place. It is close enough to gather, yet far enough away in the
event of a fire or emergency at the home. In the case of a weather emergency, such as flooding,
tornado or blizzard where evacuation is necessary, my family would go to the fire department
where I am a member. This building is a very structurally sound on a foundation of a cement
basement that would be great protection. The entire station is ran on a backup generator should
the power go out and it is equipped with several different forms of communication to keep us
informed. I would hope that if there was an act of terrorism a schools or at the airport that I am
far enough away, to be out of the immediate danger zone. If that were to be proven wrong, the
fire department would still be the first choice of place to gather. If we needed to evacuate further
away, I have friends that live in the next town over and the plan would change to meet at their
house. My parents live on the other side of the state and if we had to evacuate a significant
distance away, we would be going to their house. In case of a chemical release, the
recommendation of the chemical company is initially to shelter in place. They set up a perimeter
according to factor such as what was released as well as how much. They then set standards for
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admittance, and nobody is let inside that perimeter. If evacuation is needed there is bullseye the
spans out according to wind direction, speed and level of chemical released. This bullseye gives
authorities evacuation destinations in each direction. This would be determined on a case by case
basis.
My father lives in Muskegon and he is an emergency contact. He is 2.5 hours away on
the other side of the state, and everybody has his contact information memorized. There is also
an aunt that lives in Florida that could be a second contact if that was needed.
In our household, there is a sheet with emergency contact information that remains on the
refrigerator. This list has phone numbers, as well as account numbers for gas, electric, cable and
the local DPW that would handle the water. On that same sheet is the street address where we
live, and soon there will be a detailed explanation of where the shut off is for the gas and water
as well as where the electrical meter is, and the electrical shut off. In every room of the house
that we live in there are two potential exits. One way would be through the door way, the other
would be through a window. Each window has an easy release from the inside, and could be
broken if needed. The home is a single story dwelling, so no emergency ladder would be needed
to escape.
In the neighborhood that we live in, there are no known neighbors with any special needs.
There are several families with small children. In these cases it is important to look out for the
children, make sure all children are accounted for and take care of their basic needs. There are no
pets in our household, so there is no concern of pets for us.
Disaster Supply Kit
Having a properly built and stocked disaster supply kits is extremely important should
you be faced with a disaster and evacuated from your home. The recommendation is for your kit
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to have enough food, water and supplies for at least 72 hours (FEMA, 2013). In my personal
disaster kit, I have chosen foods that the entire family will eat, but are not perishable.
I have chosen, canned chicken and tuna, these food provide a good amount of protein and will
keep you feeling full longer. My kit also contains, MRE’s, granola bars, protein bars peanut
butter, cans of fruit and vegetables, a various assortment of beans and crackers without salt.
There will also be powdered milk and protein powder. These are both essentials because they
help maintain fullness as well as provide nutrients and much needed energy. The average person
needs 1 gallon of water per day (Centers for Disease Control, 2014). This water should be stored
in a container that cannot break, such as plastic water bottles. In my kit there are also empty
water bags should be able to obtain more water, or in the event we would need a container to
store was once it is sterilized.
Each member of the family has a sleeping bag, and they are stored in a tote with some
extra blankets. The tote is kept in an easily accessible location and is able to be taken in the event
of a disaster. In a bag stocked and ready for camping, there is rain gear and sweat suits for each
family member. This too is easily accessible and able to be taken in a hurry in case of an
emergency. With my family having a large amount of items pre-packed in totes for rustic
camping, I feel that we are fairly well prepared with things that could be needed if we needed to
evacuate quickly. We also have the advantage of knowing that these prepacked totes fit well into
our vehicles.
