Natural disasters can strike without warning. Take steps to prepare in the event of a flood, fire, tornado or any other unexpected event.
Use these steps to assemble your disaster-readiness plan:
- Ask yourself the big questions. How will you receive emergency alerts and warnings? Where will you take shelter in your home? Where would you go in the event of an evacuation? How will you communicate with family members? Do you a have a preset location you will meet at if you are separated in an emergency?
- Use a template to formulate a family plan. A variety of templates for disaster planning can be found at the websites for the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross.
- Take stock of special needs. When creating your plan, consider the ages of your family members, whether anyone has special mobility needs, whether children will be coming from a school instead of home, medical and dietary needs, languages spoken and the needs of your pets.
- Practice the plan. Make sure everyone in your family, down to the youngest members, knows the plan and their responsibilities.
When situations arise in Berks County that may affect you and your family, Berks Alert lets local officials notify you quickly via voice, text or email alerts. For more information and instructions on how to register, visit the County of Berks website for Berks Alerts.
By Michael & Zylkia Rivera
Team Rivera Realtors
