Being prepared: emotional & practical readiness

For some people, thinking about disasters stirs up fear. That’s understandable. The goal is a plan you can trust, not constant alertness.

Ideas that help

• Add one item a week to your kit, not everything at once
• Do it with a friend, or with music on
• Set a time limit, like 20 minutes
• When you’re done, put the plan away and live your life

Ready.gov encourages practising your plan together. When you’ve walked the evacuation route or done an earthquake drill, your body already knows the steps in a real emergency.

Simple drills

• Do a Drop, Cover, and Hold On drill
• Practise sending your short family check-in text
• Time how long it takes to grab your bag and get to the car
• Walk or drive your evacuation route once a year

Wireless Emergency Alerts are short messages that officials send to phones in a local area. They are free, need no sign-up, and aren’t slowed by busy networks. They come with a special sound and vibration.

Many towns and counties also have their own alert sign-ups. Ask your local emergency management office.

NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts warnings, watches and forecasts 24/7 from your nearest National Weather Service office. It also carries other emergency alerts.

The FEMA app gives real-time National Weather Service alerts for up to five locations, so you can follow a parent’s or child’s town too. It can also help you find shelters.

During the shaking

1. Drop to your hands and knees
2. Cover your head and neck with one arm; crawl under a sturdy table, or next to an interior wall away from windows
3. Hold on until the shaking stops

Good to know

• Afterwards: expect aftershocks, and leave damaged buildings
• If trapped: text, or bang on a pipe or wall, or use a whistle instead of shouting
• In a car: pull over, stop and set the parking brake
• In bed: turn face down and cover your head and neck with a pillow
• Indoors: stay inside, and avoid doorways
• Using a wheelchair or walker: lock your wheels, get as low as you safely can, protect your head and neck

Natural warning signs

• A loud roar from the ocean
• A strong or long earthquake in a tsunami area
• The sea suddenly rising, or draining away to show the sea floor

What to do

• Once shaking stops, move to high ground as far inland as you can
• Aim for at least 100 feet above sea level, or at least one mile inland
• Follow evacuation route signs, often a wave with an arrow
• Stay away from floodwater, downed power lines and damaged buildings afterwards

Before

• Clear drains and gutters, and secure outdoor furniture
• Know your evacuation zone and practise your route, with pets
• Sign up for alerts, and keep phones charged with backup power
• Stock supplies for days or weeks

During and after

• If ordered to evacuate, leave immediately
• For high winds, shelter in a storm shelter or interior room
• If flooding traps you, go to the highest level, but not into a closed attic
• Text or use social media rather than calling, as phone lines may be down
• Photograph damage for insurance

Just six inches of moving water can knock you down, and one foot can sweep away a vehicle. Never walk, swim or drive through floodwater.

What to do

• Move to higher ground or a higher floor, or evacuate if told to
• Stay off bridges over fast-moving water
• If your car is in fast water and water rises inside, climb onto the roof
• Go home only when authorities say it’s safe
• Stay away from wet electrical equipment, and never run a generator indoors

What to do

• Evacuate immediately when local officials tell you to
• Keep an N95 mask in your go bag for smoke
• If smoky but not evacuating, stay indoors in a room you can seal, with a portable air cleaner if you have one
• Afterwards, wait for the all-clear, and avoid hot ash, embers and charred trees

What to do

• Follow evacuation orders, and leave early
• Avoid areas downwind of the volcano and river valleys downstream
• Limit time outside; wear a well-fitting N95 mask if you must go out
• If sheltering, close windows and doors and cover vents
• Avoid driving in heavy ash, which can stall engines
• Don’t climb on your roof to clear ash without guidance, and keep children out of cleanup

Where to shelter

• Best: a safe room or storm shelter built to official standards
• Next best: a small interior room with no windows, or a basement, on the lowest level of a sturdy building
• Stay away from windows, doors and outside walls
• Cover your head and neck with your arms, and put blankets or furniture around you
• If you can’t stay home safely, go to a public shelter

