Public Information Page
Are you ready?
Prepareing for an emergency could be the diffreence between life and death. No one expects
that an emergency will strike them or there family. But the sad truth is that we can predict
where or when disaster is going to strike. On the page you will find some helpful information
and guidleines to prepare for the unexpected. Most of the informationon the page is provided by
the Emergency Preparedness Progam Consultans Inc. and the Federal Emergency Managment
Agency.
Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to plan in advance:
how you will contact one another; how you will get back together; and what you will do in
different situations.

Family Emergency Plan

  • Identify an out-of town contact.  It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call
    than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better position to
    communicate among separated family members.

  • Be sure every member of your family knows the phone number and has a cell phone,
    coins, or a prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact. If you have a cell phone,
    program that person(s) as "ICE" (In Case of Emergency) in your phone. If you are in an
    accident, emergency personnel will often check your ICE listings in order to get a hold
    of someone you know. Make sure to tell your family and friends that you’ve listed them
    as emergency contacts.

  • Teach family members how to use text messaging (also knows as SMS or Short
    Message Service). Text messages can often get around network disruptions when a
    phone call might not be able to get through.

  • Subscribe to alert services. Many communities now have systems that will send instant
    text alerts or e-mails to let you know about bad weather, road closings, local
    emergencies, etc. Sign up by visiting your local Office of Emergency Management web
    site.

Planning to Stay or Go

Depending on your circumstances and the nature of the emergency, the first important decision
is whether you stay where you are or evacuate. You should understand and plan for both
possibilities. Use common sense and available information, including what you are learning here,
to determine if there is an immediate danger. In any emergency, local authorities may or may not
immediately be able to provide information on what is happening and what you should do.
However, you should watch TV, listen to the radio or check the Internet often for information or
official instruction as it becomes available. For information on staying put or sheltering in place,
click here.

Emergency Information

Find out what kinds of disasters, both natural and man-made, are most likely to occur in your
area and how you will be notified. Methods of getting your attention vary from community to
community. One common method is to broadcast via emergency radio and TV broadcasts. You
might hear a special siren, or get a telephone call, or emergency workers may go door-to-door.

Emergency Plans

Use the New Online Family Emergency Planning Tool created by the Ready Campaign in
conjunction with the Ad Council to prepare a printable Comprehensive Family Emergency Plan:

http://ready.adcouncil.org/beprepared/fep/index.jsp

Use the New Quick Share application to help your family in assembling a quick reference list of
contact information for your family, and a meeting place for emergency situations:

http://ready.adcouncil.org/beprepared/quickshare.html

You may also want to inquire about emergency plans at places where your family spends time:
work, daycare and school. If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one. Talk to
your neighbors about how you can work together in the event of an emergency. You will be
better prepared to safely reunite your family and loved ones during an emergency if you think
ahead and communicate with others in advance. Read more: School and Workplace.

Sorce: Ready America 2009
The Federal Emergency Managment Agency
http://www.ready.gov/america/makeaplan/index.html