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- Fill heavy plastic containers with water when empty. Date & store in a cool, dry place. Rotate water every 6 months and freeze some. Frozen water can be moved to keep perishables cold in refrigerators during outages & be used for drinking later.
- Choose an out-of-state phone contact. Long distance lines operate before local lines in disasters. Choose 2 emergency meeting places away from home and give this information to friends, neighbors and caregivers.
- Check and replace supplies. Every year when you reset your clocks, check your food, water, batteries and smoke detector batteries. Shake fire extinguishers back and forth a few times to break up the sediment.
- Stash extra cash in small denominations and coins in your car, office, and home. Electric cash registers may not be operable to make change. Pay phones and long distance lines are the first to work after outages.
- Give emergency preparedness gifts for: birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, house warming and wedding parties. Dollar stores are great supply resources.
- Gather emergency supplies around your home: gloves, can opener, radio, rope, flashlights, batteries, whistles, toiletries, nonperishable food, tools, etc. Make a kit so you can grab it and run if you need to.
- Talk to your neighbors to arrange emergency check-in systems for pet care & emergency supply sharing, such as: water, generators, camping supplies, food....
- Walk through your home with a disaster eye. Move beds away from windows. Latch cabinets & water heaters. Clear pathways. Move heavy objects down low.
- Think up preparedness incentives. Hold contests and give prizes to the friend, employee or co-worker who is most prepared by a certain deadline.
- Place comfortable shoes, socks, flashlight, batteries & crowbar under or near your bed. The crowbar will help if doors are jammed shut in a quake.
- Inventory your home and office. Videotape or take pictures of your possessions. Store copies of important documents away from home.
- Carry a flashlight and whistle with you on a key chain, in your car, and/or at work. Put whistles and lights everywhere: in kits, in drawers, on wheelchairs, in kitchens, etc.
- Refill your gas tanks at half full instead of empty. When electricity goes, so will gas pumps.
- Call your local fire department and ask for FREE neighborhood disaster training. Get CPR, first aid and/or HAM radio certification.
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