If you have not developed an emergency plan for your family or prepared an emergency kit, now is the perfect time to accomplish the task. Although there are governmental agencies tasked with emergency preparedness activities, they will not be immediately available when an incident occurs. Individuals need to be prepared to take care of themselves for 72 hours after an emergency.

Developing an emergency plan for the home will include consideration of the types of potential emergencies within the geographical location. Preparedness should include knowledge of how school, daycare and place of business emergency plans are carried out.

Identification of a family meeting place will be an important part of the plan in the event that family members are separated. There should also be an out of town phone contact for communicating personal status if families are unable to find each other. Phone numbers for hospitals, doctors and insurance companies should be identified in the plan. Store the completed emergency plan in your emergency kit.

An emergency kit should provide a 3 day supply of personal need items. It should include one gallon of water per person each day and non-perishable food; a battery powered radio and flashlight with extra batteries; medications, infant and pet care products if needed. A bucket, trash bags and wet wipes will create a makeshift toilet when there are power outages. First aid supplies are an important part of the kit. Careful consideration of the particular needs for each family member will identify other items need for an emergency kit.