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.
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 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.
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 mare 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. For information on evacuating, click
here.
