Emergency Preparedness
Personal and Family Preparedness
Personal preparedness means being ready for emergencies that are:
- At your home
- In your car
- Or anywhere else you may spend time (work, school, community center, etc.)
Explore below on how you can be better prepared!
Emergency Supply Kits
Individuals can prepare their homes, cars, and work by making an emergency supply kit. A three-day emergency supply kit provides comfort and survival needs during a disaster.
Home Emergency Supply Kits Items
- Water (consider stocking up on gallon water jugs to reduce plastic consumption)
- Non-perishable food (do not forget a can opener for canned goods)
- Battery banks and extra batteries (charge and test your battery banks occasionally or before an upcoming severe weather event)
- Battery-powered or hand crank radio
- Flashlight
- First Aid kit
- Shelter-in-place items (dust mask and plastic sheeting and duct tape for sealing off windows)
- Personal sanitation items (moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties)
- Local maps
- Additional Items to Consider
- Cash and change
- Pet supplies is you have a pet (pet food, water, carrier, leash, toys, and bedding)
- Infant formula and diapers
- Important family documents (insurance policies, identification and bank account records)
- Fire Extinguisher
- Personal hygiene items
- Entertainment items that do not use electricity (books, games, coloring books, puzzles, etc.)
Car Emergency Supply Kit Items
- Jumper cables
- Flares or reflective triangles
- Ice scraper
- Phone charger or battery banks (make sure to test and charge battery banks)
- Blankets
- A Map
- Cat litter or sand (can be used for better tire traction)
- Water and non-perishable foods
For more information about emergency supply kits, please visit the links below.
Go Bags
Go bags are like emergency supply kits; but, they designed to be easy-to-grab bags. Items to include within your bag, are the same items listed above but on a smaller scale. Examples:
-
A bottle of water instead of a case of water
-
Smaller snacks instead of canned foods
-
A small flashlight instead of a large lantern
Communication Plan
Does your family know what to do, how to communicate, and where to go in an emergency? A family communication plan outlines what everyone should do in an emergency. Families can make a communication plan for any situation.
There are three steps in creating your family communication plan.
- Collect Information
- Emergency meeting places
- Family member contact numbers
- Out-of-town contact
- Share
- Make sure all family members know about the plan and are familiar with it
- Practice
- The best way to make sure everyone knows the plan is to practice! Here are examples on how to be proactive:
- Practice meeting at your emergency meeting place
- Practice calling out-of-town contacts
- Review your plan with everyone
Be Informed and Get Involved
Know your hazards
If you know your community's hazards, you can better prepare and mitigate for them. Safety begins at home by having family plans, emergency supplies, and protecting your home.
To learn more about Outagamie County's hazards, visit our Hazards webpage.
Neighborhood Connectivity
Having a relationship with your neighbors builds a resilient community. Here are some benefits from knowing your neighbors prior to a disaster:
- Assistance - helping each other prepare their homes prior to storms and knowing how to help after.
- Resources - neighbors can lend tools, supplies, and knowledge of skills
- Information - neighbors can keep each other up to date about upcoming severe weather, power/internet outages, and municipal announcements
Business Preparedness
Five days a week, 8-10 hours a day, where do people spend most of their time? At work! Because you are in the office does not mean that disasters can not happen. Preparedness is as important there as it is at home.
A disaster plan ensures safety of employees and continuation of business operations. Disasters such as fires, power or communications outages, floods, or workplace shooting.
Resources for Businesses
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