No matter how informed and sensible we are, there is nothing we can do to stop disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, forest fires, floods or earthquakes. Disasters can happen anywhere and at any time. So what can we do? The answer is predict, plan, prepare and practise! PREDICT: Decide which disasters can affect you and your family. For example, if you don’t live near the coast, you don’t need to worry about tsunamis. However, if you live in a forest or near a river, you need to think about fires and floods. PLAN: Create an emergency plan with information about where to go during a disaster. Decide on a meeting point in a safe place and make sure everyone knows how to get there. Remember to include a way to contact all your family members in your plan, too. You can call each other, send text messages, or even create a group chat on an instant messaging app. PREPARE: Make a family emergency kit. Remember, you don’t usually have access to food, water or medicine during a disaster. Have all these things ready so that you and your family can stay safe and well until help arrives. Check your emergency kit every six months to make sure that the supplies are still good. Don’t forget to pack some money, copies of important documents and an extra set of house and car keys. PRACTISE: This is a very important step, especially if there are young children in your family. Young children can’t understand a long list of instructions. Instead, show them what to do. It’s also useful for older children and adults to practise – during a real disaster it’s easy to forget your plan, especially if you panic, but practising helps you remember. Remember the four Ps – predict, plan, prepare and practise – and make sure you and your family are ready for anything!