Create Peace of Mind With an Actionable Plan

Be prepared. These 2 words of advice can make all the difference when facing severe weather and natural disasters.

While some severe weather events are seasonal, unpredictable conditions can cause natural disasters to strike at any time of year. There is no better time than today to start planning for the next emergency in your community.

With Alabama and other states marking severe weather awareness this month, take steps to prepare for what Mother Nature has in store by creating an emergency plan.

Emergency plans should account for multiple emergency scenarios. The plan should be developed, discussed, and shared with all members of your household.

Take these steps to prepare your emergency plan:

Communicate

Because your family or roommates may not be together when a disaster strikes, make sure everyone knows how to contact 1 another and where to reconnect.

Discuss the types of disasters that are possible in your area and the different precautions for each. For example, hurricanes can cause flooding and spawn tornadoes well inland after they make landfall on the coast. Severe weather watches are typically issued in advance of any storm system, even cold fronts that could cause severe weather. Hurricanes are defined by severity categories. Make sure everyone knows recommendations for sheltering in place and evacuation based on the severity of the natural disaster or storm.

Talk about how your family would respond to different types of emergencies. Document the plan and share it with each person in the household. Ready.gov offers an easy family emergency communication plan that can be filled out and exported into a shareable PDF.

Expand your emergency plan to include neighbors. Talk about emergency resources or tasks you may be able to share, how to help neighbors who have disabilities or are elderly, and how you will communicate with them during a disaster

Build an Emergency Kit

A crucial part of creating an emergency plan is building an emergency kit. Emergency kits consist of basic items your household may need in the event of a shelter-in-place or evacuation emergency.

While building your kit, consider the unique needs of each member of your household, such as medication, dietary restrictions, pet supplies, and necessities for specific ages. Depending on the size of the household, an emergency kit may be 1 waterproof container or multiple bins.

If buying extra supplies for an emergency is not in the budget, start with what you already have at home. Collect items in 1 area to create a new storage spot. Use this nonperishable storage as an extension of your food pantry. Take and replace items after grocery shopping to avoid food waste, and keep the emergency kit stocked at all times. Consider adding additional nonfood items to your kit on a weekly or monthly basis, as finances allow. For emergency kit tasks listed in manageable weekly or monthly steps, search online for a disaster supplies and preparedness calendar.

Ensure the emergency kit is stored in a dry place that is easily accessible for shelter- in-place and evacuation emergencies, such as a garage or closet near the front door. If you leave home for work, make an emergency kit to keep in your vehicle or at your office. Keep in mind, sheltering in place may mean staying at work or a public place if you cannot safely return home.

Sign Up for Alerts

Finding up-to-date information during an emergency can be stressful. Set up access to emergency alerts beforehand to receive the latest updates.

Check in with the city or county offices of emergency management to sign up for emergency alerts. Signing up for these notifications allows emergency response agencies to text, call, or email when a local emergency may require you to shelter in place or evacuate. Local emergency management may also have recommendations for additional alerts and online resources for the most common natural disasters in your area.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency mobile app offers alerts and resources before, during, and after a disaster. Get severe weather alerts for your area, find local evacuation shelters and disaster recovery centers, save custom emergency information, and receive safety and preparedness reminders. The app is available in English and Spanish. Download for free in the Google and Apple App stores on your smartphone.

Prepare for Evacuation

While it may seem unthinkable to have to leave home during severe weather, many kinds of disasters can lead to evacuation. Sometimes there is a day or 2 to prepare. Other times, a life-threatening situation means an immediate departure is necessary.

Prepare evacuation plans by identifying several places to go in an emergency, such as a friend’s house, a nearby town, or a motel. Ask local emergency management officials about available shelter spaces, and include those options in your plans.

Choose a variety of locations in different directions. Some of your top choices may be affected by a storm or disaster.

For pets and livestock, identify places where they can be temporarily housed. For small pets, check hotel and shelter policies, or ask friends about options at their homes. For large animals, check with local fairgrounds for shelter policies during emergencies, and research additional livestock evacuation locations.

In case of immediate evacuation or shelter-in-place orders when away from home, make sure pets and livestock are microchipped or tagged to expedite reunification efforts post-disaster.

During storm season, keep your vehicle’s gas tank as full as possible. Along with aiding in evacuation to a safer area, vehicles can be used as temporary shelters.

No one wants to deal with the stress and fear of a natural disaster. Yet having a plan for you and your family is the difference between a life-threatening situation and safely weathering the storm.