Family emergencies can impose on us urgent and important responsibilities at any time of the day. Even though we all hope that nothing wrong happens to our families, there will inevitably be a time when something adverse will happen. How you handle this could transform what could have been a devastating situation into one that can be tolerated.
Have you prepared your family for any form of emergencies that might arise at any time? Have you spared time to teach your children what to do in times of an emergency? Do your kids know when and how to use your State’s emergency telephone lines such as 911? Have you been saving money separately to tackle future family emergencies?
What is Family Emergency?
A family emergency is a sudden and unexpected event that happens and affects your family member’s well-being or safety. Something that affects your spouse, children, parents, children, or relative. Common family emergencies include death, automobile crash, sickness, fire incidents, kidnap cases, theft, etc.
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Dealing With Family Emergencies
What are the correct ways to deal with family emergency? What are the things you need to put in place in order to successfully deal with family emergencies?
What follows are some good suggestions on what to do to be able to cope with the crises that might happen later in your family lives.
Create and Keep an Emergency Contact List
While certain people may not agree about some emergency numbers this list should include, there are a few very crucial numbers that no one or family can be without.
Other contacts are potentially a matter of choice. Even though most, if not all, U.S. police departments have 911 as their emergency number, you should make sure this is the number at your location. Be sure to check that this emergency contact is correct for that location when you are staying somewhere even for holiday.
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For other countries asides the US, make sure to check and obtain your country’s emergency numbers as part of your steps towards preparing for family emergencies.
The emergency contact list should contain:
- Police Department – 911
- Fire/Ambulance Department – 911
- Non-Emergency Agency – 311 (provides non-emergency information about available agencies. Can be used for general enquiries and guidelines).
- Poison Control – 1-800-222-1222
- Family Doctor’s number
- Hospital contacts (preferably the closest ones)
- School Numbers
- Electric Company
- Gas Company
- All Family Member’s Work or Office Numbers
- Family Friend or Relative
Educate Your Children Properly About Emergency Situations
It is vital that your kids be thought what each of these emergency contacts are for and how to call them especially 911. This should be thought to children from two years of age and above (i.e. as early as possible).
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Other Important Measures
After putting together the list of family emergency contacts and educating your kids on their proper use, the next important steps are to:
Install a Smoke Detector
Make sure that you have a functioning and reliable smoke alarm system in your house and that the children know what it sounds like. Have them practice what to do once this alarm goes off.
Install a Carbon Monoxide Detector
Carbon monoxide poisoning is highly lethal and have successfully wiped out entire families in the past. So, it is crucial to install a carbon monoxide detector in your home and teach your kids on what to do once the alarm system goes of.
Create An Emergency Escape Plan
Discuss with your family about the possibility of a fire outbreak in your home. Confidently tell them that there are steps to follow if this were to happen that would help them all be safe. Create an escape plan based on where in the house the fire may be located. Bear in mind that the mostly likely place is the kitchen.
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Set Up a Meeting Place
A meeting point should be sited outside of the house in case of a fire outbreak. Everyone should be educated to report to this meeting point immediately so that you can know all your family member’s are safe.
Emergency Housing For Families
Transitional or supportive housing and homeless shelters may help to sustain individuals or families who, due to bad circumstances, suffer homelessness.
Transitional housing typically involves a temporary residence with wrap-around services of up to 24 months to help people stabilize their lives.
For Housing Assistance:
- Contact a homeless service provider in your community.
- Contact a housing counselling agency in your area or call 800-569-4287.
- Find affordable rental housing near you.
- Get assistance with home improvements.
- Find assistance to avoid foreclosure near you or call the Making Home Affordable hotline 888-995-4673.
- Find HIV/AIDS housing and services near you.
- Search for a HUD home to purchase on HUDhomestore.com.
- File a housing discrimination complaint.
- File a Housing Choice Voucher complaint by calling 1-800-955-2232 or sending an email to Public Housing’s Customer Service at HUD-PIHRC@tngusa.net.
- Find tenant rights assistance.
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Rapid rehousing helps families or individuals move as soon as possible from the emergency/transitional shelter or on the street to permanent housing.
Family Emergency Excuses
Most workers are used to making excuses which are bad and lousy. Yet when a family problem occurs, nearly all manager expresses concern and is able to assist in cases like family emergencies. Family emergencies are usually unpredictable and there is need for immediate action and are always linked to our home, kids, parents, close relatives and even friends.
If you’re searching for real, last-minute family emergency reasons to get out of work, read on…
When looking for real good family emergency reasons to get out of work last minute, we noticed that the managers are mostly falling for family and health problems and other related serious issues. Many managers are strict, others do not approve of any absence, but there are always some gentle and compassionate managers who put trust in their staff once the time comes for it.
Family issues are always the perfect reasons to leave work for as long as a week, particularly when struggling with health problems:
- Your wife might be going through labour.
- Your kid might have broken his arm or leg.
- Your sister might have had an accident.
- Your mother might have ended up in the hospital.
- An injury occurred to anyone related to you.
- Death or the funeral of a family member.
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There are moments that, say, you’ve had to skip work to support a buddy with his vehicle. There are also times when you’ve had a bad day at work, and need to take yourself off for some time. Although such conditions may be true, bosses may always consider them intolerable, and will not allow you to get off work. You should also use a number of reasonable arguments that match the condition most accurately.
Asides true family emergencies, you can make up false family emergency excuses if you require a third-day weekend or rest day. But, if you want to retain your work, try to avoid this.