Reposted from Administration for Children & Families The Family Room Blog (Sept. 7, 2012)
As a new parent, I remember the time that I forgot my newborn’s diaper bag. Imagine a screaming newborn that HATED being in dirty diapers, luckily I had diapers stashed in my car. The great thing about this incident is that I now make sure we have diapers in as many places as possible.
We really shouldn’t wait until a disaster happens and say, "Oh we got lucky." We have to act now – especially since we are new parents and have to think about a family that might be in different locations at the time of the incident. An example of things you may need to get done include:
- Picking a family meeting place
- A way to contact other family members (i.e. phone numbers, and social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, etc.) – memorize important numbers for your family.
- Keep a supply of food and drink that won’t go bad in the house: one gallon of water per person per day. Food like ramen noodles, granola bars, pop tarts, peanut butter, and jelly. Don’t forget to pack a manual can opener if you plan on having canned food in your supply.
- Emergency kit for a newborn, baby, toddler. Examples include baby food, diapers, wipes, formula, entertainment, books, etc.
- Flashlight with extra batteries.
- Hand crank or battery operated radio (with extra batteries).
- Cash in case ATMs are down.
- Personal documents such as passport(s), social security card(s) or drivers license(s), mortgage statements, etc.
If you include your children in the emergency planning process they will be more likely to understand and remember the plan.
For more information and helpful hints on ways to protect yourself and your family, follow the Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Click here to listen a special message from our Acting Assistant Secretary George Sheldon on National Preparedness Month.
Reposted from Administration for Children & Families The Family Room Blog (Sept. 7, 2012), written by Tala Hooban, Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response (OHSEPR) Program Analyst
