Well, what did happen when you told the family about this? As indestructible as we feel from time to time, planning for your death is the right thing to do.
Having the papers drawn up is not the end of your task, however, more must be done to make the tragedy easier to handle. That is where your Family Disaster Plan comes into play.
We all have 72 hours of supplies, right? Food, water, medications, flashlights and radios. Not just in hurricaine, tornado and earthquake country, but all of us should be ready to ride out 3 days on our own. We've all seen how help can take a few days to arrive in a disaster.
But just putting the food in a corner of the garage isn't enough either. The whole concept of surviving and recovering from a disaster should be at the forefront of your mind BEFORE you need it. Put the time in now and in an emergency you can simply follow your prepared plan. And, since the plan is written down, the family can follow the plan should it occur while you're stuck helping others.
So, for the first time ever I am assigning homework to all my readers. I know you understand computers, so click open a new word processing document and list the following things:
Members of your family with names, dates of birth, eye and hair color, you can add a photo later.
Next page lists contact numbers. Home, cells, work, doctor, pediatrician, local animal shelter, non emergency dispatch, family friend in walking distance.
You're doing great, now on another page, give simple instructions on where and how to shut off the electricity and gas in your home.
Now, print it out and place it in a large 3-ring binder and put it on the shelf. When you get all your living will documents together, place the originals here.
There. You're well on your way to completing a Family Disaster Plan.
If you're rolling your eyes or think I'm taking this thing way too far, there might be a Cop Rock rerun on that would be more worth your time.
More details to follow, including the Evacuation Ordered section and the previously mentioned LODD envelope. You can find that post under the label Disaster Plan under the Topics Tab.
Having the papers drawn up is not the end of your task, however, more must be done to make the tragedy easier to handle. That is where your Family Disaster Plan comes into play.
We all have 72 hours of supplies, right? Food, water, medications, flashlights and radios. Not just in hurricaine, tornado and earthquake country, but all of us should be ready to ride out 3 days on our own. We've all seen how help can take a few days to arrive in a disaster.
But just putting the food in a corner of the garage isn't enough either. The whole concept of surviving and recovering from a disaster should be at the forefront of your mind BEFORE you need it. Put the time in now and in an emergency you can simply follow your prepared plan. And, since the plan is written down, the family can follow the plan should it occur while you're stuck helping others.
So, for the first time ever I am assigning homework to all my readers. I know you understand computers, so click open a new word processing document and list the following things:
Members of your family with names, dates of birth, eye and hair color, you can add a photo later.
Next page lists contact numbers. Home, cells, work, doctor, pediatrician, local animal shelter, non emergency dispatch, family friend in walking distance.
You're doing great, now on another page, give simple instructions on where and how to shut off the electricity and gas in your home.
Now, print it out and place it in a large 3-ring binder and put it on the shelf. When you get all your living will documents together, place the originals here.
There. You're well on your way to completing a Family Disaster Plan.
If you're rolling your eyes or think I'm taking this thing way too far, there might be a Cop Rock rerun on that would be more worth your time.
More details to follow, including the Evacuation Ordered section and the previously mentioned LODD envelope. You can find that post under the label Disaster Plan under the Topics Tab.
Comments
(Shameless self plug to follow)
I'm having a Labor Day Extravaganza and am filling my Labor Day Holiday On Duty by putting up random funny stuff on my blog. Oh, and there's a contest too! With "a prize" to be won and everything!
(Shameless self plug has ended)
I really like the idea of a LODD folder. When my father passed, he didn't have it well planned, so to speak. It was rough. Good stuff, Happy.
The Husband and I talked about this stuff, and all he said about LODD was the first thing I should do is call a lawyer. *sigh* I guess we'll take this conversation one step at a time, eh?