Ready, Set, Evacuate?
Next Steps
The first step to helping your community during a disaster is assuring that you and your family are prepared. Many people regard their home or office as "safe" and couldn't imagine having to evacuate due to an emergency. This mentality, however, may have terrible consequences. The string of wildfires in California had led to firefighters knocking on doors and telling residents that they have three minutes to evacuate. If this happened to you, would you know what to take?
With just a few steps, you can help prepare your family and your coworkers for any emergency or disaster. The first step to personal preparedness is building a kit that includes items that you will need in order to take care of yourself in an emergency. Information regarding the contents of a personal kit can be found at:
These lists are just guides, and your kit should be customized based on your preferences. Other things to consider are home and office evacuation plans, meeting places, and threats to your community.
After you have prepared yourself for an emergency, consider assisting your community in a time of need. The Volunteer Mobilization Leadership Team (VMLT) at Volunteer Fairfax assists after a disaster by answering the County's information hotline, processing spontaneous volunteers at a Volunteer Mobilization Center, and, of course, volunteering to help with recovery efforts. If you would like additional information about how to develop an emergency plan or how to assist your community during a disaster, contact Matthew Lyttle.