In a separate tote with camping gadgets, we have all of “the tools”. There is a battery
operated lantern with extra batteries for light. Not only do we have a box of matches, but we also
have a long neck lighter with lighter fluid. This tote contains a wind up radio with a light on it as
well and the only thing needed to keep this going is to turn the crank to charge it. As it is
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important to be able to cook of need be, there is a small burner with 2 cans of fuel and a couple
different size pans, there is a large package of paper plates that could be used for eating and
could also be used to fuel a fire if warmth was needed. We have a Gerber tool that remains in
this tote as well as one in each vehicle. These are very practical tools that contain screw drivers,
knife, file, and scissors, saw blade and can opener all in one tool. There are some large garbage
bags, duct tape and rope as well. This would be a great start to an essentials list that are already
packed and ready to go. If the need for shelter should arise, we have two 8 person tents that
could be taken and are extremely easy to set up quickly. They would provide a fast temporary
shelter. We have a large tarp packed away with each tent that we use for extra protection from
rain, which could be used for whatever was necessary. While looking through some disaster plan
ideas, I saw recommendations for washcloths and towels, toiletries, disinfectant, shovels,
traveler’s checks, important documents such as immunization records, marriage licenses, account
number, an emergency contact list and extra keys (Veenema, 2013). Although I do not have any
of these things currently packed and ready to go, I do have all of these things at my house. I have
made a list of these items, it is now on my refrigerator with the emergency contact list. If we
were to have to evacuate the house quickly, these things could be gathered and tossed into a tote
or bag very quickly.
The final thing that I would need in an emergency disaster kit would be a first aid kit. In
each vehicle there is quite the extensive first aid kit. As a service member of a fire department
with extensive knowledge of responding to medical calls, the first aid or medical kits that we
have should be more than the minimal standards. In the med kits already assembled in my
vehicle is 2 different sizes of rolled gauze, 4x4 gauze pads as well as 5x9 abdominal dressings
and two large trauma dressings. There is an emergency blanket and burn sheet as well as a
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couple personal protective kits that include mask, gloves, and gown and eye protection. This bag
contains hot and cold packs, disinfecting wipes, water-soluble lubricant and antibiotic ointment.
In the top section of this bag is alcohol and betadine wipes and alcohol based hand sanitizer as
well as several more pairs of gloves. There are ammonia capsules, and a glucometer kit,
stethoscope and blood pressure cuff. In addition there is tape in three sizes, scissors, and splints
supplies including triangular bandages and a moldable splint. This kits also contains an
emergency obstetrical kit with sterile supplies needed for childbirth. There is bug spray and
sunscreen in this kit normally for a long scene or scene with a lot of bugs. Although medications
cannot be given to the public on a call, I have a medication kits inside the med bag for personal
or friend uses. This medication kit includes, Tylenol, Aleve, Ibuprofren, Immodium, Pepto
Bismol, Benadryl, Claritin, Robitussin, Ducolax and Cold Medicine. There is also a one week
supply of daily medications that remain in my vehicle (they get refilled often due to taking them
when I forget to take them at home) in case of an emergency.
Conclusion
As you can see preparing for a disaster is a major component in maintaining health and
safety of one’s family should an event occur. Although the government has many plans in place
for large scale events, the planning needs to start in the home. Families and neighbors need to
work together to form and practice the plans they have created. Having a disaster kit with an
assortment of medical supplies, food, clothes, shelter and things for warmth are also important in
case of evacuation from your home. Make a plan, educate your family, practice and educate on
your plan, have resources in place and get through a disaster.
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References
American Red Cross (2014). Make a Disaster Preparedness Plan. Retrieved from
http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/home-family/plan
Centers for Disease Control (2014). Gather Emergency Supplies. Retrieved from
http://emergency.cdc.gov/preparedness/kit/disasters/
FEMA (2013). Build A Kit. Retrieved from http://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit
FEMA (2014). Make a Plan. Retrieved from http://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan
Hemlock Semiconductor (2014). Products and Applications. Retrieved from
http://www.hscpoly.com/content/hsc_prod/default.aspx
Quake Kare (n.d.). Talking About Disaster. Retrieved from
http://www.disastercenter.com/guide/family.htm
Veenema, T. G. (2013). Appendix V: Creating A Personal Disaster Plan. In Disaster Nursing
and Emergency Preparedness (third edition ed., pp. 738-741). Retrieved from
WNEM TV5 NEWS (2013). Heavy rains worsen flooding in parts of Michigan. Retrieved from
http://www.wnem.com/story/22010894/heavy-rains-worsen-flooding-in-parts-ofmichigan