What Is the First Step You Can Take to Plan for a Natural Disaster in Riverside?

9/2/2021 (Permalink)

Discuss with your household or family how you will communicate if there is an emergency.

In 2020, 60,714 weather-related events resulted in 585 deaths and 1,708 injuries. Winter weather, tornadoes and floods resulted in the most deaths that year, according to Injury Facts.

Make a plan today. Your family may not be together if a disaster strikes, so it is important to know which types of disasters could affect your area.  Within Riverside, California, we can face many different disasters.  Riverside is prone to earthquakes, wildfires, flooding, strong winds, thunder storms, lightening, and flash flooding.  The most recent disaster affecting all families world wide is our current COVID-19 pandemic.  With this pandemic, sheltering in place was mandated so it was necessary to have enough food and items to sustain families for more than a month. Were you prepared?  Did you have enough of life's necessities to keep you and your family sustained?   

Ready.Gov has provided steps to make a plan. 

Week 1 September 1-4: Make A Plan

Talk to your friends and family about how you will communicate before, during, and after a disaster. Make sure to update your plan based on the Centers for Disease Control recommendations due to the coronavirus.

Creating your Family Emergency Communication Plan starts with one simple question:  "What If"

• What if something happens and I'm not with my family?
• Will I be able to reach them?
• How will I know if they are safe?
• How can I let them know I'm Ok?

During a disaster, you will need to send or receive information from your family.

Communication networks, such as mobile phones and computers, could be unreliable during disasters, and electricity could be disrupted.  Planning in advance will help ensure that all members of your household-including children, pets and people with disabilities, as well as outside caregivers- know how to reach each other and meet up in an emergency. 

Planning starts with these three steps:

•  Collect

• Create a paper copy of the contact information for your family and other important people/offices such as medical facilities, doctors, schools, or service providers

• Share

• Make sure everyone carries a copy in his or her back pack, purse, or wallet.  If you complete your Family Emergency Communication Plan online at Create Your Family Emergency Communication Plan you can print it into a wallet sized card.  You should also post a copy in a central location in your home, such as your refrigerator or bulletin board.

• Practice

• Have regular household meetings to review and practice your plan. 

Best way to communicate?

Text is best!  If you are using a mobile phone, a text message may get through when a phone call will not.  This is because a text message requires much less bandwidth then a phone call.  Text messages may also save and then send automatically as soon as capacity becomes available. 

Know how you’ll contact one another and reconnect if separated. Establish a family meeting place that’s familiar and easy to find.

• PrepareToProtect means preparing to protect everyone you love. Start by making a plan before disasters and emergencies strike: www.ready.gov/plan
• Discuss with your household or family how you will communicate if there is an emergency.
• Decide and practice your emergency plan with members of your household.
• Houses, mobile homes, apartments, and high-rise buildings have different evacuation considerations. Make a plan for each: www.ready.gov/plan-for-locations 
• Involve your entire family, including your children, in planning for disasters and emergencies so they are prepared, not afraid: www.ready.gov/plan

Keep the number of SERVPRO of West Riverside City in your emergency contact list.  We are available for those unexpected disasters 24 hours a day, 24 days a week.  We are also available during holidays! 

951-351-8033