Personal & Pet Preparedness

Personal Preparedness: Get a kit, make a plan & stay informed!

– Get a Kit –
Preparing an emergency kit for your family is an important step in keeping them safe and healthy during an emergency. Follow these tips from the CDC’s Office of Preparedness and Response to build your 3 day supply kit!

– Make a Plan –

Follow these tips from Ready.gov to make a plan with your family!

Step 1: Put together a plan by discussing these 4 questions with your family, friends, or household to start your emergency plan:
1. How will I receive emergency alerts and warnings?
2. What is my shelter plan?
3. What is my evacuation route?
4. What is my family/household communication plan?

Step 2: Consider specific needs in your household. Create your own personal network for specific areas where you need assistance. Keep in mind some these factors when developing your plan:
– Different ages of members within your household
– 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
– Households with school-aged children

Step 3: Fill out a Family Emergency Plan
Download and fill out a family emergency plan or use them as a guide to create your own.

Step 4: Practice your plan with your family/household. Share your plan with a neighbor and/or a friend out of town.

– Stay Informed –

Keep a battery operated radio on hand. Tune into reliable weather and news sources.

Sign up for community notifications for your town!

City officials may use this platform for important emergency and non-emergency notifications and instructions, if necessary. Sign up here

Watches vs. Warnings
In addition to understanding how you will be informed of potential threats, you need to understand the terms that are used for weather threats.

– A watch means that there is a high possibility that a weather emergency will occur. When a severe storm watch is issued for your area, continue to listen to the radio or television for updates and pay attention to visible weather changes around you.
– A warning means that a weather emergency is already happening, or will happen soon. When you hear a warning, take immediate action

Visit Ready.gov for more information on emergency alerts