Have A Plan

Creating a family disaster plan can feel overwhelming but breaking it up into smaller steps can make it more manageable! When creating your household and family disaster plan consider the below items:

How will you receive emergency alerts and warnings? Ex. Cell phone, weather radio, public warning system, etc.

What is your shelter plan? Where will you take shelter, how will you get there? What is your evacuation route & designated emergency meeting place?

Identify multiple routes in case one in inaccessible, and make sure all family members know where to go and how to get there.

What is your communication plan? How will you get a hold of loved ones if phone service is down or spotty? If you don’t have access to your phone? Visit ready.gov/plan-form to fill out your own communication plan.

Do you need to update your emergency kit? Check all items with an expiration date, use, and rotate out snacks, food, and water (suggested every 6 months) Rotate out clothing as sizes or seasons change. Do you need to rotate or restock any medication?

Your family is special and your emergency plan should be too! You should tailor your plan and emergency kit to fit your households needs. Discuss the needs and responsibilities of all household members, and how they can be met during an emergency. Some factors to take into consideration include:

• Different ages of members within your household
• Households with school-aged children
• Responsibilities for assisting others
• Locations frequented
• Dietary needs
• Medical needs including prescriptions and equipment
• Disabilities or access and functional needs including devices and equipment
• Languages spoken
• Cultural and religious considerations
• Pets or service animals