READY BEFORE THE EMERGENCY

READY BEFORE THE EMERGENCY

**Would your family know what to do if an emergency disrupted everyday life?**

A severe storm, unexpected power outage, evacuation order, or interruption in essential services can leave families facing difficult decisions. Having a plan before an emergency happens can make it easier to organize important information, identify household needs, and respond more confidently.

*Ready Before the Emergency* is a practical family preparedness handbook designed to help you build a more organized approach to household emergencies-one manageable step at a time.

* BUILD A PREPAREDNESS PLAN THAT WORKS FOR YOUR FAMILY

Inside, you'll explore practical ways to prepare for common emergencies and organize the information and supplies your household may need.

**DISCOVER HOW TO:**

- **Build an emergency supply system** - Organize water, shelf-stable food, lighting, communication supplies, hygiene products, and everyday essentials.
- **Create a family emergency plan** - Establish meeting places, identify evacuation destinations, and develop backup communication arrangements.
- **Organize important health information** - Keep relevant medical details, healthcare contacts, and medication information organized and accessible.
- **Prepare for medication and equipment disruptions** - Identify storage requirements, power dependencies, and questions to discuss with healthcare professionals.
- **Improve first-aid readiness** - Organize household supplies and understand when professional emergency assistance is needed.
- **Plan for different disasters** - Consider storms, flooding, wildfires, earthquakes, extended power outages, and other disruptions relevant to your location.
- **Include everyone's needs** - Account for children, older adults, people requiring additional assistance, pets, and service animals.
- **Maintain your preparations** - Use a practical 30-day plan and recurring reviews to keep your household arrangements current.

* PRACTICAL WORKSHEETS TO HELP YOU GET ORGANIZED

Preparedness is easier when important information is recorded in one place. This handbook includes planning tools designed to help you turn general advice into concrete household actions, including:

• Household emergency contact sheets
• Family health information records
• Emergency supply inventories
• Evacuation and family communication worksheets
• Medication and medical equipment planning forms
• Monthly preparedness review checklists
• A resource guide for finding reliable emergency information