Disaster Preparedness

 

In case of an emergency, you'll need to take the necessary precautions to protect yourself, your family, and your property.  Disaster can strike without warning requiring you to evacuate your neighborhood or in some cases confine you to your home.  Preparing in advance by learning what hazards may affect your community and learning about how to deal with these hazards is an important part of emergency preparedness. Remember this is your responsibility!

A CITIZENS GUIDE TO DISASTER ASSISTANCE

 

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

You can receive important lifesaving alerts on your phone no matter where you are – at home, at school, or at work. Alerts received at the right time can help keep you safe in an emergency. Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) send free text messages to WEA-enabled cell phones within the range of an imminent and dangerous local situation, severe weather event, or AMBER alert. They are sent by authorized government authorities through your mobile carrier. WEA warnings can be sent to your mobile device when you may be in harm's way, without the need to download an app or subscribe to a service. The WEA notification is designed to get your attention and notify you with a unique sound and vibration. When you receive an alert, take action and check local broadcasts for more information. You will even receive WEA notifications when you are visiting another city or outside of the area where your phone is registered. You do not need to register to receive WEA notifications. You will automatically receive alerts if you have a WEA-capable phone and your wireless carrier participates in the program. For more information on this topic visit: www.ready.gov/alerts.

See the Severe Weather tab to sign up for local alerts.

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MAKE A PLAN

It is important to sit down prior to an emergency to plan for what everyone should do and where they should go. In general, families should plan for sheltering in their homes or evacuating their homes depending on the type of emergency.  Please remember to take into consideration any family members that have special needs or pets that need to be cared for. Below are some links that offer great samples and guidance on items that need to be considered. Keep it simple. Remember to test your plan, in order to know what you have put together works, you need to test it.

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Family and Individual Resources

Family Plan Template
Planning for family members with disabilities
Planning for our senior citizens 
Planning for your pets
Disaster Planning with Kids! www.ready.gov/kids

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Business Resources

Emergency Preparedness for Business

Pandemic Flu and Health related info go to Genesee County Health Dept.

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YOUR KIT

Since a disaster or emergency can arrive at any time, you will need to have some items on hand to get you and your family through until the emergency is over. At times this task can be overwhelming and prevents individuals from successfully completing or even starting altogether. Like anything else, it is easier to do a few things at a time. Below is a recommended list of items one should consider. The website www.do1thing.com is a great source to keep you on task. Do1Thing breaks up the tasks so that over a period of time you can build up a great preparedness kit and shows you it's not something that needs to be done overnight.

Emergency Supply List

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ADDITIONAL LINKS

Red Cross First Aid App for Smart Phones Info
American Red Cross
Local Red Cross
Michigan Prepares
Do 1 Thing
Michigan Homeland Security
National Homeland Security
Ready.gov