The activities that have entertained us on shows like Doomsday Preppers and Survivorman are becoming more commonplace.
Thanks to increasing threats like climate change, civil unrest and global military conflicts, disaster preparation and survival training are becoming less fringe and more accepted in the mainstream.
As a resident of Ontario, your home insurance policy likely protects you from most types of losses (i.e. fire, wind, theft, liability) but it’s up to you to ensure your home’s emergency preparedness.
WHERE TO START YOUR EMERGENCY PREPARATION?
With a plan.
What would be the first thing you did if a disaster happened today? Where would you go? Who would you contact? Do you have any supplies ready?
It’s not fun to think about, but doing so could mean the difference between life and death. Not only for you but for those you care about the most.
It’s important to have an emergency action plan in place that everyone in the household knows about.
1/ WRITE OUT A LIST OF IMPORTANT CONTACTS
Let’s face it, we’re too dependent on our smartphones. While they make communication reliable and efficient in good times, what happens when their battery runs out or cell service is down during an emergency?
The first thing you should do when developing an emergency plan is to write a list of all important contacts.
- Emergency assistance (including hospitals)
- Family
- Neighbours
- Friends
- Workplaces
- Insurance company
Any and all contact information you think might come in handy, including physical addresses. Even the phone numbers you think you’d never forget because stressful situations can impact memory.
Once you have your list, make several copies so that it’s available in more than one location. Each emergency kit should have a copy and each location that you spend a good amount of time in should as well like a desk at work, a school locker etc.
Make it a habit to update annually.
2/ PREPARE AN EMERGENCY KIT
So many of us don’t have more on hand other than the food and supplies we need until the next grocery trip.
While fresh fruit and vegetables are good to have, these perishables won’t last long if you’re unable to get out to the store during a disaster.
The standard recommendation made by the likes of the Canadian Government is to have enough emergency supplies on hand to keep you and your family safe and fed for 72 hours.
But is this enough?
While it’s a great place to start and probably the minimal threshold Ontario households should do to prepare for something like a snowstorm, being prepared in case of a longer emergency would provide the most peace of mind.
72 HOUR EMERGENCY KIT
These are excellent for a short term emergency.
You could keep it simple and purchase a prepared emergency kit from somewhere like the Canadian Red Cross or you can build your own.
Either way, your emergency kit should include:
- Important contacts
- External battery pack for charging electronics
- Non-Perishable & easy to prepare food items with a manual can opener
- Warm clothing, shoes
- Blankets or sleeping bags
- Cash
- Batteries
- Crank radio with a list of local stations that would be delivering critical information
- Flashlight
- Candles with matches or lighter
- Hand sanitizer
- First-aid supplies
- Medications
- Personal hygiene items
- Photocopies of important documents & IDs
The same time of year when you’re updating your written contact list is when you should re-familiarize yourself with your kit(s) to see if there’s anything that needs to be added or replaced.
Store all items in a backpack or duffle bag so it’s ready to grab and go just in case.
7-14 DAY EMERGENCY KIT
If you want to be prepared to hunker down during a more serious and long-lasting disaster, your kit should include everything above, plus:
- MORE (batteries, food, candles etc.,)
- Backup power generator
- Rain barrels
- Local maps to assist with travel
You can get more tips about being prepared here.
3/ PLAN FOR TRAVEL
This should include both an emergency escape plan out of your home as well as a route established out of town in case you’re forced to evacuate.
While the way out of town may be limited and determined for you based on the region’s evacuation plan, knowing where you’re going will likely be up to you.
Have friends or family that live out of town? Come up with an agreement with 1 or more of them that makes each other’s homes available to the other should either family need a place to evacuate to.
If this isn’t available to you, have a destination in mind like a hotel or campground.
Depending on the reason for the evacuation there may be emergency shelters established where you’ll be directed, but it’s better to have your plan in place so you’re less reliant on others.
Make sure your pets are part of the plan and have a list of things to do before evacuating your home, such as:
- Turning off the main power breaker
- Ensuring drains are not obstructed
- All windows and doors are locked
All of this should be thoroughly communicated and even practised with everyone in the family annually.
Noticing a trend? Make it fun and have an emergency preparation day with a fun meal involved. 🙂
Erie Mutual Insurance proudly serves the commercial insurance, farm insurance, home insurance and auto insurance needs of members throughout Southern Ontario including Haldimand, Niagara and Hamilton.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have about this or any other topic related to your insurance.
