How to Prepare Yourself and Your Family for Disasters

1. How to Prepare Yourself and Your Family for Disasters

2. Presentation Objectives • List general steps to prepare for any disaster • List the necessary components of an emergency/disaster supply kit • Provide guidelines for creating an emergency/disaster family plan • Learn how to get more information on disasters and preparedness

3. How do I prepare for an emergency? • Take the same general steps to prepare for most emergencies, • Make an emergency/disaster supply kit • Make an emergency/disaster family plan • Stay informed • Get involved

4. You Can Make an Emergency Kit Simply and Cheaply!!! • You won’t need these supplies often, so it is ok to purchase inexpensive items • You have to start somewhere…buy one extra item every time you go to the grocery or department store…it will all add up and eventually you can have a full kit!

5. Basic Information About Disaster Kits • Remember to check your items every 6 months and rotate foods/water/medicines in with your regular supplies. • Make sure your kit is not too heavy for you to carry in an emergency!! • Remember, you should be able to grab a kit and go immediately during an emergency…don’t count on pulling things together around the house during that time. • Most importantly: Individualize your kit to your specific family needs!!

6. Water Food Clothes (jacket, hat) Medications Flashlight Manual Can Opener Radio (hand-cranked/battery powered) Hygiene Items First Aid Basic Items to Include in an Emergency Supply Kit

7. Sterile bandages and gauze in assorted sizes Adhesive tape Anti-diarrhea medication Cold pack Scissors, tweezers, safety pins Alcohol wipes Disposable gloves List of family members’ allergies, health conditions, and medications First-Aid Kit

8. Birth Certificate Recent Family Photos Wills Homeowner’s/Flood Insurance Social Security Card Driver’s License Children’s Identification Cards Deed Physician’s Information List of Prescription Medications List of Family/Friends Names & Contact Information, etc. Keep these items in a Ziploc/plastic sealable bag Also include….Copies of Important Papers/Documents

9. Plan to take your pets with you when you evacuate Many counties in NC are creating co-location shelters where you can stay with your pet Consider having your Vet put a microchip in your pet incase you do become separated Don’t forget your pets!

10. Know Where Your Storm-Safe Areas Are Located • What is a “safe area?” • An area/room in your home or workplace that is free from or has minimal windows and does not have an outside wall and is preferably located on the first floor (i.e., closet, bathroom, hallway, etc.). • Designate/Educate your family on where to go inside your home for safety until the storm passes. • Designate/Educate your co-workers on where to go inside your workplace for safety until the storm passes. • Conduct practice drills at home and in your workplace to ensure everyone understands where to go for safety.

11. Have an Evacuation Plan • Plan places where your family will meet, both within and outside of your immediate neighborhood. Become familiar with alternate routes and other means of transportation out of your area. • If you have a car, keep a half tank of gas in it at all times in case you need to evacuate. If you do not have a car, plan how you will leave if you have to. • Take your emergency supply kit unless you have reason to believe it has been contaminated. • Lock the door behind you. • Take your pets with you

12. Communication is Key • Create a Family Communication Plan • Ask someone who lives and works out of town to be your family’s emergency contact. • Have family members carry the contact’s phone number(s) and email address with them. • If disaster strikes your area, family members should report their locations to the contact. He/She can tell you where everyone is. Family Communication Plan information obtained from Channing-Bete Company brochure entitled, “Terrorism: Living with Uncertainty.”

13. Be Informed • Learn about the emergency plans that have been established in your area by your state and local government. • [____________] County’s emergency services include: • [Special Needs Registry?] • [Co-location shelters?] • [Special Needs Shelters?] • [Other emergency plans?]

14. American Red Cross www.redcross.org Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov Citizen Corps www.citizencorps.gov Department of Homeland Security www.dhs.gov Department of Commerce www.doc.gov Department of Energy www.energy.gov Department of Health and Human Services www.hhs.gov Department of Interior www.doi.gov Department of Justice www.justice.gov Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) www.fema.gov Food and Drug Administration www.fda.gov Humane Society of the United States www.hsus.org/disaster Institute for Business and Home Safety www.ibhs.org National Fire Protection Association www.nfpa.org National Institute of Mental Health www.nimh.nih.gov National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration www.noaa.gov National Weather Service www.nws.noaa.gov Nuclear Regulatory Commission www.nrc.gov Pandemic Influenza www.pandemicflu.gov United Animal Nations’ Emergency Animal Rescue Service www.uan.org U.S. Fire Administration www.usfa.fema.gov U.S. Department of Agriculture www.usda.gov U.S. Geological Survey www.usgs.gov US. Postal Service www.usps.gov Disaster Public Education Websites

15. Get involved! • Formally: • Citizen Corps programs such as the Medical Reserve Corps, Community Emergency Response Team, Neighborhood Watch, Red Cross, etc. • Informally: • Watch out for your neighbors and your community!