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Emergency planning is one of the most neglected phases
of the home safety program. Emergency planning requires
sitting down momentarily, to think about what emergencies
could happen in your life and around your home, and
preparing for them, so that you, your family members,
friends, know what to do when rapid action is needed.
This will reduce stress and anxiety.
What is an emergency?
Any emergency, regardless of type, is an event, or series
of events that can cause serious health affecting stress.
Emergencies can be caused by weather conditions such
as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, cyclones. They can
be caused by events such as cars colliding in a motor
accident; terrorism, personal violence and abuse and
other situations. Whatever the cause, people who experience
the event have related feelings that can affect health,
behavior and even safety. An emergency is traumatic
and is often characterized by feeling helpless, out
of control, frightened, horrified, threatened or all
of the above.
Read
Emergencies: Unfamiliar and Unplanned Events
Why is emergency planning important?
Being prepared for an emergency can lessen the anxiety
and fear of the unknown. Thinking ahead about actions
that can be taken in the event of a safety threat, can
make a difference in reaction speed, should an emergency
actually happen. Speed can sometimes make the difference
between life or death, serious damage, minor damage
or no damage. Planning ahead makes good sense and
can reduce stress.
What are some emergency planning tips?
- Post emergency telephone numbers in large print
next to all of your telephones. This should include
police, fire, poison control, family members, neighbors,
and friends who could help you to respond to an
emergency.
- Have at least one phone accessible in the event
of an accident which leaves you unable to stand.
- Make sure all of your medications are properly
labeled, and easy to get, in case of a sudden response
to an emergency.
- Have your supportive devices (such as cane, walker,
hearing aids) within easy reach in the event of
the need to make a sudden exit.
- Keep all necessary emergency equipment handy and
easy to get to at all times.
- Keep a list of your medications, and ALL drugs
that cause allergic reactions, with the personal
items you plan to take in an emergency.
- Have a plan where you can go for lodging in case
of evacuation or other disasters which force you
to leave home.
- Have copies of all of your important papers together
including licenses, health record and information,
medication list, contact numbers, titles, etc.
- Make sure you have a will and someone you have
designated in the event of your illness or death.
What sort of emergency supplies are important to have
around my home? You should have emergency supplies available
for all emergency situations that you could face. For
additional information, check the following Internet
resources:
http://www.redcross.org
http://www.prepare.org/disabilities/appendixa.htm
http://www.prepare.org/seniors/srsforsrs.htm
http://www.prepare.org/disabilities/appendixc.htm
http://www.co.hernando.fl.us/utils/CFW/emergencytips.htm
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=113382,00.html
http://www.flash.org/activity.cfm?currentPeril=1&activityID=183
http://www.redcross.org/images/pdfs/preparedness/A4600.pdf
http://www.redcross.org/preparedness/cdc_english/evac-plan.html
http://www.redcross.org/preparedness/cdc_english/mentalhealth-6.asp
http://www.hhs.gov/emergency/index.shtml
FREE Downloadable Forms/Handouts
Emergency Food
Emergency Numbers
Emergency Kit
Emergency Kit
for Your Car
Emergency
Planning Tips
Small
Pet Emergency Checklist
Questions to Begin Emergency Planning
Disability Emergency Planning Quiz
What to Do in Case of a
Fire
ICE: In Case
of Emergency Cell Phone Emergency Assistance Plan
Important Papers to
Take With You
Medicine Record
 MedicTag:
A Personal Medical Alert Device
This is a life saving
gadget that organizes and stores personal emergency information
in a small computer flash disk.
MedicTag is a terrific
gift for anyone, and especially useful for people with special
needs.
What are some signs and symptoms of stress?
The days after an emergency traumatic event can be
very rough. Anger, fatigue, anxiety, sleeplessness,
depression are all very normal reactions after experiencing
an emergency. Usually, these feelings go away with
time. But if stress reactions seem too difficult to
handle, a referral to get medical help right away
is suggested.
There are many ways people can experience stress,
and there are many signs that can be observed. It
is important to pay attention to signs and symptoms
of stress to assure health and safety. The following
is a wonderful chart that was developed by the Center
for Disease Control and is included here.
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Common Responses to a Traumatic
Event
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Cognitive
- poor concentration
- confusion
- disorientation
- indecisiveness
- shortened attention span
- memory loss
- unwanted memories
- difficulty making decisions
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Emotional
- shock
- numbness
- feeling overwhelmed
- depression
- feeling lost
- fear of harm to self and/or loved ones
- feeling nothing
- feeling abandoned
- uncertainty of feelings
- volatile emotions
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Physical
- nausea
- lightheadedness
- dizziness
- gastro-intestinal problems
- rapid heart rate
- tremors
- headaches
- grinding of teeth
- fatigue
- poor sleep
- pain
- hyperarousal
- jumpiness
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Behavioral
- suspicion
- irritability
- arguments with friends and loved ones
- withdrawal
- excessive silence
- inappropriate humor
- increased/decreased eating
- change in sexual desire or functioning
- increased smoking
- increased substance use or abuse
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What To Do In A Medical Emergency
Are you prepared for an emergency? Knowing what
constitutes an emergency, where to get help and what
to do while you're waiting for help can save a life.
Here are some tips from the American College of
Emergency Physicians.
Read article
Emergency Planning Quiz
Take this quiz to determine how prepared you are
for an emergency.
See quiz
Emergency Physicians Say "ICE" Can Help Save
Your Life
Washington, DC-Emergency physicians are
recommending that people with cellular phones add
"ICE'" entries into their cell phone address books.
This stands for "In Case of Emergency," and medical
professionals are using it to notify the person's
emergency contacts and to obtain critical medical
information when a patient arrives unconscious or
unable to answer questions.
Read article
Interim Recommendations for Driving Safely in a
Disaster Location
These interim recommendations are based on current
knowledge as of October 21, 2005 ; the recommendations
will be updated and revised as appropriate, as
additional information becomes available.
Read Article
Fire Extinguisher Extinguished Despair
Read about Dr. Vanessa's personal experience with a
home fire and learn how to use a fire extinguisher.
Read Article
Seniors are at a High Risk for Fire Deaths
Doesn't dying of "old age" sound like a much better
option than death by fire? Unfortunately, compared to
the rest of the US, the risk of death by fire
dramatically increases with age. United States Fire
Administration statistics prove seniors have higher
risk of death or injury by fire than any other age
group! Read
Article
Ten Tips to Prevent Home Fires
Read Article
For more resources, visit our
Emergency
Planning Topics in the Learning Center Links.
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