Emergency Preparedness - Emergency Planning

Having an emergency plan is not helpful if you or the other members of your household don’t know how to execute it. In this topic, you’ll be taught about the importance of practicing your emergency plan so you’re prepared to quickly and safely evacuate or shelter-in-place in the event of an emergency.

• Questions (level 1, 2, 3)

• Video module

This topic is currently available in English.

1. Make copies of your household emergency plan, ID, insurance and bank records, and your emergency contact list. Keep copies with your emergency supply kits and go over this information when you practice your emergency plan.

2. Prepare your emergency kit in advance and over time. Not everyone can afford to stock up all at once, and doing it slowly ensures that life-saving supplies do not sell out right before an emergency. Planning ahead also avoids having to leave your house in dangerous conditions.

3. Practice carrying out your emergency plan, including evacuation routes, with your entire household and any pets. This will help everyone feel comfortable with the plan and ready if and when an emergency occurs.

4. Consider designating emergency exit routes from your home, and practice evacuating from them. This helps make sure that if a route is blocked you have an alternative that you have already practiced.

5. Keep your home emergency kit in a safe location, such as your shelter room, and leave your evacuation kit on your evacuation route. This way, when you’re practicing your emergency plan, both kits will be ready where they need to be.

6. Make sure that all members of your household know what your emergency plan is and where all emergency kits and supplies are located. Create a physical document of all steps that can be practiced, perfected, and referenced quickly and easily.

7. Create a meeting place outside of your neighborhood and practice going there so everyone knows where to go in case you get separated during an evacuation.

8. Your emergency plan should be practiced at least once a year, or as many times as you need to feel prepared. This includes reviewing and updating your contact and insurance information and restocking your emergency kits.

Apart from the essential items, your emergency kit should also include additional products that will keep you and your household comfortable during an emergency. In this topic, you’ll learn what these products are, like sleeping bags, clothing, and extra chargers. You’ll also learn about the importance of stocking and restocking your emergency kits with these items before an emergency occurs.

• Questions (level 1, 2, 3)

• Video module

This topic is currently available in English.

1. Pack at least one change of clothing, including footwear, for each member of the household in both your emergency and evacuation kit. This helps prepare you for if your clothes get wet or you’re sheltered for an extended period of time.

2. Pack emergency blankets and/or sleeping bags for each person so that everyone can stay warm and comfortable if you’re sheltering for an extended period of time.

3. Pack your evacuation kit with emergency cash, checks, and a map of your area in case there is no cell phone service during the emergency.

4. Consider adding over-the-counter medications to both your emergency and evacuation kit, like antacids, mild pain relievers, and anti-diarrhea medication.

5. Your emergency kit should include basic kitchen and toiletry supplies, such as a can opener for non-perishable food items, garbage bags, toilet paper, and containers to drink water out of.

6. If possible, pack a weather radio in both your kits so you can keep track of the ongoing emergency while you’re evacuating or sheltering-in-place.

7. If your household includes young children, consider packing specific food and some small activities for them in your kits. These will help keep them occupied and at ease during the situation.

Each of your emergency kits should include certain products that are absolutely essential during an emergency. In this topic, you’ll learn what these products are, how to collect them, and the purpose they serve for you and your household during an emergency.

• Questions (level 1, 2, 3)

• Video module

This topic is currently available in English.

1. Stock both your emergency kit and evacuation kit with at least three days worth of non-perishable food items, like canned corn, nuts, or jerky, so you can still prepare meals during the emergency. Make sure you consider infant and pet food if necessary.

2. Prepare and pack four liters (1 gallon) of water per person, per day you’ll likely be sheltering. This will help give you enough water for both drinking and sanitizing.

3. Include a first-aid kit with enough supplies to treat small injuries by yourself, so that emergency services can focus on the larger emergency at hand. Keep these supplies in both your kits.

4. Pack all necessary toiletries, including menstruation products, as well as other important personal products like contact lenses and solution.

5. Make sure both your kits include several types of power sources, like extra batteries, charged power packs, and extra charging cords so that you reduce the risk of losing light, heat, or cell phone battery during an emergency.

6. Pack multiple types of portable light sources in both kits so that you still have access to light if the power goes out during an emergency. These can include flashlights, matches, and candles.

7. Include household safety and repair tools in your emergency kit, like a hammer, pliers, a wrench, a pocketknife, and duct tape, so you can quickly repair any damage while you’re sheltering if necessary.