Communication
This month’s goal:
Have a phone with a cord and a car charger for your cell phone standing by in case of a power failure.
Old fashioned phones with a cord connecting the handset to the base will work even in a power outage. Make sure you have at least one phone with a cord in your home in case of a power outage. Keep a car charger for your cell phone in your vehicle. If the power is out in your home, you can still charge your cell phone in your car.
Develop a plan for how your family will stay in touch during a disaster.
Include phone numbers for all family members and those who can give you extra help. Also include all work, school, and daycare phone numbers, if applicable. A wallet-size form you can use to write down this information can be found at www.ready.gov. Post the communication plan by a phone in your home, and include it in your “go bag” as well.
Safe and Well
The Red Cross Safe and Well program is a way for families to keep in touch when they are separated in a disaster. Make the website address part of the emergency information every family member carries. If you are separated from each other in a disaster, make sure everyone knows to go to the website to enter information about themselves, and how to find information on others.
Outside the Area of Contact
When local circuits are overloaded, you may still be able to make long distance calls. Choose someone outside of the local calling area to be your “outside the area” contact. If something happens when your family is not together and you are not able to reach each other, each family member can call the “outside the area” contact and leave a message for the others.
Program In Case of Emergency (ICE) numbers into all family cell phones.
If you are hurt and can’t talk, first responders and hospital staff may not know how to contact your family right away. If you have a cell phone, you can provide the phone numbers for your emergency contacts to first responders and hospital staff.
- Create a new contact in your cell phone’s phone book.
- Name the contact ICE.
- Enter all phone numbers for the person you would like to have notified in a medical emergency.