If you’re in a car

• There is no fully safe option, only less dangerous ones
• If debris reaches you, park out of traffic, stay buckled, and keep your head below the windows and covered
• Don’t shelter under bridges

What to do

• Check on older adults, children and neighbours
• Don’t rely on a fan as your main way to cool down
• Drink fluids regularly
• Never leave people or pets in a closed car on a warm day
• Use a cooling centre if your home has no air conditioning
• Wear light, loose clothing and stay in the shade

Heat stroke is an emergency. Signs include a very high body temperature, red, hot, dry skin, a fast strong pulse, and dizziness or confusion. Call 911, move the person somewhere cool and cool them with wet cloths.

What to do

• Under a winter storm warning, find shelter right away
• Avoid overexertion when shovelling snow
• Dress in layers and limit time outdoors
• If trapped in your car, stay inside it
• Never heat your home with a gas stove or oven

Watch for frostbite (numb, white or greyish skin) and hypothermia (shivering, confusion, slurred speech, drowsiness). A body temperature below 95°F is an emergency. Get warm, and warm the chest, neck, head and groin first.

Before

• Have a flashlight for each person
• Install carbon monoxide detectors with battery backup on every level of your home
• Keep coolers and a thermometer ready for food
• Make a plan for power-dependent medical devices with your care team

During

• Keep fridge and freezer doors closed
• Never use a gas stove or oven to heat your home
• Unplug appliances to protect them from surges
• Use a generator only outdoors, at least 20 feet from windows, doors and garages

What to gather

• Contacts: banks, insurance agents, health professionals, your place of worship
• Financial and legal: housing payment records, insurance policies, income and tax statements
• Household ID: photo IDs, birth certificates, Social Security cards, military records, pet ID tags
• Health: insurance cards, immunization records and care team contacts

Store copies in a safe deposit box, on an external drive or in the cloud. Ready.gov also points to the free Emergency Financial First Aid Kit from FEMA and Operation HOPE to help you organise it all.

Keep a small amount of cash at home in a safe place, mostly in small bills. If you can, start an emergency savings account, even with a few dollars at a time.

If you get federal benefits, switching to direct deposit or an electronic payment card means a disruption in mail service won’t stop your income.

Ready.gov suggests having property (homeowners or renters), health and life insurance if you can, and checking your policies against the hazards where you live.

Homeowners insurance usually doesn’t cover flooding. You may need separate flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program.

Easy wins

• Keep your policy numbers and insurer’s phone number in your go bag
• Walk through your home filming your belongings, and save the video in the cloud

Ready.gov suggests

• Ask your care team how to keep medical equipment running in an outage
• Ask your power company about a priority power restoration list
• Create a support network of people who can help, and tell them where your supplies are
• Know more than one facility if you rely on regular treatments like dialysis
• Plan accessible transportation for evacuation
• Ask your local emergency management office about voluntary registries

Some shelters only allow service or support animals, so plan food, water and supplies for them, and check shelter rules ahead of time.

Ready.gov suggests

• Build a support network, and give at least one person a spare key
• Decide in advance whether you would evacuate or shelter in place
• Keep copies of Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance cards
• Learn your healthcare providers’ emergency plans
• Plan how to keep assistive devices with you
• Plan transportation if you’ll need help leaving

Ready.gov says everyone in the family can help prepare, and invites teens to be leaders in their family’s preparedness. Games and simple lessons help younger children learn without fear.

Ideas by age

• Little ones: pick a comfort item and a snack for the bag
• School-age: learn the out-of-town contact’s number and the meeting place
• Teens: set up alerts on family phones, or lead a drill

Ask about your children’s school or childcare emergency plans, and who is allowed to pick them up.

Many public shelters and hotels don’t accept animals, so find a pet-friendly place ahead of time, keep your pet’s ID tag and microchip details current, and ask a neighbour or friend to be your pet buddy if you can’t get home.

The Pets & your wellbeing guide covers the comfort animals bring, and caring for them through hard times.