WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is releasing a first of its kind guide on Friday to help caregivers prepare for a natural disaster.
“This guide presents a lot of really good, rich information to meet caregivers where they are and care recipients where they are to get started in learning the steps you can take to get prepared,” Justin Knighten Director of FEMA’s Office of External Affairs said.
The Disaster Preparedness Guide for Caregivers consists of three key steps.
Step 1: Identify Barriers and Risks
FEMA says understanding the set of risks unique to you and your loved one is important in crafting a plan.
“Are you in a place where a hurricane can happen? Are you in a place where tornadoes are prevalent? If you live in a place where it rains, that means you live in a place that can flood. And so just being aware before a disaster hits what your risk is, is such a profound and important step,” Knighten said.
Step 2: Learn and Connect
Knighten emphasized the importance of engaging your support network before a disaster happens. This includes understanding the impact a disaster could have on important resources you might rely on daily.
“Making sure that you’re having a conversation about that with your support network ahead of time is always a better way to go. Better to have that conversation before a hazard hits than during or after,” Knighten said.
Step 3: Make a Plan
FEMA says making a plan can include building a disaster preparedness kit and preparing for evacuation, as well as researching shelter options.
“Success is how can I start taking preparedness steps incrementally to make sure that over the course of a couple days, a couple weeks, I’m more prepared and I’ve done a lot of work to make sure that I have a stronger foundation before that hazard hits,” Knighten said.
FEMA partnered with the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers to create and facilitate the guide, which can be found here.
