Make a Plan
Plan now. Make sure everyone in your household knows and understands your emergency weather plan. Your family may not be together if a disaster strikes, so it is important to establish a communication plan so that the family knows how you’ll contact one another and reconnect if you are separated.
Your emergency weather plan should detail the following:
- How will I receive emergency alerts and warnings?
- What is my shelter plan?
- What is my evacuation route?
- What is my family/household communication plan?
- Do I need to update my emergency preparedness kit?
- Check with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and update your emergency plans due to Coronavirus especially if you need to evacuate to a public shelter.
After a weather emergency, you may need to stay home for several days without power. Being prepared means having enough food, water, and other supplies to last for several days. A disaster supplies kit is a collection of basic items you and your family may need in the event of an emergency. The needs of a supply kit may vary depending on the particular weather emergency and the needs of your household and should be properly maintained or replaced as needed.
Since you do not know where you will be when an emergency occurs, prepare supplies for home, work and vehicles.
After an emergency, you may need to survive on your own for several days. Being prepared means having enough food, water, and other supplies for each person in your household to last for several days (don’t forget the needs of your pets!). A disaster supplies kit is a collection of basic items you and your family may need in the event of an emergency.
Make sure your emergency kit is stocked with the items on the checklist below. Download and print a supply kit checklist to take with you to the store. Once you take a look at the basic items, consider what unique needs your family might have, such as supplies for pets or seniors.
- Keep in mind each person’s needs, including prescription and over-the-counter medications.
- Remember the needs of pets.
- Cell phone with charger and a backup battery
- Contact list with the phone numbers of family, friends, doctors, vet and utilities company
- Water (one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation)
- Food (at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food, per person)
- Battery-powered radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
- Flashlight and batteries
- First aid kit
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties (for personal sanitation)
- Manual can opener
- Non-prescription medications such as pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medication, antacids, or laxatives
- Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification, and bank account records saved electronically or in a waterproof, portable container
- Cash
- Soap, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and household cleaning supplies
- Extra batteries for radios and flashlights
- Jumper cables
- Flashlight
- Warm clothes
- Blankets
- Bottled water
- Non-perishable snacks
- Full tank of gas