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Disaster
Communications Plan
Make your family disaster communications plan
Disaster can strike quickly and without
warning. It can force you to evacuate your neighborhood or confine you to
your home. In either case, knowing that you are safe is very important to
your immediate family members and close friends. The American Red Cross
encourages Northwest Arkansas residents to create a communications plan in
preparation for any type of disaster. It is important to act now- before
disaster strikes.
When you make a phone call or send an
email message, you bring peace of mind to those who care about your
well-being and safety.
During a disaster, however, basic
services including electricity and phone service may be disrupted. Due to
widespread outages, service may not be restored for several days. During
this critical time, your family and friends may not be able to reach you.
Your initiative to establish contact quickly and place a phone call to a
designated person will save your loved ones from making multiple calls
looking for you. This one simple act can help alleviate their anxiety about
your well-being, and help to reduce the overwhelming number of phone calls
that often times overload the system following a disaster.
The need to create a family
communication plan is critical. During last year's unprecedented hurricane
season of last year, the American Red Cross received more than 300,000
phone calls – most of which regarded people seeking loved ones.
To assist families with staying
connected following a disaster, the Red Cross recommends having a
communication plan in place beforehand:
Contacting family and friends inside
the affected area:
- Plan ahead for the possibility of becoming
separated from your family and friends.
- Because phone lines may be out of service or
overloaded after a disaster, it's often easier to call out of the
area.
- Choose an out-of-town contact that each
family or household member will call or email to check in with should
a disaster occur. Your selected contact should live far enough away
that they would be unlikely to be directly affected by the same event,
and they should know they are the chosen contact.
- All of your loved ones should have the phone
number for the contact as well as each other's phone numbers and email
addresses. Loved ones should agree to call the out-of-town contact to
report their whereabouts and welfare. Consider having a laminated
wallet-sized card made to carry with you at all times.
- Many people overwhelm telephone lines when
emergencies happen. Your family and friends should know that if
telephone lines are not working, they need to be patient and try again
later or try email. Sometimes emails go through when calls don't.
- As calls or emails are placed to the
out-of-town contact from family members affected by the disaster,
there will be peace of mind that comes from knowing that everyone is
safe.
Contacting family and friends outside
the affected area:
- Make an emergency contact list.
- Write contact information including name,
home, work and cell phone numbers and email address. Be sure to
include the out of town contact on the card as well.
- Make a card or copies of the card for each
loved one to carry with them in the event of a disaster or other
emergency when you will want to contact each other.
- Place a call to family and friends as soon
as possible after disaster strikes to let them know your whereabouts
and your well-being.
Utilize the Safe and Well Website in you
communications plan.
Return to Red Cross Safety Information
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