Emergency Preparedness

Why should you prepare?

Top 3 reasons to prepare

To protect you and your family To mitigate the damage and loss of life To quickly recover your life and return to a

sense of normalcy

How to start planning Make a plan and checklist Practice your evacuation plan Put together an emergency kit Prepare food and water storage now Understand the possible disasters in your area

Disasters in Utah ing

• Earthquake• Tornado• Fire

Earthquakes

• Utah is a seismically active region• Most of the population is in areas where an

earthquake could occur• Duck, cover, and hold onto something• If outdoors, move to a clear area• Move against a wall if there isn’t a desk or table• Know the safest place in each room

Tornados• Every state has some risk of a tornado• Build an emergency kit• Make a family communications plan• Go in a basement• If no lower shelter is available, go to the

center of a room.

Fires

• The most vulnerable part of a house if the roof• Replace roof as needed• Obtain a Class-A material for your roof which

include tile, concrete, or asphalt • Don’t leave tree debris in your gutters• If trees or branches hang over your house, prune

them back 10 feet

What do I put in my emergency kit?

• 4 liters of water per person, per day, for a minimum of 72 hours for drinking and sanitation.

• Have at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food

• First Aid Kit with antibiotics, Antihistamines, and glue• Extra batteries or solar charger and cell phone.• Flashlights with extra batteries.• Battery or solar powered radio to

listen for emergency broadcasts.

Create a Plan

• In the case of a fire, earthquake, or tornado, have an emergency exit plan or emergency shelter for each situation.

• Practice drills for each situation so your family knows what to do.

• Create rolls so everyone has a job in securing safety i.e. Water checks, power checks, and health checks.

Food and Water Storage

– Have at least 4 quarts of water for every person in your family for at least 3 days.

– For long term food have a 3 month storage of none perishable food stored.

– In an extreme emergency situation, the bath tub can be used to collect water for storage.

– Start building up your food storage and water storage for the unknown future.

Prepare Now!

• In order to be prepared for any emergency, don’t forget to do these few steps!– Stay informed on current weather conditions– Create an emergency plan– Ensure a good supply of water and food storage– Assemble an emergency kit– Make a clear evacuation plan

• If you follow your instincts to prepare now, you will be ready to confront an emergency head on!

Documents

• In your plan include collecting important documents.

• Social security cards, identification, and insurance information, etc.

• These will be essential to replace lost homes, vehicles and other damaged property.

Summary

• No matter the disaster: Earthquake, Fire, Tornado the most important thing is to:

• BE PREPARED NOW• Be prepared to help your family, mitigate

damage, and speed up recovery.• Be prepared to take cover, find shelter, and

prevent flammability.

BE PREPARED

• Create an emergency kit. It is your quick solution to be prepared in an emergency.

• Plan, prepare, practice, and repeat because you can never expect a true emergency.

References

FEMA. 2013. Make a Plan. Retrieved from:http://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan

Survival Cache. 2013. Why even skeptics should prepare. Retrieved:

http://survivalcache.com/6-reasons-to-prepare-emergency preparedness/Texas Forest Service. 2013. Protect your property from wildfire. Retrieved from: http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/ Utah Gov Services. 2013. Be ready Utah. Retrieved from

http://beready.utah.gov/beready/index.htmlEmergency Phone. N.d. Photograph. ZumaWeb. 5 Aug 2013.

http://www.zumahousing.com/what_we_do/page/emergency_phone-12