Disaster Preparedness: Severe Winter Storm

When a severe winter storm hits, the heavy snowfall and extreme cold can immobilize an entire region. Your disaster preparedness with emergency food kits from FoodInsurance.com can make all the difference when it comes to how well you weather severe storms when they arrive.

Even areas that normally experience mild winters can be hit with a major snowstorm or extreme cold. Severe winter storms can result in flooding, storm surge, closed highways, blocked roads, downed power lines and hypothermia. Make sure you and your family are prepared for such disasters with emergency plans and survival food kits.

Follow these basic steps to develop your family disaster preparedness plan:

1. 1. Gather information about hazards in your area. Find out how susceptible to severe winter storm disaster your area is and how you should respond. Learn your community's warning signals and evacuation plans.
2. Meet with your family to create a disaster preparedness plan and make sure it includes emergency kits for the whole family. Discuss the information you've gathered. Choose a place outside your home to meet in the event of an emergency, such as a fire, and a place away from your neighborhood in case you can't return home. Choose a friend or relative who lives out-of-state as your "family check-in contact"
3. Implement your disaster preparedness plan:
   • Post emergency telephone numbers by phones.
   • Inspect your home for potential hazards such as items that can move, fall break or catch fire, and correct them.
   • Install safety features such as smoke alarms and fire extinguishers and instruct others how to use them properly.
   • Teach children how and when to call 911 or your local emergency medical services number.
   • Keep emergency food kits such as FoodInsurance.com's The Essentials kit in your home with enough supplies for each member of your family for two weeks.
   • Keep a disaster preparedness response kit with items you may need in case of evacuation. Store these supplies in sturdy, easy-to-carry containers, such as backpacks or duffle bags. FoodInsurance.com makes it easy with the Emergency Plus kit!
   • Keep important family documents in a waterproof container.
   • Keep a smaller disaster preparedness emergency kit in the trunk of your car.
4. Practice and maintain your plan:
   • Ask questions to make sure your family remembers meeting places, phone numbers, and safety rules.
   • Make sure everyone knows where to find your family's emergency kits.
   • Test your smoke detectors monthly.
   • Test and recharge your fire extinguisher(s) according to manufacturer's recommendations.
   • Replace spare batteries as required.
   • Conduct periodic drills to make sure you are prepared in case of an actual emergency.

With preparation, and with survival food kits from FoodInsurance.com, you can ensure your family is prepared for a a severe winter storm disaster. Don't wait—put your disaster preparedness plan into effect before it's too late.