Deacon & Hoover Real Estate Advisors LLC
Alex Deacon, Deacon & Hoover Real Estate Advisors LLCPhone: (412) 613-4435
Email: [email protected]

Evacuation plans: Emergency preparedness for your home

by Alex Deacon 03/21/2025

If you don't have an emergency evacuation plan for your household, it's not too late to create one. Emergency evacuation plans can make an enormous difference in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency that necessitates you evacuating your home. The more prepared you are, the more peace of mind you'll have.

Here are some basic tips for emergency planning:

Conditions requiring an evacuation

The necessity of evacuating depends on many factors. They include the kind of emergency as well as the characteristics of the building you're in, such as the length of the building. Your evacuation plan needs to describe exact conditions requiring evacuation of people, pets and essential supplies.

What should be in an emergency go bag?

What are essential survival items? Here are some of the things to include in your go bag:

  • Water (one gallon per person per day).
  • Non-perishable food for several days.
  • Hand-crank or battery-powered radio.
  • First aid kit.
  • Flashlights.
  • Personal hygiene supplies.
  • Extra batteries and chargers.

Evacuation guidelines

In addition to your emergency supply kit and diagrams, include a list of general guidelines and local evacuation instructions. These guidelines should have info on alternate routes and how to contact emergency services.

How to make an evacuation plan diagram

The simplest way to make an evacuation plan diagram is to start with a basic blueprint or floor plan of your home. Clearly label items like stairwells, elevators, sprinklers, roof access and fire alarms for easy reference. You'll also want to draw arrows to guide people out of the building as quickly and safely as possible.

Specific emergency evacuation plan procedures

If you have pets, include them in your evacuation plans by creating a separate emergency kit, including bowls and a designated carrier or leash. Keep your car up to date on regular maintenance like oil changes, so it's in top condition in case an emergency occurs. 

It's also a good idea to keep an extra few gallons of gasoline and an additional spare tire to handle any issues.

Keeping a detailed emergency plan for your home will help you expect the unexpected. The more prepared you are, the better you'll be able to respond in stressful situations.

About the Author
Author

Alex Deacon

Why work with The Alex Deacon Team?

More than six decades of combined team experience
Combined sales over 1,100 in 20 years
The average agent works by themselves or is inexperienced
The average agent is in and out of the business in less than 5 years
The average agent according to national statistics sells less than 8 homes a year
Our team concept allows us to do a large volume of business, keeps our finger on the pulse of the market by doing such volume, giving our clients outstanding service because everyone on the team has a certain skill set and experience level and we all work together to give you the best of each of our individual skills.
Unique programs like our Guaranteed home sale or commission free program just as one example.
We can cover a large area being a team verses one agent.
Huge personal data base of past, present and potential clients that we will expose your home.