Spouses: Are you prepared for an emergency?

  • Published
  • By Sarina Houston
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  September is National Preparedness Month, which has me thinking about the importance of being prepared.

As spouses, we prepare for deployments and we prepare for the school year with our kids. We prepare the budget and sometimes we even prepare dinner. But do we prepare for emergencies?

Our active duty partners have most likely been briefed by their squadrons about what to do in certain situations. They may or may not have passed that information on to you. In my experience, chances are good that it's slipped their minds.

We, as spouses, need to have a plan. When and where will we meet up with our family members during or after a disaster? Where do we get community and base information in a mass casualty situation?

Our cell phones, as convenient as they are, can be a misleading source of comfort. In a tornado or bad weather, cell phone service and Internet connectivity may not be reliable. And your cell phone battery may not last long enough if it does happen to work.

I, for one, am 100 percent reliant on my iPhone for communication -- and Google Maps. I've often thought about how I would be able to find my husband and children without a cell phone.

Sure, I could drive around town, but who wants to drive around in bad weather? And what if roads are closed? What happens if the base is on lock-down and I can't get to the squadron or the Airman & Family Readiness Center to find out what's happening? Wouldn't it be easier to have a plan in place?

My husband and I made a plan a long time ago to each contact his parents should something weird happen where we can't find each other. And if the weather forecast here in Enid calls for tornadoes, we'll discuss where we'll meet up in case our neighborhood is affected.

We have an emergency backpack packed with food and water, flashlights, a whistle and pocket knife.

I'll admit that sometimes I get lazy or don't remember to check the smoke detectors. I don't always communicate with my children what to do if they find themselves in an emergency when mom and dad aren't around.

What would you do if there was an active shooter loose on base and your children are at the playground with friends? Or what would you do if you're out of town during an emergency?

These things are not fun to think about, but we have to remember that a few minutes of preparation now will make it much easier to manage an emergency situation in the future.

If you haven't prepared yet, get an emergency kit ready and make a family emergency plan in case disaster strikes. For ideas and advice, check out www.ready.gov and www.redcross.org.

(Editor's note: Sarina is married to Capt. Jacob Houston in the 3rd Flying Training Squadron at Vance AFB.)