Earthquake Plan for Nannies & Babysitters
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Earthquake Plan for nanny
Feb 2003
I'm in the process of devising a communication/shelter plan for my family and our nanny in the event of a major earthquake or other disaster. My biggest concern is that my husband and I will be at work when disaster strikes, and our nanny will be left to her own devices with our 10-month-old daughter. Our nanny is intelligent, but she has not been in this country long, and she has never experienced a major earthquake. Have any of you given your childcare provider specific instructions on what to do in an earthquake? Have you given instructions on when to leave the house, when to go to a shelter, how to find a shelter and how to get in touch with you should the phones be out of service? Have you arranged to meet at a specific spot? Leave messages at an out-of-state number? Any advice you have would be most helpful. Thanks! Amy
I wouldn't feel any qualms about talking to your nanny about an earthquake plan. If she's never been through an earthquake, all the better a reason to do so. I would just suggest you do so in as calm a manner as possible so as not to frighten her. You might also check out getting an earthquake supply kit for her car or an extra one for your home that will contain the things she need fto care for herself and your child until you all can be reunited. Carolyn
We have implemented a ''disaster plan'' for our nanny in the event of an earthquake, natural disaster and let's hope not but a terrorist attack.
Having read the American Red Cross advice as to what to do in the event of an earthquake, I have typed out instructions to stay in the house, go under a table or doorway (etc). We have instructions to not go go into the kitchen, turn on lights and to stay in one room. Also, she is to call out of state grandparents if she cannot get a hold of us in case lines are down. We have also set up two meeting places in the event that it is not safe to stay in the house. Also, she knows where to find flashlights and radio in the event the power goes out.
If she is to leave the house, we always have our son's backpack ready with his supplies, water, bottles and formula.
I think it is always a good idea to have an emergency plan- our's is typed out and clearly posted on our fridge with all important numbers. However, I also went over the plan with our nanny to make sure our nanny knows what to do. The more prepared you can be, the better everyone will feel.
Good luck and stay safe! Let's just hope you will never have to use the plan! Stephanie
Our babysitters and houseguests are shown a bright red binder which we keep with the cookbooks in the kitchen. It contains emergency information which can be consulted or taken along in case of medical emergency or evacuation. There are three pages:
=Where to Find Us and Today's Information=
This is a blank form which I duplicate and fill in each time. At the top it has our pre-printed cell phone numbers, and it also lists the phone numbers for wherever we'll be (work, restaurant, theater, hotel, etc.) When the kids were small it also contained information on when/what to feed them, bed times, etc.
=Emergency Information and Contact List=
With first-time sitters I review this information in person. it includes our home address with cross-street and home phone number (in case, heaven forbid, they have to call an ambulance), our cell phone numbers, phone numbers/addresses of neighbors, nearby friends and relatives and the Kaiser advice line.
A separate section contains information on location of earthquake, medical supplies, and fire escape ladders and the phone number of out of state contact.
If your nanny is not familiar with what to do in an earthquake, you of course need to review some basic concepts such as not running out into the street but finding a doorway, interior hall, etc., and keeping kids calm and safe. It includes recommended meeting places if the house has to be abandoned, and a reminder to leave a written note as to where they've gone.
=Emergency Medical Information and Authorization=
This form can be taken to the hospital and is also a good form to give to a friend of relative who is having your child for a sleepover in case they can't contact you. It contains address, phone number, and driving directions to Kaiser pediatric office and emergency room. It also reiterates names and numbers of friends and relatives to contact in an emergency. At the bottom we sign an authorization for emergency medical care.
If anyone wants a copy of these documents to modify for their own use, I'm happy to send them. Natasha
For a meeting place, try to pick someplace that's likely to be unaffected by fire, post-quake tsunami, etc. and is easy to get to (preferably on foot if needed) from your home and work. A park works well. Think about what places and routes are likely to be congested by evacuations or physically affected by a disaster and try to avoid them. We live in Oakland so I don't have specific recommendations in Berkeley, but we chose a park near-ish to our older kids' school, in case we have to evacuate our home area (we live in the hills, so fire evacuation is always a possibility, and their school is outside the hills). Make sure your nanny and everyone in your family knows the place and a couple of routes to get there. Everyone should also have the phone number of the same out-of-state contact you could all call to check in, in the event that local phone service is disrupted but long distance is working, which sometimes happens. If your nanny and child end up being further afield and can't get to your meeting place, calling an out-of-state contact might be a good option.
Here are a few resources I found helpful when planning evacuations and what to put in the go-bag (I ended up making my own go-bag list that condensed the best recommendations from several sources - it's too long to share here but feel free to message me if you'd like me to send it to you):
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/02/well/go-bag-essentials.html
https://www.ready.gov/kit
https://www.cityofberkeley.info/WildfireEvacuation/
https://lifehacker.com/how-to-create-an-in-case-of-emergency-everything…
I know it's a little tough to think about these things, but hopefully making some plans will help you feel better prepared. Stay safe!
I'm embarrassed to say that I never considered this. We have a family plan in place, but I didn't think about the babysitter. Thanks so much for posting this.