• Have an out-of-area family member or friend be your “family contact.” Family members who are separated during a disaster call this person and tell them where they are. Include this phone number on an Emergency Contact Card that household members keep with them all the time.• Develop an email distribution list of family members and friends so you can quickly notify each other about your location and wellbeing during and after a disaster.• If you are directly impacted by a disaster, you can register yourself as “safe and well” on the Red Cross Safe and Well Web site at https://disastersafe.redcross.org. This Internet tool allows family members and friends who go to the Safe and Well Web site to view messages posted by loved ones who are in the disaster affected area and possibly unable to communicate any other way.4. To print out an Emergency Contact Card, visit our website at www.arcventura.org under the Get Prepared section.Since 1917, the American Red Cross of Ventura County has been meeting needs throughout the communities it serves. Each year, more than 2,000 local volunteers respond to more than 50 local disasters, teach tens of thousands of individuals vital lifesaving skills, and support the men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces. The American Red Cross is not a government agency.
Make a plan – stay in communication with family
April 27, 2007
Santa Paula News
The recent events at Virginia Tech remind us of how important it is to prepare for unexpected events, as disasters of all types can happen with little or no warning.
The recent events at Virginia Tech remind us of how important it is to prepare for unexpected events, as disasters of all types can happen with little or no warning. A major part of preparing is to have a Family Contact Plan with the following three components:1. Set up a meeting to talk about the need to prepare for disasters and the types of disasters that could potentially happen including: home fires, school shootings/acts of terror, natural disasters common to your geographic region, and public health disasters such as a flu pandemic or infectious disease emergency. Talk about what you would do in each case.2. Pick out two places to meet in the event of a disaster:• Right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency, like a fire.• A location outside your neighborhood in case you can’t return home.3. Decide how you will contact each other during an emergency and share these plans now with all those who would be concerned about your welfare. There are several options for remaining in contact during an emergency: