Emergency Preparedness

Families may not be together when an emergency happens so the plan will allow families to develop a meeting place, establish an out-of-town contact, and gather essential information that would help them to stay connected in the event of an emergency. Practice your plan with regular drills and know your local evacuation routes. If a family member has a disability, contact your local fire department and/or police station now to inform them so that this information could be kept by these agencies in case of an emergency or disaster. For those that may be blind or visually impaired, predesignate someone to assist in case of emergency and have a plan in place if evacuation becomes necessary because public transportation may not be available during an emergency.

Learn about emergencies that could happen in your area and identify sources of information in your community that will be helpful before, during, and after an emergency.

Preparedness is a shared responsibility and it takes a whole community to prepare and respond to emergencies. Donate time to a local agency to contribute skills and expertise throughout the year as well as during times of community need.