How to create a PDF emergency plan and checklist.

Emergencies and natural disasters can happen with little or no notice. Planning what to do in an emergency helps in situations when you may not have much time to think about what you need or where you should go to stay safe. Because PDFs can be opened from any type of device, they’re a great option for creating a disaster plan, sharing it with others, and keeping it updated.

What you’ll learn

• Types of natural disasters you should plan for in Australia
• Reasons to use PDFs for emergency planning
• What to include in an emergency or disaster plan
• Types of emergency kits
• Items and supplies to include in your disaster or emergency kits
• Where to keep disaster planning documents

Types of natural disasters you should plan for in Australia.

There are a few different types of natural disaster risks in Australia. Some of them depend on location, others may affect large areas of the country.

Depending on where you live, some of the main emergencies you may need to prepare for in Australia include tropical storms and cyclones, bushfires, heatwaves, droughts, flooding, landslides, dust storms, earthquakes, and tsunamis.

Know your environment and specific natural disaster risks in your area. The Australian State Emergency Service (SES) has more specific information. Each of the websites for each state in Australia on specific risks by area and will be the people on the ground helping when an emergency strikes.

Reasons to use PDFs for emergency planning.

There are a few reasons why PDFs are beneficial for emergency planning and checklists.

For example —

As the name says, portable document format (PDF) files are portable. They can be opened and edited from multiple devices and systems including smartphone phones with just the free Acrobat Reader. PDF files are also easily stored in the cloud and printed onto paper.

PDF files are sharable. You may want to create emergency plan documents for each member of your household and email or text them or store them in the cloud. PDF documents can be created to include all the information you might want to access quickly when you need it.

PDF files are editable. You can create your emergency planning documents from scratch. Or you can download emergency planning templates online and adapt them to your situation.

PDF files are convertible. You can easily create your emergency planning lists and documents in Word or Excel, and then convert them to and from PDF format.

What to include in an emergency or disaster plan PDF checklist.

An emergency planning PDF should include information that you and others in your household need to have quick access to in an emergency to be safe. Work together on this. It’s important to include people of all age ranges, abilities, and disabilities, and don't forget to plan for your pets! Make sure everyone is aware of the plan.

Emergency preparedness planning includes —

• An evacuation plan — if you had to leave your home at a moment’s notice, where could you go? For example, if you live in an area prone to flooding or at risk of a tsunami, where is the highest ground? Or have you got planned an escape route in the event of a house fire?

• An agreed meeting place — because disasters can happen at any time, have an agreed meeting place with others if you are separated. If you have kids that could be in school or daycare, who will pick them up?

• Contact information — write down phone numbers for yourself, family, friends, and emergency services. Include emergency contact phone numbers for providers such as gas, water and power, insurance, doctors, vets, and banks.

• Special requirements — include any special medical, mobility and dietary requirements anyone in your household has.

• Emergency update sources — ist radio stations, websites, and social media pages that would provide reliable updates in an emergency.

• Alternatives to power, water, and other household reticulated services — have a backup plan for services we take for granted. If your power goes out, think about ways you can cook/prepare food, heat your house, and see in the dark. Think about where you could get fresh clean water from if your water supply is damaged to drink, wash, and toilet.

• The location of your emergency kit(s) and supplies — disasters don’t always mean evacuations. But you may be isolated at home. In either case, you need to be able to find your emergency supplies quickly and easily. Include the location of where you have emergency supplies stored in your disaster plan. Keep those supplies stocked and up to date.

Types of emergency kits.

It can be a good idea to have different types and sizes of emergency kits depending on the natural disaster risks you have in your location. For example —

• At home — Sometimes people have a dedicated storage box with all their emergency supplies in one place. Other people prefer to keep stocked up with emergency supplies in usual locations in the house. For example, extra tinned food and bottled water in the pantry, and first aid supplies in the bathroom.

• In a grab bag — Stock a small bag with emergency supplies that you can just grab and go and get to a safe place in an emergency. Grab bags are especially a good idea if you have specific dietary requirements. Choose durable waterproof bags that are easy to carry or wear on your back.

• In the car — Keeping emergency survival items stashed safely in your car is always a great idea. They can come in handy in adverse weather conditions and if you are in or come across a vehicle accident.

Items and supplies to include in a disaster or emergency kit and checklist.

A good emergency kit has basic items you need to survive in a disaster or emergency, whether you evacuate or stay in your home.

The easiest way to manage the items in emergency kits or supplies in the house you can get at a moment’s notice is to create a checklist. By using an emergency checklist PDF, you can keep a list of the items you should have, where they are located, and record things like food expiry dates.

Things to include in an emergency kit include —

• Water — for drinking and basic hygiene for three days or more (approx. 3 litres per person per day)
• Food — non-perishable food for three days or more that does not necessarily need cooking (for all adults, babies, and pets)
• Portable cooking equipment such as a barbeque, camp stove, and pans
• Toilet paper and basic personal hygiene items
• Medications and first aid supplies
• Sanitiser
• Flashlight, a battery-operated radio, and extra batteries
• Portable cell phone charger
• Walking shoes, change of clothing, hat, durable gloves, waterproof clothing
• Dust mask
• Large plastic bucket to use as emergency toilet
• Emergency blanket, sleeping bag or warm blanket
• Plastic sheeting and duct tape
• Whistle to signal for help
• Copies of personal documents, such as driver’s licenses, IDs, passports, birth certificates, and medical information.
• Rubbish bags
• Cash

Keep your emergency supplies PDF checklist up to date and use it regularly to check that you still have all the items you may need in the event of a disaster or emergency.

Where to keep disaster planning documents.

Store your disaster planning documents in a clearly labelled folder on your device or computer. Be mindful that when disaster hits, sometimes you can’t access things as you would normally. Have a backup plan for important personal documentation and your emergency planning documents.

• Digital cloud storage can be used for your emergency planning documents. You can also securely store copies of documents such as passports, birth certificates, IDs, and so on. PDFs with sensitive information can be password protected so only you can access the contents.

• PDFs are also easily printed without losing any formatting. Keep a copy of your emergency plan and checklist with your emergency supplies. Put a printed evacuation plan PDF printed on the wall. Give a printed copy to any members of your family who may not have digital access.

Related Content.

Some related articles to help you work on PDF emergency plans and checklists on a computer or phone are —

• How to open and edit PDFs on an iPhone.
• How to open and edit PDFs on Android.
• How to create fillable PDFs from Word.
• Streamline your home and family life with PDF forms.