Prepare for a disaster, heck no – it won’t happen to me! Those were the exact words uttered by Shane and Jen when they moved into a new home close to the neighbouring forests. Sadly, 3- months later, they were sitting in a Reception Centre with their young daughter Emma as a forest fire was burning out of control in their neighbourhood.
Unfortunately, being prepared for a disaster was not a priority. Sadly this left them with no disaster plan or supplies to get them through this difficult time. Like many, they had ignored the requests of the authorities advising them to get ready just in case an evacuation was necessary.
As a result, they sat in front of me in the Reception Centre, looking for answers; Jen was in tears as she and Shane tried to figure out what they would do and where they would go. In addition, the sadness of leaving everything behind and the fear of not even knowing if they would have a home to go back to weighed heavily on their minds. If only they had listened and taken the time to get ready.
Responding on-scene to house fires and disasters over the years, I have heard all the excuses and seen the unfortunate results of what it means when a family is unprepared.
Top 3 Excuses for not being Prepared for Disaster:
- Disasters won’t happen to me,
- I am too busy to prepare for a disaster,
- Where do I start? I have no idea how to prepare my family for a disaster.
Living in the aftermath of a disaster is challenging! Even more so without a Disaster Plan and supplies ready to go! Like Shane and Jen, far too many people don’t take the necessary action to develop their plans.
What excuses are preventing you and your family from getting prepared for disasters?
Excuse #1 – Disasters won’t Happen to me:
Standing on the sidewalk at 3:18 in the morning, I see the fear and worry as families huddle close together, trying to keep warm with a blanket wrapped tightly around them, wondering what happens now. With no home to return to, no insurance to cover the costs and no plan to move forward, the familiar phrase rings out……….. I never thought it would happen to me.
Excuse #2 – I am too busy to Prepare for a Disaster.
Soccer and hockey games, dance classes, to-do items and commitments make for a busy schedule. Unfortunately, this pushes Disaster Preparedness further down the To-Do list, and you never get to it. And then, the disaster strikes, and you find yourselves alone, unprepared, and now it’s too late to prepare.
Excuse #3 – Where do I start – I have No idea how to Prepare my Family for a Disaster
Getting prepared can be overwhelming – I understand. Where do you start? What do you need to do? How much will it cost? So many unanswered questions. Google “Disaster Preparedness,” and you get about 12,500,0000 hits. Now, it is even more overwhelming, and sadly it again falls to the bottom of the To-Do List.
Preparing your Family for Disaster!
These excuses are all great excuses until they aren’t. You don’t want to be the family standing out outside at 3:18 in the morning wondering what you will do now, or the family knee-deep in water in your basement or find yourself evacuated and have no idea how to connect with your family. I can guarantee you – that is when you will be thankful you took action to develop your Family Disaster Plan.
Getting Past the Excuses
Faced with any disaster, you will be thankful you have a Disaster Plan. Above all, it can be as simple as sitting down with your family and talking about what you would do in specific disaster situations, purchasing disaster supplies, or creating your disaster kit. That is an excellent start to developing your family disaster plan.
Disaster Preparedness Workshops can help ensure your family and pets are prepared for whatever disaster comes your way. Step-by-step procedures are in place to help you through the process. Following this process makes it easy to identify what you must do to prepare your family.
Above all, consider this – If getting your family prepared is difficult now, imagine what it will be like after the disaster strikes. Supplies and resources may not be as readily available as they are today. As always – the time to take action is now! No Excuses!