Make a Plan:
Plan in advance what you will do in an emergency. Use common sense and whatever you have on hand to take care of yourself and your loved ones. Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so plan how you will contact one another and review what you would do in different situations.
Create a plan to shelter-in-place. There are circumstances when you may need to stay put and create a barrier between you and potentially contaminated air outside. By sealing off a room or rooms with plastic sheeting and tape, you are creating a shelter-in-place, which may be a matter of survival if the environment outside is contaminated.
Know emergency plans at school and work. Talk to your children's schools and your employer about emergency plans. Find out how they will communicate with families during an emergency. Talk to your neighbors about how you can work together.
Plan Check List
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Post emergency telephone numbers by phones (fire, police, ambulance, etc.).
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Teach children how and when to call 911 or your local Emergency Medical Services number for emergency help.
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Determine the best escape routes from your home. Find two ways out of each room.
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Find the safe spots in your home for each type of disaster.
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Show each family member how and when to turn off the water, gas, and electricity at the main switches.
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Check if you have adequate insurance coverage.
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Teach each family member how to use the fire extinguisher, and show them where it’s kept.
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Install smoke detectors on each level of your home, especially near bedrooms.
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Conduct a home hazard hunt.
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Stock emergency supplies and assemble a disaster supplies kit.
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Take a Red Cross first aid and CPR class.
Be Informed:
Be informed about potential threats, such as biological, chemical, explosive, and radiological attacks, and keep up recent incidents and illness outbreaks. By learning more about these threats, you are preparing yourself to react in an emergency.
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Learn more about how you can be prepared for potential terrorist threats or other public health emergencies at http://www.ready.gov
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Learn what the Northeast Chapter of the American Red Cross is doing to help prepare communities for emergencies, and help with disaster relief at http://www.redcrossofnei.org/
Get Involved:
Get involved in preparing your community for possible public health incidents.
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Join Citizen Corps, which actively involves citizens in making our communities and our nation safer, stronger, and better prepared. Citizen Corps can be accessed at http://www.citizencorps.gov/ or by calling the Northeast Indiana Citizens Corps Council at
260-925-0917.
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Get involved in your childrens school, and learn how you can help better prepare schools for emergencies.
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Volunteer with local groups to prepare and assist with emergency response.
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Visit www.serve.gov to find volunteer opportunities in your community, or to create your own.
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