Disaster preparedness plan and checklist

Every year, disasters displace people from their homes and leave them without basic day-to-day necessities. That’s why it’s important to have a disaster preparedness plan. A disaster plan can give you clear next steps, keep your family together in the aftermath, and help minimize your financial losses. Learn how to create your family’s disaster preparedness plan, the steps you need to help recover from a natural disaster, and the best resources to turn to in a time of need.

3 steps to create a personal disaster plan

Creating a good personal home disaster plan, or house emergency plan, is a process. Here are three steps to get there.

1. Learn what disasters may affect your home

One of the most important first steps of planning for a disaster is knowing what natural disasters you’re most vulnerable to. After all, the way you’d prepare for a flood is different from how you’d prepare for a tornado or a winter storm. Some disasters require evacuation, while others call for shelter in place. The American Red Cross website has a map that shows natural disasters by region.

It’s also important to prepare for non-natural disasters. A housefire, for example, requires a completely different plan than a wildfire. One requires you to evacuate the entire area, while the other requires you to evacuate only your own home and call the authorities.

Part of your disaster plan for home should include enabling wireless emergency alerts (WEAs) on your smartphone. WEAs are free, location-based, require no app or sign-up, and may override silent mode with an attention signal. These are available for both Android and iPhones. They are designed as texts with a unique sound and vibration. If you’re at risk of multiple types of disasters, make sure you understand the different types of alerts you might receive so you can respond as quickly as possible.

A good place to begin your plans is with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) planning guides.

2. Know your evacuation routes

For disasters that may require evacuation – hurricanes and wildfires are just two examples – it’s important to know your tentative evacuation route. It’s easy to panic in a disaster, and having your first steps mapped out can provide some breathing room and peace of mind.

Here are some tips on what to include in your emergency plan:

• Establish a meeting point with your household members so you know where to find each other if cell service is unreliable. You could meet at a neighbor's house, a nearby local business, or the home of a loved one.
• Research common evacuation points in advance.
• Know which common area your community uses in a disaster – they often use the same schools as evacuation points during a natural disaster.
• Practice your evacuation route in advance so you have some muscle memory about where to go.
• Make sure your emergency plan also includes a list of resources, including FEMA and your state and local emergency management agencies.
• Make sure everyone in your household is crystal clear on all points of your evacuation plan and route.
• Have an out-of-area contact person who can help coordinate if local communications are overwhelmed.

3. Prepare an emergency kit

When an emergency hits, it can often be difficult to get your hands on necessities, especially in the first day or two.

When you're creating your disaster preparedness plan, assemble an emergency kit that includes everything you'll need to survive for the first 3 days if you can't immediately obtain supplies or contact emergency management services.

Home emergency kit checklist

Every family’s needs will be slightly different, but heres' a checklist of basic items that should be in your personal emergency kit include:

• Water (1 gallon per person per day for at least 3 days)
• Nonperishable food
• Personal medications
• Accessibility tools (walkers, wheelchairs, and others)
• Plastic sheeting
• Blankets
• First-aid kit
• Prescription medications
• Hand sanitizer and wipes
• Multi-tool
• Flashlight
• Flares or a whistle
• Extra batteries
• Battery-powered radio
• Local maps
• Cellphone and battery-powered charger
• Passport
• Copies of important documents stored online
• Medical records

In addition to these basics, you should tailor your emergency kit based on the type of disaster your area is most prone to. Here are some examples of special supplies you may need for certain types of disasters:

• Earthquakes: Masks, goggles, work gloves, duct tape
• Hurricanes: Life jackets, water filter, glow sticks, sunscreen
• Tornado: Helmets, sturdy shoes, whistle, blankets
• Fire: Full-coverage goggles, respirator, masks, long-sleeved shirts, and pants

Recovering from natural disasters

When you’re hit by a natural disaster, the most important consideration is how you’ll make it through those first few days safely and with the basic resources you need. But once the worst passes, you can move on to recovering from the disaster and getting back on your feet. Here are the steps to take to ensure a smooth recovery.

Secure your belongings

Scammers often take advantage of people in vulnerable situations, including those who have gone through a natural disaster.

In the aftermath of a disaster, take steps to protect your identity and assets. Contact your creditors about any lost credit or debit cards and report any suspicious transactions. Destroy any unneeded documents you find containing your personal information.

Finally, consider setting fraud alerts on your credit report. These alerts are added to your credit reports and let creditors know to take extra steps to verify your identity before allowing someone to take out a loan or line of credit in your name.

Document the damage

Your instinct after a disaster may be to start putting your house and belongings back together to make it feel like home again. But before you do that, make sure to photograph and thoroughly document all the damage. These photographs will be critical to get an accurate settlement from your homeowners or flood insurance company.

Make a homeowners insurance claim

Before filing your homeowners insurance claim, start by reviewing your policy to determine your coverage and deductible. Pay attention to your coverage for your home, your personal belongings, and additional living expenses, including hotels and food.

Once you’ve done that, file your homeowners insurance claim as quickly as possible. The sooner you file your claim, the sooner you can get a resolution and the money to start rebuilding. You may have a few options for filing a claim: over the phone, online, or via an app on your phone. Once your claim is filed, an insurance adjuster will ask for an inventory of what was lost and damaged, and will typically visit your home to assess the damage.

After filing your claim, stay in contact with your insurance agent or adjuster. Pay close attention to updates, especially if your insurance company needs additional information from you to process the claim.

Damage prevention

Right after the disaster, you may need to take steps to minimize additional damage to your home and belongings. At the same time, you don’t want to make any permanent repairs until you’ve gotten the green light from your insurance adjuster.

You should address anything that's a safety issue, or that could further damage your home, such as covering an uncovered roof or removing drywall, carpeting, or flooring after a flood to prevent mold.

As you make these temporary fixes, document any repairs and keep receipts for everything, as these should be covered by insurance.

Additional resources

Rebuilding after a natural disaster can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to go through it alone. There are plenty of resources available to help ensure your immediate safety, as well as help you rebuild after the fact. Here are some resources to consider:

• Federal assistance programs. The federal government can provide you with information and support after a disaster, including help finding and applying for local disaster assistance, housing, and food.
• American Red Cross. After a disaster, the Red Cross provides food, shelter, medical care, and recovery plans. It has a local resource directory and can even help you reconnect with loved ones you've lost touch with.
• Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA provides low-interest loans to businesses, homeowners, renters, and nonprofit organizations after a disaster. To qualify, you must be in a federally declared disaster area.

The bottom line: A disaster preparedness plan is critical in emergencies

Staying calm, knowing when and where to evacuate, and what to bring with you after a disaster is difficult. That’s why having a predetermined disaster preparedness plan is so important. It helps your family to stick together and stay safe, as well as protecting vital documents and belongings.

It’s important to know the disasters your area is prone to and the specific preparation that’s needed. Your community will also likely have predetermined evacuation routes and meeting places you should know. Finally, there is post-disaster recovery, which demands its own planning. In the end, a disaster preparedness plan is the best idea you hope you’ll never use.

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