After a disaster, local officials and relief workers will be on the scene, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours, or it may take days. Would you be prepared to cope with the emergency until help arrives? You will cope best by preparing for a disaster before it strikes. One way to prepare is by assembling a Disaster Supply Kit. Once a disaster hits, you won’t have time to shop or search for supplies. But if you’ve gathered supplies in advance, you can endure an evacuation or home confinement.

When preparing for a possible emergency situation, it's best to think first about the basics of survival: fresh water, food, clean air and warmth.

Your family disaster supply kit should have enough supplies to sustain you and your family for at least 72 hours.

Items you should include in your kit are:

• Water (At least 3 days supply)
• Food (At least 3 days supply)
• Cash
• First Aid Kit
• Over-The-Counter and Prescribed Medications
• Tools and Supplies
• Flashlight (with extra batteries)
• Whistle
• Clothing and Bedding
• Sanitization Supplies (Hand Sanitizer, Soap, Toilet Paper, etc.)
• Special Items and Needs (Pets, Small Children and Infants, Elderly, etc.)
• Battery powered NOAA Weather Radio (with extra batteries) 

Details and checklists for creating your family disaster supply kit can be found by clicking on the links below:

American Red Cross Disaster Supply Kit

Ready.GOV Checklist by Homeland Security 

Disaster can strike quickly and without warning. It can force you to evacuate your neighborhood, workplace or school or can confine you to your home. What would you do if basic services – water, gas, electricity or telephones – were cut off? Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone right away. The best way to make you and your family safer is to be prepared before disaster strikes.

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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.

The Guilford Emergency Alert, Notification, and Information System “G.E.A.N.I.” is an automated system to notify you of urgent and emergency information through your cell phone, home phone and/or email. The system provides time sensitive, geographically based public safety messages through voice, text, and e-mail, and is available to all residents and businesses within Guilford County (including City of High Point residents in Forsyth, Davidson, and Randolph Counties).  The system is activated by public safety personnel to provide you with information about evacuations, shelter-in-place incidents, severe weather response and recovery efforts, law enforcement events, and other urgent incidents that affect your safety.

If you have a traditional land line telephone number which is not marked as “unpublished” you are automatically enrolled in G.E.A.N.I., and will receive notifications affecting your area.

Cellular and VoIP telephones are not automatically added to the system database. If you would like to receive notifications on your cellular or VoIP device to, you must self register on the G.E.A.N.I. system.

Participation is voluntary and your number will not be shared for any other purpose.

Although this is a free service, you may be charged a standard fee from your cellular phone service provider if you exceed your current data plan for receiving voice calls or text messages. The agencies involved in G.E.A.N.I. are not responsible for any charges that may be incurred as a result of receiving these alerts.

Voice notifications will be sent to your designated phone from telephone numbers (336) 373-3097 and we recommend adding this number to your phone’s contact list.

If you wish not to receive notifications, you can opt out of the system by sending an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For general questions about G.E.A.N.I. you can contact:  Guilford County Emergency Management at 336-641-2278

For technical questions about G.E.A.N.I. you can contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Will I receive Weather Watches and Warnings through G.E.A.N.I.

No, weather watches and warnings are not transmitted through the G.E.A.N.I. due to their short lead times and other technical limitations.  We recommend that you have a NOAA All Hazards radio and or subscribe to weather watches and warnings through other services.  G.E.A.N.I. will however, be used to provide information and updates regarding severe weather response and recovery efforts throughout the area.

How do you have my number? I’ve registered with the Do Not Call List.

G.E.A.N.I. includes published landline phone numbers and the numbers of people who have self-registered for the service. If you would like to unsubscribe from the system, please send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I don’t have a landline; may I register a mobile phone?

Yes, you may register a mobile number with the G.E.A.N.I. In order to assure you only receive messages relevant to your residence, we require you associate that number with a street address.

What if I’m not home, will there be a message waiting for me?

The system will leave a message on your answering machine or a voicemail if you are not able to pick up the call.

My neighbors and I received the call, but my friend across town didn’t, why?

Often times the contents of a G.E.A.N.I. call only concern residents of a particular neighborhood or section of town. The call area selected is a determination made by your local officials based upon the urgency and significance of the call.