Preparedness Tips

Get An Emergency Kit
Having an emergency kit in your home, car and workplace will allow you to have enough supplies for at least three days in case local officials and relief workers cannot reach everyone immediately after a disaster. Building an emergency kit can be inexpensive and fun. You can find a complete list of resources and tips you’ll need to make your emergency kit online. Be sure to tailor your kit to any special needs you and your family may have. For example:
  • If space allows, add children’s games to keep them entertained
  • Include refills of important prescriptions
  • Include waterproof boots or shoes if your local area is vulnerable to flooding
  1. For Families
  2. For Parents
  3. For Workplaces
  4. For Communities
  5. For Shelter
  6. For a Hurricane Watch
  7. During a Hurricane
  8. For After a Hurricane
For Families
Get an emergency supply kit. Be sure to consider additional items to accommodate family members’ special needs:
  • Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children
  • Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
  • Infant formula and diapers
  • Pet food, extra water for your pet, leash and collar
  • Prescription medications and glasses
Family Plan
Make sure your family has a plan in case of an emergency. Before an emergency happens, sit down together and decide how you will get in contact with each other, where you will go and what you will do in an emergency.
  • Determine a neighborhood meeting place, a regional meeting place and an evacuation location.
  • Identify an out-of-town emergency contact. It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact is important to help communicate among separated family members. Be sure every member of your family knows the out-of-town phone number and has coins or a prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact. You may have trouble getting through, or the telephone system may be down altogether, but be patient.
  • You may also want to inquire about emergency plans at places where your family spends time, such as their place of employment. If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one.
Talk to your neighbors about how you can work together in the event of an emergency. You will be better prepared to safely reunite your family and loved ones during an emergency if you think ahead and communicate with others in advance.