Be Prepared to Evacuate
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. An impending hurricane has 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.
Step One
The first step to personal preparedness is to be aware of emergencies. Sign up for Fairfax Alerts, and you can chose the locations, devices and alerts to keep you informed and prepared. This tool is also where individuals with access and functional needs should register.
Step Two
The next step 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. Where you should have your kit? At home? In your car? At work? Other things to consider are home and office evacuation plans, meeting places, and threats to your community.
Step Three
The next step would be to have a plan, for you, your family, and your business.
After you have prepared yourself for an emergency, consider assisting your community in a time of need. The Volunteer Emergency Team at Volunteer Fairfax assists after a disaster by processing spontaneous volunteers at a Volunteer Reception Center, and, of course, recruiting volunteers 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 us.
