Why Prepare?

Disasters disrupt hundreds of thousands of lives each year. Each disaster has its own lasting effects on families and property. They can happen anytime, anywhere, and almost always without warning. Preparing yourself and your loved ones can help reduce fear, anxiety, and will save lives during and after an event. Disasters will happen. Are you prepared?

Building Your Personal Plan

Immediately after a disaster, there may be a brief or long term disruption in vital services such as running water, electricity, and communication sources.

Talk with your family about potential disasters that might affect your area and the importance of being prepared.

Involve all family members in identifying potential risks/hazards, evacuation routes out of your home and your neighborhood, and a meeting place to go to if you are separated.

Additionally, develop a communications plan on how you will communicate if members of your family are separated and who the point-of-contact will be. Your family may not be together when an emergency happens, so it is important to plan in advance how you will contact one another and how you will get back together.

Building Your Personal Kit

The first line of defense is your own preparedness efforts. Local emergency responders may not be able to assist you or your loved ones immediately following a disaster. Therefore, if is recommended that you be self-sufficient for at least 72-hours (3 days).

After considering the needs of your household and the disasters or emergencies that may occur in your area, you may wish to increase the inventory and extend the length of your home supply to 2-weeks.This may include water, food, sanitation, first aid, and shelter.

Be aware of the hazards in your area and know how to respond.

Remember, awareness and preparedness will save lives!