Individual and Family Preparedness

The four basic steps for family disaster preparedness are:

1.      Learning more about preparedness

• Pre-identify and discuss potential dangers to keep family members more calm when an emergency strikes.
• Research the disasters that could affect your community.
• Find out what warning signals are in place in your community.
• Ask about emergency plans at work, schools, day-cares and other places your family spends time.

2.      Creating an individual and/or family plan.

• Decide how your family would respond to each potential threat.
• Talk with your family about the possibility of evacuation (how, when, where).
• Determine how you would keep in touch, if separated.
• Identify two meeting places (one near your home and one outside of the neighborhood).
• Designate an out-of-area contact and make sure everyone knows how to call this person.
• Draw a floor plan of your home and mark two escape routes from each room.
• Post emergency numbers by your phones.
• Educate children about preparedness issues.
• Make sure everyone knows how to shut off the electricity, gas and water at the main switches.
• Review insurance policies before an emergency.
• Make plans for family members or friends with special needs.
• Include pets in your emergency plan.

3.      Assembling an emergency kit to sustain you and your family for the first few days following a disaster.

• At a minimum you should have three days worth of food and water for each member of the family.
• Leave your kit in a place where you can rapidly grab it and go.
• In addition to your kit, have additional supplies for sheltering-in-place or home confinement for up to two weeks.
• Keep a small emergency kit in your car and at work.

4.      Practicing and maintaining your plan.

• Discuss and practice possible emergency scenarios.
• Replace stored food and water on a regular basis.
• Test your fire extinguishers and smoke detectors.

For more detailed information on these steps, please click here to view a presentation on family preparedness. 

For More Information, Please Visit:

• Basic Emergency Kit List

• General Family Preparedness

• Detailed Emergency Kit Information

• Get Prepared at Home

• Surviving Disasters: A Citizen’s Emergency Handbook

Emergency Readiness Information

• Individual and Family Preparedness
• Animals in Emergencies
• Preparedness for Persons with Special Needs
• Caring for Children in an Emergency
• Business Preparedness
• School and Daycare Preparedness
• I.C.E. - In Case of Emergency

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