A Family Plan for Emergencies

EVALUATE

• Identify potential threats in your community, such as the location of floodprone
  areas, power plants and hazardous chemicals.
• Discuss how natural and man-made threats could affect your family.
• Evaluate your property’s vulnerability to hazards, such as storm surge, flooding,
  wildfire and wind.
• Check your insurance coverage. Flood damage, for example, is not covered by a
  homeowner’s insurance policy. It must be purchased ahead of time to be applicable.

PREPARE

• Identify the safest areas of your home for each threat. In many
  circumstances, the safest area may not be your home but elsewhere in your
  community.
• During times of evacuation you will be given instructions on evacuation
  routes. Specify escape routes from your home and places to meet (rally points),
  such as a neighbor’s home, a school or a public location. Make a plan for evacuating the area if required. Designate an out-of-area contact—friend or family member—so that each of your immediate family members has the same single point of contact.
• Plan to have at least two means of communication (e.g., email, phone, cell phone).
• Make a plan for your pets should you need to evacuate. Most shelters will accept service animals.
• Fill out the Family Emergency Information sheet. Post emergency telephone numbers by your phones and make sure your children know how and when to call 911.
• Assemble and maintain a Disaster Supply Kit. A battery-powered weather radio equipped with a special alarm tone feature is a vital tool. During an emergency, National Weather Service forecasters will interrupt routine weather radio programming and send out the special tone thatactivates weather radios in the listening area.
• Take first aid, CPR and disaster preparedness classes.

MONITOR & ACT
When a disaster occurs,

• listen to news sources for information and instructions.
• Evacuate or seek medical attention quickly if authorities tell you to do so. If you
  can get no information, determine as best you can if you are in a danger area.
  Whether you stay or evacuate, don’t panic. Follow your family plan.

Punished or consequenced?

I had a discussion with my twenty-one year old son today. When he was younger we changed the terms we used with him. We no longer "grounded" him or "punished him but “consequenced” him. More clearly stated we enforced the natural consequences to his actions.

His argument today was, why didn't you call it what it was.... a punishment. Our answer was....because it wasn't a punishment, but the natural consequence that you received for your actions or lack of action.

This got me thinking about consequence vs. punishment in teaching children to be responsible.

Consequence to me means the natural occurrence based on ones behavior. In trying to teach our children responsibility, we've tried to teach them that with their behavior comes consequences...some good some bad.

Punishment, on the other hand, means something inflicted by one person on to another. I completely understand why a child would feel that he is being “punished” instead of “consequenced” (action verb in our family) But I think it is very important that they learn at a young age that every action has a consequence as an adult and the sooner they learn that the law equally applies to them, the better off they will be now and later!