When you’re displaced by a disaster, it turns your life upside-down in a matter of seconds. Just as quickly, your mind is flooded with questions: Where do we go? What do we bring? How do we leave? Who do we tell? There are steps you can take now during National Preparedness Month to feel more confident springing into action during an emergency.
1. Build your emergency kit. Beyond general essentials, also consider medications, supplies for infants and pets, copies of important papers, phone chargers and portable power banks, maps of your area and emergency contact information.
2. Make a plan of what to do. What will you do if local officials issue evacuation orders? How is this coordinated with your child’s school, your work or your elderly parent’s assisted living facility?
3. Know how to stay informed. Identify how your local officials will share information during a disaster, including any evacuation orders or shelter locations. Download the free Red Cross Emergency app.
You can also prepare to help others as extreme weather becomes more frequent and intense. Visit redcross.org/VolunteerToday to join our volunteer teams and be the light in other people’s darkest hours.
