Emergency Preparedness

Staying prepared for emergencies ensures you can respond quickly and effectively in unexpected situations, protecting yourself and your loved ones. Whether it's a natural disaster, power outage, or medical crisis, having a plan and essential supplies can reduce stress, prevent harm, and even save lives. 

Create Your ‘Go Bag’

An emergency kit can include items for water, food, safety, communication, and more. Consider packing your 'Go Bag' with any and all of the following items.

Food & Water

  • Non-perishable food, like canned meats, fruits, and vegetables
  • Ready-to-eat foods, like granola bars, crackers, and peanut butter
  • Staples like sugar, salt, and pepper
  • Safety flashlight with extra batteries, first aid kit, whistle to signal for help, dust mask to reduce inhalation of dust, and work gloves
  • Bottled water, water purification tablets, and enough water for one gallon per person per day

Communication 

  • Battery-powered or hand crank radio
  • NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
  • Portable cell phone charger
  • Notepad, pen/pencil, and marker

Other Items

  • Essential hygiene items, like toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and wet wipes
  • Change of clothes and shoes
  • Blanket
  • Eyeglasses and hearing aids
  • Cash
  • Maps (with two planned evacuation routes)
  • Copies of important documents (marriage license, driver's licenses, auto, motor, home ownership, insurance policies, bank accounts)
  • Supplies for your service animal or pet

To keep documents fire-safe, you can store them in a fireproof safe, fireproof bag, or safe deposit box.

Fireproof safes

  • Fire rating: A quality fireproof safe will have a rating from Underwriters Laboratories that indicates how long and at what temperature it can protect contents.
  • Construction: Fireproof safes are made with a non-conductive material that insulates the contents and prevents the temperature from rising.
  • Door seal: The door of a fireproof safe has a seal to prevent fire from entering.
  • Location: Place the safe out of sight and bolt it to the floor or wall.
  • Fireproof bags
  • Fireproof document boxes: These bags can protect important documents from fire and floods.
  • Fireproof document bags: These bags can store a large number of documents and valuables.
  • Safe deposit box
  • Security: A safe deposit box at a bank or credit union offers a high level of security.
  • Cost: You can rent a safe deposit box for a small annual fee.
  • You can also encrypt digital documents and store them on external hard drives and cloud storage services.

Resources