Do you have your place to meet???
When an emergency happens, whether medical or disaster related, and the situation forces you to leave your residence or your current location immediately, places to meet usually haven't been discussed. If you truly think about it, discussing meeting places are not high on the agenda or on the "to-do" list. Well, here is a nice nudge to wake you up and discuss meeting places with your family, friends, and/or any other person(s) that would benefit from this conversation.
Why is a meeting place important? Well, let's look at it in a couple of ways. Initially, when an emergency/disaster occurs you are in a panic mode and your first reaction (fight or flight ) response is to get away from the immediate danger as fast and as far away as possible. With this said, many things would and can be left behind. Things such as purses and wallets (identification), phones (communication access), and so on and so forth. As much as one would like to say that these things would be remembered, in reality, these are the things, in inclusion with other items, that would be forgotten. Therefore, making it a point to pick a meeting place would be ideal and less stressful.
According to the Department of Homeland Security website (2011), you should pick two meeting places. One place should be located within the community in which you reside (e.g. a neighbors home, renting office, clubhouse, etc.). The other place should be outside of your residence (e.g. a friend/family home, hotel, etc.). Having these places relieves you of unnecessary stress when it comes to lost communication and missing family members not knowing where to go.
Take this into consideration and pass this information on to family, friends, and coworkers who are not aware...
http://www.dhs.gov/xcitizens/editorial_0711.shtm
Peace & Blessings,
M. D. Martin
