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THREE STEPS TO PREPAREDNESS
STEP 1 - Get a Kit
OVERVIEW Consider the following when assembling or restocking your kit to ensure your family is prepared for any disaster: - At a minimum, gather the basic supplies listed below.
- Keep supplies in an easy-to-carry emergency preparedness kit that you can use at home or take with you in case you must evacuate.
- Consider the special needs of all your family members (including babies, elderly and pets!) and supplement your kit with items that fit your needs.
KIT CONTENTS: - Water — one gallon per person, per day (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
- Food — non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
- Flashlight
- Battery-powered or hand-crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
- Extra batteries
- First aid kit
- Medications (7-day supply) and medical items
- Multi-purpose tool
- Sanitation and personal hygiene items
- Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)
- Cell phone with chargers
- Family and emergency contact information
- Extra cash
- Emergency blanket
- Map(s) of the area
Click here to view and print an Emergency Preparedness Shopping List. Help build your kit by shopping at the National Capital Area's Online Store.
STEP 2 - Make a Plan
HOW TO PLAN
When preparing for a disaster, always: - Meet with your family or household members.
- Discuss how to prepare and respond to emergencies that are most likely to happen where you live, learn, work and play.
- Identify responsibilities for each member of your household and plan to work together as a team.
- Choose an out-of-area emergency contact person.
- Choose two places to meet—
- Right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency, such as a fire.
- Outside your neighborhood, in case you cannot return home or are asked to evacuate.
- Decide where you would go and what route you would take if you had to evacuate.
- Plan ahead for your pets. Keep a phone list of "pet friendly" motels/hotels and animal shelters that are along your evacuation routes.
Plan for pandemic influenza: During a flu pandemic you may be asked to stay home for an extended period of time, even if you are not sick. Schools and workplaces may close, and public gatherings such as sporting events or worship services may close temporarily. Mass transportation such as subways, buses, trains and air travel may be limited. You, your family and friends may need to rely on each other when you cannot depend on the services you normally use. View the flu checklist.
Take a Pandemic Preparedness course. Plan ahead of time by: - Talking with family members and loved ones about how they would be cared for if they got sick.
- Finding out your employer's plans to keep the business open if key staff can't come to work.
- Asking your child's school or day care if there are plans to encourage children who are sick to stay home to reduce the spread of the disease.
- Identifying how you can get information, whether through local radio, TV, Internet or other sources.
STEP 3 - Be Informed
OVERVIEW Learn what disasters or emergencies may occur in your area. These events can range from those affecting only you and your family, like a home fire or medical emergency, to those affecting your entire community, like an earthquake or flood. - Identify how local authorities will notify you during a disaster and how you will get information, whether through local radio, TV or NOAA Weather Radio stations or channels.
- Know the difference between different weather alerts such as "watches" and "warnings" and what actions to take in each.
- Make sure that at least one member of your household is trained in first aid and CPR and knows how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED). This training is useful in many emergency situations.
- Share what you have learned with your family, household and neighbors and encourage them to be informed too.
Click here to sign-up and receive free, customized emergency alerts by cell phone and email from local governments in the National Capital Region. DOWNLOAD AND PRINT THIS CHECKLIST FOR GETTING A KIT, MAKING A PLAN AND BEING INFORMED.
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