Kids and Disaster Planning

Could your pre-schooler be the key to how well you perform in a disaster situation? Possibly so. Amanda Ripley, author of "The Unthinkable: Who Survives and Disaster - and Why" (Crown) is a journalist with more than her share of disaster coverage. In her book, she was fascinated by the way survivors reacted when tragedy stuck and offers a few ideas on how you can help your reaction and that of your family. Surprisingly, your youngest child may help.

All good daycares and pre-schools practice how to evacuate during a fire. And while this may seem to be training for the adult providers, the experience provides a valuable lesson for the children as well. A properly executed evacuation can only come with practice, a repetitive behavior that gives the mind a mental map of not only where to go but how to get there.

According to Ms. Ripley, you brain works with pattern recongintion. This is way for your brain to access what has happened before and draw on that experience at the very time when you do not have the opportunity to think about what needs to be done. Simply using words will not suffice. The brain needs a map, a script to draw on in these kinds of situations. Fortunately, that is the easy part. The hard pard is making the map and denying your instincts, which may actually act against you.

The Importance of Gathering

While it is important to gather your child to you when a disaster strikes, the biggest problem facing the adults is the gathering reaction. Believing that retrieving valuable papers or pictures or even mundane things like jewelry or articles of clothing (surprisingly, grown-ups will grab the oddest things when disasters strike such as the story of the woman who needed to take the book she had been reading even as the 9/11 disaster was unfolding around her). In other words, moving quickly is learned through rehearsal and cannot be counted on as something you would do without thinking.

Follow the Leader

It is generally assumed that the leader will be the adult present at the time. Unfortunately, someone needs to grasp this role in order for the number of survivors to be highest. We tend to be agonizingly orderly, even polite when disaster strikes in a public place. But n the home, when moments count, we do some dumb things and this adds to the possibility that our plans will not get followed.

There are things you can do that will allow you to let the leadership role be assumed by even the youngest family member.
First, have fire drills. They may seem like an exercise that is better put off until tomorrow, but the more times you do it with your family, the better the chances are that they will all survive.

With the lights out, try and find your way to the nearest exit and escape. It is not as easy as it seems. Often we will confront obstacles that should be moved, doors that are not easily unlocked form the inside (where are the keys?), and what needs to go with you when you leave (fires might require a quick grab of important papers stored near an exit or, in the case of a natural disaster, an emergency back pack - a subject we will discuss in my next post).

Secondly: and ounce of prevention Put your child in charge of fire safety around the house. They will be reminders to things such as change the smoke detector battery on the first of the month if you give them the chore. It is a good way to teach them (and refresh what they have learned in pre-school about calendars) to follow a routine of good habits.

And lastly, give them the confidence to make the right decision You may be injured or feeling under the weather when a disaster strikes leaving the only clear-headed thinking to your toddler. The more confidence you give your child in which decision to make, the higher the likelihood the whole family will survive.

Do they know not to open a door if there is smoke seeping in around the cracks or the door knob is hot?
Do they know to exit the house without hesitation even passing up the opportunity to call 911?
Do they know how to crawl? (We practice that in our pre-school situation but are you prepared to re-enact this during a simulated drill once a month?)
Do they know how to stop, drop, and roll, which is another thing we talk about and practice once a month as part of our fire safety class here?
Is your escape route free of obstacles and have you designated a place outside for all of you to meet (a neighbor's house or on the corner)?

You may have less than three minutes to get to that place. Can your family do it? Have you practiced more than once?

It can save your life!