Who You Gonna Call?

Hint: it’s not the Ghostbusters.

Having a plan in the case of an emergency is an easy way to mitigate much of the confusion that occurs during a disaster. Designate a local meeting place you can all access from home, work, school, etc., and be sure all family members have everyone’s full contact information.

Also, pick an out-of-town friend or relative who will be out of harm’s way. Check with that person ahead of time to make sure they’re comfortable with it, and then give everyone in your family their phone number. This friend's home can serve as a backup meeting location, and this person may be able to take you in if your home is uninhabitable for a period of time.

Experts say that during disasters a long distance call has a better chance of going through than a local call, due to damaged infrastructure—so sit everyone down, alert them to the plan and quiz them every now and then by saying “who you gonna call?”