dpLANSING, Mich. (News 10) – Michigan State Police are asking every family to fill out a “Family Emergency Plan” checklist, a form designed to help families prepare before an emergency happens.
Building a plan
The form helps families map out an evacuation route and meeting spots. It also includes dedicated space for vital phone numbers, including doctors, insurance providers, plumbers and electricians to call when disaster hits home.
Rob Dale, with Ingham County Emergency Management, said families should have some numbers written down in addition to storing them on a phone.
“I have all my phone numbers in my phone, but you should have some of those written down, some important phone numbers, have them written down for your family and friends so that you can contact them if for some reason your cell phone is not working,” Dale said.
Questions to consider
Dale said families should think through specific scenarios when preparing.
“What do you do if you have no power for a day? Do you have medicines that need refrigeration? That could be an issue. You know, do you have a backup source of electricity if that’s really necessary, if you have oxygen dependence?” Dale said.
A family’s experience
Kim and Chris Schmitten, East Lansing residents, said muscle memory kicks in when tornado sirens sound.
“We grab them, we go downstairs. And then, between us, I think I’ll grab the dogs and she grabs our paperwork, the things that you can’t really replace easily,” Chris said.
The Schmittens said the guide revealed holes in their plan, prompting them to rethink what belongs in their emergency playbook.
“We never really thought about like a meeting place and information to put in the packet. Things that I don’t know that she might not know either,” Chris said.
Planning for pets
State police also encourage families to prepare a plan for their pets. The Family Emergency Plan Guide can be downloaded and printed from the link above.
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