What can I do?
The message of this page is PREPAREDNESS.
Preparedness is everyone's job. Not just government agencies, but
all sectors of society -- service providers, businesses, civic and
volunteer groups, industry associations and neighborhood associations,
as well as every individual citizen -- should plan ahead for disaster.
During the first few hours or days following a disaster, essential
services may not be available. People must be ready to act on
their own.
Everyone should have a family disaster plan --
steps you can take to ensure the safety of your family. These
steps include:
Step 1 - Find out what could happen to you.
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Find out what types of disasters are most likely
to occur in your community and how to prepare for them. Be
sure to include other forms of disasters besides natural [i.e.
man-made, hazardous materials].
Step 2 - Create a Disaster Plan.
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Meet with your family and discuss why you need to
prepare for disaster. Explain the dangers of fire, severe
weather and other potential incidents.
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Pick two places to meet ... right outside your
home in case of a sudden emergency, like a fire & outside your
neighborhood in case you can't return home. Everyone must know
the address and phone number.
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Ask an out-of-state friend to be your "family
contact". After a disaster, it's often easier to call long
distance. Other family members should call this person and
tell them where they are. Everyone must know your contact's
phone number.
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Discuss what to do in an evacuation.
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Plan how to take care of your pets.
Step 3 - Practice and maintain your plan.
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Practice and maintain the plan. It is
important that you practice the plan on a regular basis so family
members will remember what to do when disaster strikes. There
may not be much time in an actual emergency.
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Quiz your kids every six months so that they
remember what to do.
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Replace stored water every three months and
stored food every six months.
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Test and recharge your fire extinguisher(s)
according to manufacturer's instructions.
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Test your smoke detectors monthly and change the
batteries at least once a year.
Step 4 - Complete this checklist.
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Post emergency telephone numbers by phones.
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Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1.
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Show each family member how and when to turn off
the water, gas and electricity at the main shut-off.
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Check if you have adequate insurance coverage.
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Teach each family member how to use the fire
extinguisher [ABC type] and show them where it's kept.
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Install smoke detectors on each level of your
home, especially near bedrooms.
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Conduct a home hazard hunt. During a
disaster, ordinary objects in your home can cause injury or damage.
Anything that can move, fall, break or cause a fire is a home
hazard. Inspect your home at least once a year and fix
potential hazards.
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Stock emergency supplies and assemble a
Disaster Kit.
Items to include are: a battery operated radio and flashlight,
water, a first aid kit, prescription medications and non-perishable
foods.
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Take a first aid and CPR course.
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Determine the best escape routes from your home.
Find two ways out of each room.
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Make an itemized list of personal property,
including furnishings, clothing and valuable. Photographs of
your home inside and out are helpful. These will assist an
adjuster in settling claims and will help prove uninsured losses,
which are tax deductible.
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People who live in frequently flooded areas
should keep on hand materials such as sandbags, plywood, plastic
sheeting, and lumber which can be used to protect property.
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Buy flood insurance. You should contact
your property/casualty agent or broker about eligibility for flood
insurance, which is offered through the National Flood Insurance
Program. Generally, there is a thirty-day waiting period for
the policy to become effective, so don't wait until the last minute
to apply.
PROTECTIVE ACTIONS are actions we take to
safeguard our family members and ourselves from harm. We take these
actions every day -- at work and at play. For example, we buckle
seatbelts in cars and airplanes to protect us in the event of an
accident. Some of us wear protective clothing while doing our jobs or
playing sports -- safety glasses, steel toed boots, helmets, protective
pads, to name a few.
There are other protective actions you may already
have heard about or will soon. These protective actions may be necessary
in the event of an emergency -- such as a flood or tornado or a highway,
railway or industrial plant accident -- that threatens your community.
The most common emergency protective actions are evacuation and
shelter-in-place.
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Evacuation means to leave the area of actual or potential
hazard. Emergency managers carefully develop plans and procedures
for evacuation to avoid confusion and get people out of an area
safely and quickly.
If an evacuation is called for, your local
officials will tell you what routes to take and the locations of
centers that will provide food, shelter, and other necessities. It
is a good idea to know which routes are designated evacuation routes
before an emergency happens.
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Shelter-In-Place means to stay indoors -- in homes, schools,
businesses, or public buildings. It includes additional precautions
such as turning off air conditioners and ventilation systems and
closing all windows and doors. Shelter-in-place can be used when
there is little time to react to an incident and it would be more
dangerous to be outside trying to evacuate than it would be to stay
where you are.
If shelter-in-place is recommended, you will be
told exactly what to do until the danger is past or until conditions
indicate that an alternative protective action is called for.
Shelter-in-place must be ended properly in order to provide the best
protection. Your emergency managers will calculate the right time
for you to exit your shelter.
Evacuation and shelter-in-place may be necessary in
the unlikely event a chemical stockpile accident threatens our
community. You should stay calm and immediately follow the
protective measures recommended by your local officials and emergency
managers. You will be told when it is safe to return to the evacuated
area or to discontinue shelter-in-place.