Weather emergencies again!  Are you prepared?

The first summer of settling into the homestead property we experienced our first weather emergency.  We had 70 mile hour straight line winds blow through the middle of the night and therefore a metal roof was ripped off the grainary building.  The fierce sheer of the wind was both  intoxicating and electrifying and I admit I felt the adrenaline surge.  It was complete ‘blackness’ in our township and there was not yard light on for miles.  The only light was from the huge bolts jolting across the sky. It is a scary feeling not knowing what is hoovering above you.  We have to rely on our weather alert box.  We are too rural to hear the blaring sound of the tornado siren. A weather alert box is great to have in your bedroom at nighttime. It will send out a blaring sound to inform you of weather coming in. 

As we waited in the 1920 farm house basement hoping the structure above us would hold up, we strained our ears to listen if the wind was calm (pre-tornado right?) or if the storm moved south of us.  I thought about what am I going to do if I loose all my documents/photos because I closed out our safe deposit box before moving here. I thought about  how can I cook  or use water from the well. No electricity means no easy conveniences of cooking and showering.  As a result of not sleeping well, I  ended up spreading  on the family room floor.  Consequently I was worried about what daylight would bring.  I knew next time I would have a plan.  

We all have different emergencies depending on your location in the world.  Is it a tornado, straight line winds, blizzard, hurricane, fire, flooding, earthquake,  job loss, or illness?

Start your plan using these steps:

1.  The first step is to identify specific emergency events that could occur in life.  While in Minnesota, the risk of earthquake is extremely low compared to a blizzard risk, someone else in California may say, earthquake is a top of the list.  Wherever home is, the three key words are plan, review, and action.  I know that this is not new news for you. Therefore, when a plan is put  into action, the stress and emotions are extremely elevated and a family member may not even remember his/her  first name or how to call 911.  The more you plan and review the potential emergency event, your action will be much more efficient  and smooth.  So how is a plan created? Follow the steps below.

Whatever your emergency event may be, it is important to have all your papers easily accessible so you can take with you.

2.  The second step is to print this [embeddoc url=”https://doublekhomesteadlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Emergency-Prep-Checklists.pdf” download=”all”] as it contains information of the things you want to include in your emergency plan.

3.  Once you have all the paper in order, organize them into a binder. This step may take some time to complete.  Do a few lists each day and by the end of the week, you will have accomplished an emergency binder!  Remember to use the photos on the front of the binder  and don’t label as emergency binder. (for security purposes) Communicate with family members this plan.

4.  Also, consider placing your info on a USB drive also and give to a trusted family member if you are at an extremely high risk of loosing home due to your emergency event.

Remember to update your binder at least every 6 months and keep it in a place you can easily get to and retrieve.