Ready Upland: Make a Family Emergency Plan Before You Need One
Lesson: Importance of planning ahead.
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Emergencies rarely happen at a convenient time. An earthquake can strike while family members are at work or school. A wildfire can force an evacuation with little warning. A power outage can disrupt communications, transportation, and access to basic services.
That is why one of the most important things every household can do is make an emergency plan before an emergency happens.
As part of our Ready Upland preparedness series, Week 2 focuses on making sure your family knows where to go, how to communicate, and what to do when normal routines are disrupted.
Why an Emergency Plan Matters
During a major emergency, family members may be separated within minutes.
Cell phone networks may become overloaded. Roads may be closed. Schools and workplaces may have their own emergency procedures. Power may be out. You may even be unable to return home for a period of time.
A simple written emergency plan can reduce confusion and help everyone make better decisions.
The goal is not to create a complicated disaster manual. The goal is to make sure everyone in your household can answer a few basic questions:
Where will we meet?
How will we contact each other?
Who will we contact if local communications are disrupted?
How will we evacuate?
What will we do with our pets?
Who in our family may need extra assistance?
Those decisions are much easier to make now, when there is time to think them through.
1. Choose Two Family Meeting Places
Every household should identify at least two meeting locations.
The first should be close to your home, such as a familiar location in your neighborhood.
The second should be outside your immediate neighborhood in case your area is inaccessible or evacuated.
Make sure children and other family members know both locations.
2. Choose an Out-of-Area Contact
Select a trusted friend or relative who lives outside the immediate area.
During a large regional emergency, local telephone networks may become overloaded. Sometimes it may be easier for family members to reach someone outside the affected area.
Everyone in the household should have that person's:
Name
Phone number
Alternate phone number, if available
Email address
Your out-of-area contact can become the central person family members check in with if they cannot communicate directly with one another.
3. Write Down Important Phone Numbers
Most of us rely almost entirely on our phones to store contact information.
That becomes a problem if your phone is lost, damaged, or has no power.
Keep a printed emergency contact list that includes:
Immediate family
Out-of-area contact
Schools and childcare providers
Employers
Doctors and important medical contacts
Close neighbors
Insurance information
Other emergency contacts
Keep copies in your Go Bag, vehicle, wallet, or children's backpacks.
4. Know More Than One Evacuation Route
Do not assume the road you normally use will be available during an emergency.
Identify at least two ways out of your neighborhood.
Consider what you would do if:
A major road were blocked
A wildfire affected your normal route
Flooding made a street impassable
Police or fire officials established road closures
Keep your vehicle reasonably fueled or charged and know where you would go if you had to leave your home.
5. Plan for Everyone in Your Household
Emergency plans should account for the needs of every family member.
That may include:
Young children
Older adults
Individuals with disabilities
Family members with mobility limitations
Anyone requiring medication or medical equipment
People who may need transportation assistance
Think about these needs before an evacuation or emergency makes the situation more difficult.
6. Don't Forget Your Pets
Pets are part of the emergency plan too.
Have supplies ready, including:
Carrier or crate
Leash and harness
Food and water
Medications
Identification
Veterinary information
Waste supplies
Also think about where you could take your pets if you had to leave your home.
7. Practice the Plan
Creating a plan is only the first step.
Talk about it with everyone in your household.
Practice where you would meet. Make sure everyone knows the emergency contacts. Discuss what children should do if parents cannot immediately reach them.
A plan that nobody remembers is not much of a plan.
Consider reviewing your household plan every six months and whenever there is a major change in your family, workplace, school, or living situation.
This Week's Ready Upland Exercise
Take 20 minutes this week and complete these five steps:
Write down your household names, phone numbers, and emergency contacts.
Select your two family meeting locations.
Choose your out-of-area contact.
Identify at least two evacuation routes from your neighborhood.
Go over the plan with everyone in your household.
Twenty minutes of planning today can save valuable time during an actual emergency.
Prepared Today. Stronger Tomorrow.
Emergency preparedness is not about expecting the worst. It is about making sure your family has a plan when circumstances are unpredictable.
Government, police, fire, public works, utilities, hospitals, and other emergency responders will be working during a major disaster. But the better prepared individual households are, the more effectively our entire community can respond and recover.
Be informed. Plan ahead. Take action.
Sign Up for Emergency Alerts
Residents can receive official emergency notifications along with learning about emergency preparedness resources below
Ready Upland
Provided by
Councilmember James Breitling
Disclaimer: The Upland Update is an independent community resource and is not affiliated with the City of Upland. This is my personal initiative to keep residents and businesses informed about key issues, city developments, and community events that impact our daily lives. My goal is to ensure you have clear, transparent, and timely information to stay engaged and involved in shaping Upland’s future.
James Breitling
(909) 342-2523
info@theuplandupdate.com
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