Emergency Plan – How Do You Get Setup?

Started by Tim_SkyWatcher, October 27, 2013, 01:07:39 AM

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Tim_SkyWatcher

How do you create an Emergency Plan for Shelter-In-Place and Evacuation? And . . . are there any good software tools to help you out? Here are my suggestions . . .

A good Emergency Plan lists your inventory items (protected assets, tools and equipment, clothing, food, water and supplies), emergency contacts, evacuation routes and destinations, and the actions (tasks) to take before and during the emergency period.

Here are three suggested strategies shown below for preparing your Emergency Plan. Review and choose the strategy below which best fulfills your personal requirements! (I will give you my personal preference at the end)

1. Pen and Notebook. Yeah, that's right -- very basic and immediately doable! A wired notebook with blue-lined pages -- like the ones the school kids use -- holds pages together better than a yellow legal notepad, and can be purchased at just about any office supply, supermarket or drugstore. The large 8 ½ X 11 (standard paper size) size is suggested. Get one that's thick, because you will probably be writing and editing your inventory, contact and task lists a lot before final completion. A three ringed binder with inserted blue-lined pages is even better -- you can then add and remove as many pages as you want, and you can more easily make copies of your completed work.

2. Computer Word Processor or Spreadsheet Document -- has major advantages over basic Pen and Notebook entry. You can copy, paste, edit, re-copy and sort much information without having to constantly rewrite your listed items and tasks. When all entries are complete, simply send your Emergency Plan with all your related lists and information to the printer. There is also the advantage that you can easily save and store a copy of your Emergency Plan for yourself and send a copy to others via an email attachment. I recommend using a spreadsheet program if you have one (e.g, Microsoft Excel) instead of a word processor because the spreadsheet program allows you to easily and automatically number, calculate and total your Emergency Plan items. You can tabulate the cost of each item so you can know what you are spending, and you can, for instance, enter the weight of items so can you know how much you can load in your car or truck for transport or evacuation.

3. Emergency Preparedness Database Program -- is a computer software application program specifically designed for Emergency Plan preparation and action. Specific information on items, principals and contacts can be entered in a relational database and automatically tabulated, totaled and presented on screen and in custom reports. Tasks and evacuation routes can be entered, and links established for security, weather, road condition and satellite views and other purposes. There are some limited phone applets out there, but I have identified only one full desktop Emergency Preparedness database application for regular users (that also has a Ham/Communications management section) and runs on the Windows XP, 7 and 8 operating systems -- "Home and Office Emergency Preparedness" (HOEP). You can download the program for free and use it for up to 21 days without charge -- that's plenty long enough for most people to create a comprehensive Emergency Plan. Although, if you find the program valuable you may want to get a continued use license -- that helps the programmer stay in business -- and allows you permanent use of all the program's bells and whistles. That program is available at ChrysSoft.com. I have yet to find a good Emergency Preparedness database program for the Apple Mac operating system. You can use a relational database development application for Apple or Windows -- such as Filemaker Pro or Microsoft Access -- and build your own program, but that can require a significant time commitment.

The important point -- whatever method you use to build your Emergency Plan -- is to carefully stop, review, plan, prioritize and budget – and actually prepare the Plan. Print out and/or prepare your final reports and checklists, and have the printed reports and checklists handy for periodic review -- and ready for an actual emergency should one occur.

Those are my suggestions! Please let me know what your recommendations and preferences are, and if you have any Emergency Preparedness software suggestions for use with the Apple Mac OS.

Geek

Personally I use Word for the plan and Excel for Inventory.  Over time each of those documents improves as I add or edit the contents.

rparker762

I use this Excel sheet. so far its been good to me:


cockpitbob

Word and Excel, but I always have a paper copy somewhere.  In the event of an EMP or big power outage we'll be back to paper.

I find the key is, as they say in the manufacturing world, Continual Improvement.  Review, revise and adapt the plans and inventory as I learn and circumstances change.  Speaking of change, in 4 years both my sons will (hopefully) be out of the house and off to college.  There'll be less mouths to feed but a lot less physical horsepower to do work.  I need to start thinking about that.

Quietguy

I get the feeling the original post was just link spam to get people to click on the link he included.  According to his profile, the author has not been back since making this post.

Wally

RadioRay

I just go with my gut.  If you've SEEN my gut, you know that it carries a lot of weight around here...


73 de RadioRay ..._ ._
"When we cannot do the good we would, we must be ready to do the good we can."  ~ Matthew Henry

Tim_SkyWatcher

Quote from: cockpitbob on November 01, 2013, 09:54:01 AM
Word and Excel, but I always have a paper copy somewhere.  . . .

Yes, I agree! Always have a hard (paper) copy - however you manage your information.

And thanks for the feedback. I mentioned several software programs and preparation strategies. I say, use the strategy that works  for you. But if you have any other phone applet, regular or other software suggestions, I would be interested in looking at them.