Make a family emergency meeting plan

• Besides your house, choose two or three alternate meeting locations in the event you cannot get back to your house.  (e.g. the home of a neighbor or relative, a church, a local school, or other public locations are good choices).

Designate Out of Area Contact

• During a disaster, you may not be able to make local phone calls, but you CAN call out of the area.  Pick a family member or friend to serve as your family's Out-of-Area contact.  In the event of an emergency or disaster, you can call your Out-of-Area contact and tell them you're safe, where you are, and where you are going.  Your Out-of-area contact can then share this information with other family members who call.  All family members should have the phone number of your Out-of-Area contact with them at all times.

Stock and Maintain emergency preparedness and first aid kits

• Plan to be self-sufficient for a minimum of 2-3 days.
• Always keep flashlights, portable radios, and fresh batteries.

Establish a personal support network to check on each other in case of an emergency

Establish a plan for special needs family members  

Establish a plan for pet care

Store important family documents in a safety deposit box or watertight/fire proof container

• Keep a copy of things like your drivers license, passport, social security card, and children's birth certificates in your disaster supplies.
• If you can only grab one thing on your way out the door, you will at least have copies of all important documents, until replacements can be ordered.

Know the location and how to turn off the shut-off valves for your household gas and water services.

• Store any tools to turn off the valves in a secure place.  Do NOT turn gas off unless instructed to do so by the gas company.  And remember that the gas can only be turned back on by a professional.

Practice, practice, practice!  The more you practice your plan, the more likely you are to remember it in times of disaster.