Disaster can force you to evacuate your neighborhood or confine you to your home. Roads, water, gas, electricity and telephone service may be cut off.
If a disastrous event overwhelms or delays your community's first responders, are you prepared to go it alone for at least 72 hours?
Make a Kit
- Build a first aid and survival kit for your home, car and workplace. For details or to purchase a kit, visit Orange County Red Cross.
- Learn how to use a fire extinguisher.
Make a Disaster Plan
- Meet with your family, neighbors, coworkers, and schools to create a plan, share responsibilities and work together as a team
- Pick two places to meet:
- outside your home, in case of a sudden emergency or
- outside your neighborhood, in case you can't return home
- Have an "out-of-state contact" for family members to call. For a card, visit www.ocfa.org
- Post emergency numbers and teach children how to call 9-1-1 for assistance
- Conduct fire and emergency evacuation drills
- Consider food and shelter for pets
If Disaster Strikes
- Work with your CERT/CEPA/BERT teams
- Check for injuries and give first-aid
- Listen for news and information
- Clean up spilled bleach, gasoline, medicine and other hazardous materials
- Shut off any damaged utilities