The best way to prepare for any emergency is to create a Household Emergency Plan.
Talk with members of your household about emergencies: what to do, how to find each other, and how to stay in contact during an emergency. Plan to share responsibilities and work together as a team. Be ready to Shelter in Place for at least three days and be ready to Evacuate, if necessary.
Emergency preparedness is simple if you plan ahead. It is easy and inexpensive for anyone. Here are a few simple steps you should follow:
Decide where your household will meet after an emergency. You need two places to meet: one right outside your home, and another outside your neighborhood, such as a library, community center, or place of worship.
Practice getting out of your home using different doors. Practice getting to your two emergency meeting places. Make sure your children know how to get there.
Get in the habit of noticing the exit signs around you – whether you are in an office building, at the mall, or on a bus.
Plan for everyone in your household – especially those with special needs, such as seniors, people with disabilities, and non-English speakers. Even include your pets in emergency preparedness.
- Ask an out-of-state friend or relative to be someone that household members can call during an emergency. (If Philadelphia phone circuits are busy, long distance calls may be easier to make.)
- Be sure every member of your family knows the emergency phone number and keeps coins or a prepaid phone card on hand.
- Be patient. You may have trouble getting through, or the telephone system may be down altogether.
Give everyone in your house a copy of your emergency plan and emergency contact information to keep in their wallets and backpacks.
Use the Emergency Plan Template to write down your emergency information. Make copies for all your household members to keep in their wallets or backpacks.
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