Make A Plan
Each plan needs to consider what preparedness steps that will need to take place to be ready should a hazard occur. Hazard specific preparedness steps include purchasing ice melt in advance of a winter storm and maintaining at least a 1/4 tank of fuel at all times should an evacuation take place for hazardous materials releases.
When creating a plan, you need to consider your family’s needs. This includes ensuring that any responsibilities assigned to family members are appropriate for their age and physical condition. Supplies to keep on hand will depend on these specific needs. For example, if your family has an infant, then you must plan for appropriate child care and maintaining supplies for that infant. For those that have family members with functional and access needs, then the plan needs to take into account for their specific needs. For those having home care for medical conditions, a plan needs to be worked out with the healthcare provider and home health care coordinator to ensure proper safety of the client.
Plans also need to be in place to accommodate your pets. There needs to be considerations for who will take care of the animal before, during and after a disaster. Your preparations need to include your pet’s needs such as food, medicine, litter, etc. You should never leave your animal behind if you have to evacuate.
In addition to all of these considerations, you need to plan where to go should you have to evacuate your home. In some cases an emergency shelter may be opened, and in other cases it may not be. Guilford County does not pre-release shelter location information due to the fact that shelter locations can change depending on the emergency, location of the affected population, and the availability of the structure.
Your plan should consider places you may go to rendezvous with your family members outside of your neighborhood. In addition you must take into account transportation needs of your family. Pre-arranging transportation access such as through family and friends can help during times of need. If you own a vehicle, it is essential that it is maintained in an operable condition, including maintaining at least ¼ of a tank of fuel, so it can be used to evacuate your neighborhood.
