Are You Ready?
Disasters disrupt hundreds of thousands of lives every year and can occur at any time. The question is, will you and your family be ready when disaster strikes? There are many things you and your family can do to prepare for a disaster like creating an emergency supplies kit, writing a family preparedness plan and practicing your plan, be informed about what might happen and get involved in preparing your community.
Be Prepared for Fires
Learn what you can do to
make your home defensible before a fire threatens.
Get a Kit
Assemble a 72-hour emergency supplies kit for you and your family. You kit should have all the necessary items to be self-sufficient for a minimum of 72 hours. Having essential items on hand will be a great comfort in an emergency. View a list of
supplies your emergency kit should contain.
Make a Plan
Develop a family communication plan. Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so plan how you will contact one another and review what you will do in different situations. Consider a plan where each family member calls, texts, or emails the same friend or relative in the event of an emergency. Have an out of state contact. It may be easier to make long distance phone calls than to call across town.
Practice
An emergency can happen anytime and anywhere. Practice often helps people feel less disoriented and better organized during a disaster - even in the middle of the night or winter. You should practice as a family at least once a year. An example could be to:
- Show each member of the family where and how to turn off the water, electricity, and gas in your home. (Prepare easy-to-see signs for water and gas shut-offs as well as the main circuit breaker.)
- Each person should also know where to find the fire extinguisher and how to use it in case of fire (and the fire alarm if you are in an apartment building).
- Put yourself physically in each room of your home and practice evacuation (don't forget your emergency kit!).