The Federal Emergency Management Agency has made available a publication on emergency preparedness: “Are you Ready? An in Depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness.” You can print out the guide and hand out to employees, co-workers, organizations and other groups. Some of the highlights are:
Create an evacuation plan.
Find out your child’s school’s emergency plan.
Develop a Family Disaster Plan.
Assemble a home emergency kit.
Obtain property, life and health insurance if you don’t have them. Review existing policies and amount of coverage to ensure it’s adequate for the type of emergencies that may occur in your area.
Inventory your home possessions. Store important documents including insurance policies, property records, and other important papers in a safe place away from you like in a safety deposit box. Make copies of important documents (medical records, birth certificates, marriage licenses, adoption papers, etc) and place them in your disaster supplies kit.
Home, car, office, school and other disaster kits are necessary for emergencies. That’s why FEMA recommends that you have these so that you’re ready and prepared during a crisis. However, it’s important to keep in mind that once you buy your kits, you’ll need to add things to them, such as copies or originals of important documents. If you’ve already purchased one of our kits, make sure you personalize it by adding papers, prescriptions and other items unique to your situation.