Join us every Monday for the 2014 Be Prepared Summer Challenge

This week lets talk about the possibility of needing to shelter in place. This is the scenario your family is most likely to encounter.  Shelter in place means to take immediate shelter where you are—at home, work, school, or in between.

Taking appropriate shelter is critical in times of disaster. Conditions may require that you need protection in your home, at work or other location when the environment outside is dangerous and it’s not safe to go outside.

Be Prepared Summer Challenge Week 3 – shelter in place

Shelter at home

• Choose a room in advance for your shelter. The best room is one with as few windows and doors as possible. A large room, preferably with a water supply, is desirable—something like a master bedroom that is connected to a bathroom.
• Contact your workplaces, your children’s schools, nursing homes where you may have family and your local town or city officials to find out what their plans are for “shelter-in-place.”
• Find out when warning systems will be tested. When tested in your area, determine whether you can hear or see sirens and/or warning lights from your home.
• Develop your own family emergency plan so that every family member knows what to do. Practice it regularly.
• Assemble a disaster supplies kit that includes emergency water and food supplies.

Shelter at work

• Help ensure that the emergency plan and checklist involves all employees. Volunteers or recruits should be assigned specific duties during an emergency. Alternates should be assigned to each duty.
• The shelter kit should be checked on a regular basis. Duct tape and first aid supplies can sometimes disappear when all employees know where the shelter kit is stored. Batteries for the radio and flashlight should be replaced regularly.

Shelter in general

• Learn CPR, first aid and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). (Contact your local American Red Cross chapter for more information.)
• How will I know when I need to “shelter-in-place”?
• Fire or police department warning procedures could include:
  • “All-Call” telephoning – an automated system for sending recorded messages, sometimes called “reverse 9-1-1”.
  • Emergency Alert System (EAS) broadcasts on the radio or television.
  • Outdoor warning sirens or horns.
  • News media sources – radio, television and cable.
  • NOAA Weather Radio alerts.
  • Residential route alerting – messages announced to neighborhoods from vehicles equipped with public address systems.
  • Facilities that handle potentially dangerous materials, like nuclear power plants, are required to install sirens and other warning systems (flash warning lights) to cover a 10-mile area around the plant.

This weeks challenge: Name three instances where you might be asked to shelter in place. Post them on our Facebook page.

Check out other weekly challenges:

Week 1 – Fire Escape Plan
Week 2 – Power Outage
Week 3 – Shelter in Place
Week 4 – Evacuate Your Home
Week 5 – Situational Awareness
Week 6 – Neighborhood Ready
Week 7 – Pets in Disasters
Week 8 – Vital Documents
Week 9 – Utility Shut-off
Week 10 – Top 5 Disaster Supplies
Week 11 – Emergency Alerts
Week 12 – First Aid
Week 13 – Day of Service

 

Thanks for joining us for the Be Prepared Summer Challenge – Just do one more thing to be prepared.