How to Prepare for a Pandemic

Preparing for a pandemic is a crucial aspect of disaster readiness and involves many of the same steps. However, additional measures are necessary to ensure your household's safety.

According to the Harvard Business Review, current models suggest that a pandemic may come in three distinct waves, each lasting from a few weeks to up to three months. This means you and your family should be prepared to sustain yourselves at home for an extended period.

Pro Tip: If you don’t currently have health insurance, consider enrolling in a short-term health plan. This will ensure you’re financially protected if someone in your family gets sick.

1. Be Prepared to Stay and Treat at Home

Healthcare workers will face a moral and ethical dilemma during a pandemic. Do they report to work and help care for the sick, risking infection for themselves and their families, or do they stay home to protect their loved ones?

According to a survey by CIDRAP, nearly half of healthcare workers would stay home during a pandemic. Another study published in BMC Public Health found that 28% of healthcare professionals believe it would be acceptable to abandon their workplace to protect themselves and their families.

Even if only 10% of healthcare professionals stay home, and another 10% fall ill, that's a significant 20% reduction in the medical workforce when hospitals and doctors' offices will be overwhelmed with patients. Some people may not be able to see a doctor at all.

Medication may also be difficult to obtain. A 2006 study by the Harvard School of Public Health found that 43% of people believed they would have trouble getting medication during an epidemic. During the 2017-2018 flu season, the LA Times reported that pharmacies in California faced medication shortages.

Supply Disruptions

Supply disruptions are a real possibility during a pandemic. Many hospitals and pharmacies only keep enough medication on hand for a few days, relying on daily deliveries. Additionally, many life-saving medications are manufactured in Asia. If a pandemic occurs, shipments may be disrupted or halted entirely. Stores may also quickly sell out of over-the-counter medicine.

You should have a well-stocked first aid kit at home and know how to administer emergency first aid, such as stopping traumatic bleeding and performing CPR. During a pandemic, hospitals will be overcrowded, and an ambulance might not be available. Knowing first aid is a crucial survival skill and could save a life.

Face Respirators

Consider stockpiling face respirators for protection if you need to go out in public. The FDA recommends using an N95 respirator during public health emergencies, which you can purchase online. The "N95" designation means that the respirator blocks 95% of small (0.3-micron) airborne particles.

A good fit is essential for adequate protection, and N95 respirators are designed for adults, not children. You will need child-sized respirators to protect your kids during an outbreak.

2. Prepare a Sick Room

The CDC advises that during a pandemic, the sick should stay in a dedicated "sick room" and use a separate bathroom if possible.

Identify which room in your home would work best as a sick room. If the room doesn’t have a door, have a plastic shower curtain on hand to partition it from the rest of the house. If someone falls ill, quarantine them in the sick room and clean the area daily with bleach.

3. Stock Up on Food, Water, and Household Supplies

Although the chance of a power outage is remote, utilities and power supplies might be interrupted if a large portion of the population falls ill or needs to stay home to care for sick family members. Have enough supplies to survive without power for several days or weeks, including flashlights, lanterns, a hand-crank or solar-powered radio, and the means to cook food without electricity, such as a solar oven cooker.

The Department of Homeland Security recommends having at least a two-week supply of water and food. Supplies for a month or more are even better. Typically, you'll need one gallon of water per person per day for drinking and hygiene.

Building a long-term food storage pantry means you won't have to risk infection by going to the store, and you'll be protected from food shortages that may occur during a pandemic panic.

4. Create an Emergency Plan

If a pandemic is suspected, the CDC reports that schools will likely close early to prevent the spread of the disease, potentially for weeks or even months. How would you care for your children if you were still expected to report to work? Under what circumstances would you stop going to work to protect your family? Do you have enough savings to stop working temporarily if necessary?

It’s essential to ask these questions before a pandemic occurs. With a plan in place, you won’t have to worry about what to do if the worst happens.

Who Will Care for the Kids?

Start thinking now about who could care for your children during an emergency. Consider other family members, friends, neighbors, or community members. Discuss these possibilities in advance to ensure mutual support during a pandemic.

Next, determine how your company might handle work absences during a pandemic. Do you have the ability to telecommute? If not, what would you need to start?

Make a list of local organizations you can contact for help, including the Red Cross and local authorities, to understand how emergency assistance would be distributed in your community during a pandemic.

Financial Preparedness

Ensure you have enough in your emergency fund to survive without a regular income for a period.

Pro Tip: If you don’t have an emergency fund, start now. Aim to save enough to cover several months of expenses, but start with $1,000. Place these funds in a high-yield savings account for easy access if needed.

5. Explore Natural and Herbal Medicines

While it's essential to have over-the-counter medicines to treat symptoms, it's equally important to have a natural medicine kit at home. Some herbal remedies are effective flu treatments and can complement commercial medicines.

A good multi-vitamin and mineral supplement is crucial for boosting immunity.

Herbs such as elderberry and oregano oil are effective in preventing illness and reducing the severity and duration of symptoms. They are also great natural remedies to keep your children healthy during extended illness.

6. Practice Prevention Now

Several simple steps can significantly reduce your risk of catching and spreading infectious diseases. The CDC recommends:

- Washing your hands for at least 20 seconds with hot soapy water whenever you return from a public place or have been around someone who is sick.

- Keeping your hands away from your face, especially your eyes, nose, and mouth.

- Covering your coughs and sneezes with a tissue.

- Staying home when you’re sick, and not going out until you’ve been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.

- Cleaning frequently touched surfaces and objects.

Start practicing these actions now with your family, especially if you have young children. Establishing these habits now will make them second nature during a pandemic, reducing the risk of illness in your family.

Final Word

It can be frightening to think about experiencing a severe pandemic. Movies like "Contagion" and "Outbreak" play on these fears and depict in alarming detail what a pandemic might be like. Preparing in advance is one way to alleviate some of these fears.

If you can care for your family at home for an extended period, you won’t have to worry about exposing yourself to the virus by going to the store. You also won’t need to worry as much about crowded waiting rooms at the doctor’s office or hospital. The more you prepare now, the more in control you’ll be if the worst happens.

Do you have enough supplies to care for your family at home during a pandemic? What areas do you need to work on to be prepared?