National Preparedness Month: "Teach Youth to Prepare for Disasters"

9/17/2019 (Permalink)

Include your kids in planning for emergency situations such as a house fire, flooding or power outage.

It’s the third week of National preparedness month and this weeks theme is “Teach youth to prepare for disasters”.

So, how do we make sure our kids are prepared and have the tools that they need to deal with an emergency situation without scaring them? 

Depending on your child’s age, they may have a cell phone that they can use in an emergency situation. Text messaging with you and other family members or trusted adults during an emergency will help them (and you as the worried parent!) immeasurably. Younger children may not have a device, however programming their teachers and coaches numbers into your phone will help you communicate with them easily if there is an emergency. 

Last week, we discussed creating an emergency kit that is portable and can be easily brought with you if evacuation is necessary. Be sure to pack your child’s medications in the kit. We also recommend packing a few things that can provide comfort for your child, such as a stuffed animal, music or playing cards. You can even get your child involved building their own kit, which makes it fun and gives them a sense of ownership in the process.

Most likely, your child will either be at home or at school during an emergency. To prepare for an emergency during school hours, ask your child’s school and teacher what the emergency protocol is for different scenarios, such as a surprise snowstorm, power outage or tornado. Don’t forget to ask the school about school bus emergencies. 

In the home, run through emergency situations and what actions might need to be taken during a house fire, flooding or an evacuation. Just like a fire drill at school, the repetition and hands on experience will teach your child what to do automatically in a real life dangerous scenario. Make it a fun event with the whole family and have a pizza afterwards!