Moms Talk: Have You Prepared Your Family for Emergencies?

It's a scary prospect, but not something every family wants to face.

What will happen when an earthquake hits? Who will be getting the kids at school? Who will run home to get the animals? Where will you meet? Where will you check in with each other?

The phones went dead locally during the 1994 earthquake, but ironically, people could make calls to Florida or Northern California. That's where I checked-in with family. It may be good that everyone in your household have someone out of state that they could check in with, just in case that happens again.

Schools are doing a safety drill this morning just before lunch:

And the prinicpals of the schools are encouraging families to discuss their own emergency plans, too.

The Red Cross has a specific plan for the household. It involves some practical suggestions such as:

• Identify two ways to escape from every room in the home.
• Practice your escape plan at least twice a year.
• Select a safe location away from the home where your family can meet after escaping. 
• Consider purchasing and storing escape ladders for rooms above ground level and make sure to learn how to use them.
• If you see smoke or fire in your first escape route, use your second way out.  
• If you must exit through smoke, crawl low under the smoke. 
• Before escaping through a closed door, feel the door before opening it.  If it is warm, use your second escape route.

And much more.

Here are other sites that are helpful:

* FEMA has a plan and a PDF kit.

* Here's a Quake Quiz to help you.

* The Homeland Security suggestions is more than duct tape.

* CDC Emergency Preparedness and You

* It's Your Health - Preparing Your Family for an Emergency

*  Preparing Your Family For An Emergency

Do you have suggestions, or a site that would be helpful? Please tell us your experiences and your suggestions in the COMMENTS below.